The gaming industry has been constantly rising. New gaming solutions are flooding the market, and gamers have a variety of options available to them. According to a recent gaming market research report, the gaming industry has expanded into the following segments: professional and casual gaming; online and offline gaming platforms; and gaming by the device (PC, console, mobile, online).
Since each segment caters to unique demographics, experts estimate that the global gaming market will reach the $125.65 billion revenue mark by 2025. (Source: technavio.com)
Blockchain gaming plays a critical role in this expansion of the gaming industry.
Top notable blockchain gaming stats for 2023
- $12 billion total projected investment into blockchain games in 2022.
- Nearly 1.1 million Unique Active Wallets (UAWs) registered via gaming activity.
- 52% of all active wallets accounted for blockchain gaming in Q2 of 2022.
- Wax and Hive gaming blockchains showed the most growth in Q2 of 2022.
- Splinterland (283k) and Alien Worlds (182k) had the highest number of UAWs in the first 6 months of 2022.
- Surveys show that 48.6% of blockchain game players are males aged 25-34.
- 68% of respondents believe play-to-earn will be a driving factor in blockchain gaming.
- Move-to-earn (MTE) gaming mechanics was the latest top trend in 2022.
- Hack of the Ronin Bridge platform in March 2022 caused a loss of $600 million in USDC and ETH cryptocurrencies.
Blockchain technology has opened up many opportunities for gaming companies and developers interested in developing decentralized applications. This technology provides game developers with multiple advantages:
- Can develop innovative, integrated gaming profiles;
- Can earn and distribute rewards;
- The expanded ability for users to trade resources;
- Opportunity to share and distribute gaming verifications; and
- More cost-effective and secure financial transactions.
Must-know blockchain gaming statistics, trends, and facts
With all of this information in mind, let’s examine the latest gaming industry blockchain and crypto stats for 2022.
1. According to 2022 estimations, blockchain gaming investments are on track to reach the $12 billion mark.
Q2 reflects the growing demand for the gaming sector, showing more than $2.5 billion in blockchain investments and partnerships. Q2 has been the dominant quarter in the blockchain gaming market so far.
Despite the slow growth rate since June, Q2 has gradually seen around $500 million in investment in the last two months. However, total investment forecasts look pretty optimistic. Statistics predict an increase of up to 20%, amassing profit of up to $12 billion in 2022.
(Source: dappradar.com)
2. Infrastructure-type projects have received 37% of raised capital overall.
According to Dapper Labs, the Flow blockchain has raised recent capital of $725 million thanks to multiple investments. Infrastructure-based projects such as Immutable X (IMX), the most prominent Ethereum Layer 2 option in the market, have received 37% of that amount.
(Source: dappradar.com)
3. 52% of global blockchain activity goes to gaming Dapps.
Blockchain gaming activity has increased by 3% compared to the last quarter. Unique Active Wallets (UAW)make up 52% of gaming activity, amassing capital of almost $1.1 billion in Q2. However, the last quarter saw a 7% decrease in the gaming sector.
There was also a 24% decrease in NFTs and 17% in Defi. Still, blockchain gaming Dapps are rising compared to 2021 Q2, achieving a 232% increase.
(Source: dappradar.com)
4. According to a blockchain gaming survey, the industry mostly attracts middle-aged males (48.6%) between the ages of 25-35.
A 2021 blockchain gaming survey showed that blockchain gaming mostly attracts middle-aged males. 48.6% of respondents were males between the ages of 25-34, while 30.7% ranged between the ages of 35-44.
(Source: BGA 2021 Member Survey & Report)
5. The top three games with the most UAWs in Q2 2022 are Splinterlands (283K), Alien Worlds (188K), and Farmer Worlds (124K).
Many factors impact rankings among the top ten blockchain games. Despite recent events in tokenomics, the most popular blockchain games continue to increase player activity and game token usage.
In Q2, Splinterland was the most prominent gaming title in the blockchain industry, with more than 283,000 UAW, according to Dappradar stats. However, its position changed in June, causing the game to lose 61% of its users. The number of UAWs dropped from 283,000 to 136,703.
Next to Splinterlands, Alien Worlds is the second most popular blockchain game, attracting 192,000 UAWs daily in April 2022. That makes this game the second most prominent blockchain gaming title.
The game’s daily activity significantly increased by 1,370% since March 2021. In 2022, Alien Worlds’ daily activity steadily grew by 2%.
The top three games in Q2 2022 are:
- Splinterlands (283K UAW)
- Alien Worlds (188K UAW)
- Farmer Worlds (124K)
(Source: dappradar.com)
6. According to 2022 quarterly reports, Q2 had $2.5 billion in blockchain gaming investments.
The crypto industry has many verticals constantly changing due to macroeconomic factors. The biggest effect on the industry was the collapse of the Terra ecosystem.
This started an avalanche of events that impacted all industry spheres, including NFT and Defi infrastructure. Despite poor sales in Q1, gaming NFTs have increased sales by 19%.
Splinterlands is the most popular blockchain game with the most Unique Active Wallets (UAW). The game’s daily UAW average was 283,729 during Q2.
(Source: dappradar.com)
7. Wax is the most popular gaming blockchain, with a 14% increase since the last quarter.
According to the latest reports from the blockchain gaming industry, Wax and Hive are the two most prominent gaming blockchains.
Here are their quarterly figures:
- Wax had 393,933 average UAWs; and
- Hive had 283,934 average UAWs.
Compared to Wax, Hive saw a 16% decrease in active UAWs. The highest quarterly growth goes to Solana (612%). Despite a relatively low activity for Q2 (only 801 average UAW), Solana still achieved a 376% increase this quarter.
