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Good Evening,

We couldn’t be happier to cap off this weekend with our first Crypto Sum deep dive of 2025.

Today we will dive into the multibillion dollar blockchain gaming industry and why it’s poised to grow exponentially over the next few years.

As of 2024, the total addressable market for gaming was estimated to be around $250B to $300B globally, with some projections even suggesting it could reach upwards of $400B in the next few years.

Currently, the total market cap of crypto as a whole is around $3.5 Trillion¹ and blockchain gaming has exploded onto the scene in ways that nobody could imagine. This is the tip of the iceberg of what’s to come and we are truly in the infancy of an industry that could grow exponentially in 2025 alone.

In this article, we will cover:

• Blockchain gaming and how traditional gaming is following suit

• Open Loot’s massive success and how they’re changing the game

• Why “tokenized gaming” is the future of gaming

Before we dive in, huge shoutout to Open Loot for sponsoring this deep dive - make sure to give their X a follow and check out their amazing Discord community.

Happy Sunday, let’s dive in.

Blockchain Gaming

Blockchain gaming is the use of the blockchain (a decentralized and distributed ledger that records transaction in a secure and transparent way) in various aspects of the mission and/or core infrastructure of a video game. They differ from traditional video games in several important ways, which we will highlight below.

📍 How Blockchain Gaming Differs from Traditional Games:

• Decentralization: Traditional games are hosted on centralized servers controlled by the developer. Blockchain games, on the other hand, can be decentralized, meaning no single entity controls the game’s economy or data. This can provide players with more freedom and security, as well as making it harder for the games to be comprised or discontinued.

• Play To Earn (“P2E”) Models: Players are rewarded with an in-game cryptocurrency or 'token' for completing objectives, acquiring skills, or various other methods that contribute to the games ecosystem. P2E models allow games to foster in-game businesses that take on a whole life of their own.

• True Ownership: Unlike traditional video games or 'web 2' games, assets in a blockchain game can be traded, sold, or bought inside and outside the game on various marketplaces. Assets in a traditional video game are owned by the game developer where in a blockchain game the assets are owned by the user whom purchased them. Also an item you earn in one blockchain game could potentially be used in another game or converted into another cryptocurrency.

• User portability of data: Blockchain gaming can put gamers in control of their own data and assets, allowing them to move them from one platform or game to another as it suits them.

🔮 Traditional Games Are Going This Direction

As many gamers know, traditional games such as Fortnite, CS:GO, League of Legends, Call of Duty and countless others are already moving in the direction of implementing web3/blockchain functions. All games mentioned above have a type of in-game currency, loot, or store, as well as some form of “battle pass” which provides additional content usually through a tiered purchase system.

All of these functions are integral to blockchain games and are administered on a decentralized network and utilized a form of cryptocurrency or NFT (unlike traditional games done on closed developer networks).

One of the most popular competitive video games in the world, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, or CS:GO, has fully embraced the marketplace structure with gun skins, knives, and other equipment having third party marketplaces in which players can buy, sell, and trade their items. These items can fetch incredibly high prices based off rarity, attractiveness, special variants, investment value, and liquidity.

🔗 Blockchain Gaming takes it a step further

In 2017/18 Axie Infinity exploded onto the scene as one of the first blockchain games ever created. The game combined concepts of Animal Crossing, Pokemon, and Tamagotchi to create a fun play-to-earn game. What made Axie revolutionary at the time was the use of Ethereum-based currencies to support its in-game economy. Players breed, raise, battle and trade creatures called 'Axies' to earn the game’s cryptocurrency called “Axie Infinity Shards/Token” or AXS for short.

Other games such as Sandbox and Decentraland explored virtual worlds where players could buy and sell land using cryptocurrency. In a way, turning Minecraft into a blockchain game.

One of the most anticipated traditional games in the world, Grand Theft Auto 6, has had countless rumors that Rockstar Games may allow players to use Bitcoin, Ethereum, and USDT as payment methods in the game. Even Forbes India reported that GTA 6 could include a crypto reward system, but no official word from the company has confirmed either rumors. As many know, GTA5 (and others) have been a “world in another world” for many users who have entire jobs, lives, businesses inside the game. Heck, GTA5 has users who report in as cops that patrol online to make sure people aren’t speeding (lmao).

📍 Data: In 2022, blockchain gaming was valued at ~$128B globally in 2022 and projected to grow to $614B in 2030 at a CAGR of 21% during the forecast period. North America commands the biggest market share of ~23.9% in 2022.²

Many are familiar with powerhouse game developers like Activision, Blizzard, Ubisoft etc. We know most of the games developed by them are purchased on Steam with USD. Users feel like they own aspect of the game (skins, guns, etc.) but they never have TRUE ownership of the IP.

Open Loot is a huge part of this solution.

Open Loot

What happens when you mix Steam and Coinbase? You get Open Loot.

📍 Open Loot is a web3 gaming ecosystem that includes a distribution platform and marketplace designed to enhance user experience, scalability, and payments for players and developers.

The platform is owned by Big Time Studios and manages all aspects of the breakout hit blockchain game Big Time, including crypto and non-crypto sales. In total, Open Loot hosts a total of 5 blockchain games, with many more to come.

What makes Open Loot different?

Open Loot’s goal is for non-crypto native players to experience blockchain gaming without having to deal with the complexities of web3 integration.

• Users do not need to connect a crypto wallet, pay gas fees, or wait for transactions to settle.

• Users can buy/sell/trade on Open Loot’s marketplace that includes NFT rentals, a marketplace for non-crypto game currencies, and comprehensive histories of NFT prices and activities.

• Developers are supported by Open Loot and provide everything necessary to maximize their chances of succeeding in the Web3 gaming market: technical solutions, robust marketing, token design, and overall production support, ensuring that all Open Loot partners receive comprehensive guidance in every necessary field.

🏆 Platform Highlights

• Open Loot is a distribution platform that enables game studios to reach an established audience of 1.5 million registered players.

• Open through its Big Time Studios launched a $150M fund to provide financial backing, marketing expertise, and development support to enable studios to create high-quality crypto games on the Open Loot platform.

• Open Loot launched the $OL token which rewards both players and developers. This platform recently facilitated nearly half a billion dollars in transaction volume (more on this later).

Check out Open Loot’s website here and make sure to follow them on X.

So what about the games?

⚔️ Big Time

Open Loot’s largest game success is Big Time which is a free-to-play, multiplayer action RPG game that combines fast-action combat and adventure through time and space.

In 2024, Big Time was a clear winner for the most successful NFT game on the market:

• $443,386,952 in total marketplace volume

• 28,820 average $BIGTIME grant to players

• 60,342 unique purchasers

• 1,389,096 unique platform users

• 1,980,398 digital collectibles sold

• 310,681 players in Preseason

Below is the trailer for their massive PvP update:

Check out Big Time’s website here and follow their socials below:
Discord, X, Instagram, Twitch, Youtube

What were you saying about this $OL token?

Tokenization is the future

At the end of the day, gamers have spoken: they want to be rewarded for their commitment to the community and ecosystem of their games.

Open Loot is in a unique position because they created a coin that not only benefits the game player but also the game developer who created the game.

💰 Open Loot Token $OL

Here’s the rundown in plain english:

Spending and Sinking $OL

• Players can use the token as a payment option when purchasing from the marketplace (also receiving a discount when paying with $OL corresponding to their VIP tier).

• Open Loot games occasionally offer special premium currency packs, which can be purchased