(Source: dappradar.com)
8. The number of unique and active GFT holders increased by 350% from March to May.
The Dapp industry is constantly fluctuating, with trends rapidly coming and going. One of the latest trends is the rise of move-to-earn (MTE). The MTE trend is the latest sensation and an innovative game model in the blockchain gaming industry.
The MTE concept revolves around providing Dapp gamers with opportunities to earn crypto rewards by accomplishing daily goals of physical achievements. The most prominent Dapp is Solana-based STEPN.
This Dapp caters to modern-day gamers by bringing GameFi elements to the mix and allowing gamers to earn Green Satoshi Tokens (GST) by performing daily physical activities like running, jogging, or walking. STEPN has gathered more than 380,000 GST holders since May 11.
That’s a 350% increase compared to their numbers at the end of March. However, STEPN doesn’t plan to stop there. The brand already has plans for new monetization layers, such as SOL, which has gathered more than $3.5 million in lifetime trades.
(Source: solscan.io)
9. Metaverse-based tokens like Mobox and Axie had a value decrease of more than 90% in the digital gaming realm.
Metaverse-based Land tokens are the best example of the impact of the ever-changing digital gaming market. The value of tokens like Mobox and Axie experienced a reduction of 95% (Mobox) and 90% (Axie).
The Sandbox and Decentraland native tokens were also affected. However, these tokens lost only 83% of their value.
Even though the stats are discouraging, the Metaverse continues to increase volume sales, achieving a 97% increase this quarter.
(Source: dappradar.com)
10. The announcement of GRIT, a play-to-earn game from Gala Games, prompted an 18% increase in value for the company.
Gala Games has launched a new archery test minigame in the Mirandus, showcasing innovative game mechanics as part of their latest blockchain gaming project. The only way for gamers to access this game is to own a Mirandus Exemplar NFT in their digital wallet.
The company has also revealed new titles such as:
- Freestyle Football 2 (3rd-person soccer game);
- Champions Arena (turn-based RPG); and
- GRIT (battle-royal style of game with a wild west theme).
(Source: dappradar.com)
11. The NFT-based game, Scratch Wars, has generated $3 million in revenue.
The Polygon blockchain saw significant changes over the last few months, such as The Sandbox migrating into the fold. The game developer sees Polygon as the solution for expediting processing times and reducing transaction fees.
This migration will increase Polygon’s average UAW significantly. The owners of The Sandbox, Animoca Brands, have developed a new minting/un-minting solution, Mintables, along with Quidd. Mintables should help the NFT creation process by simplifying minting and un-minting digital collectibles.
Users can use Mintables to mint their NFTs on other blockchains. Animoca Brands have added a new blockchain game to its roster – Scratch Wars. Developed by a Czech developer, this NFT-based game allowed Animoca Brands to collect $3 million in sales.
(Source: dappradar.com)
12. Illuvium generated $72 million by selling its first land sale of NFTs.
Illuvium sold four tiers of its land for $72 million. Illuvium had 20,000 land plots in its possession and sold its land for NFTs in the Dutch auction.
The game developer has already announced the future sale of Illuvitars – a popular solution for getting customizable in-game avatars.
If you plan to buy your first NFT, read our guides to learn where and how.
(Source: dappradar.com)
13. Ember Sword enables users to migrate to IMX, boosting Ethereum transactions for 20 land plots.
After a successful community campaign in June, Ember Sword finally allowed IMX migrations for players.
This migration introduced numerous benefits for players, such as gas-free transactions and enhanced Ethereum activity.
During the campaign, Ember Sword offered 20 land plots as rewards for 7-day-long community problems and obstacles.
(Source: dappradar.com)
14. Mining Network has grown notably this quarter, ranking 3rd on the DappRadar ranking board.
Mining Network, a free play-to-earn blockchain game, grew significantly this quarter. The game provides players with mining gameplay in a simulated environment.
Mining Network has an internal currency, ASIC chip NFTs, available to players for free. Players can use this in-game currency for ASIC chip upgrades and BTK token trades.
(Source: dappradar.com)
15. Ronin Bridge lost over $600 million in USDC and ETH due to a cyberattack on March 31, 2022.
Ronin Bridge is a well-known trading platform for cross-chain crypto transactions between the Ronin sidechain and Ethereum.
On March 31, the platform fell victim to one of the harshest cybersecurity attacks in the crypto space (just like the DAO hack in 2016), causing it to lose more than $600 million in USDC and ETH.
(Source dappradar.com)
16. Axie lost 40% of its user base due to the Ronin Bridge hack.
The cyber attack that caused Ronin Bridge to lose hundreds of millions also affected Axie. The Axie Infinity game has lost almost half of its users.
Thankfully, Axie could get back on its feet by staking its lands for AXS tokens. The amount of profit available ranges from 0.08–32 AXS and could increase the average UAWs for Axie by up to 247%.
(Source: dappradar.com)
17. IMX generated 109% more transactions during Q1 2022.
When we look at the 2021/2022 IMX stats, it’s notable that IMX generated 109% more transactions during the first quarter of 2022 than in the entirety of 2021.
(Source mmutable.com)
18. 68% of people surveyed believe that play-to-earn mechanics will be the driving factor for blockchain gaming development.
The BGA 2021 Member Survey & Report indicated that play-to-earn mechanics, economy (68%), and game improvements (56%) would drive blockchain gaming forward.
(Source: BGA 2021 Member Survey & Report)
Conclusion
These are the most up-to-date statistics in the gaming industry. The stats that we have shared indicate that this impressive industry is still in its infancy. However, there is a lot of potential for growth, development, and expansion. Developers of blockchain games will continue to fight for leading positions in the market, providing an ever-growing consumer base with the most advanced gaming solutions.
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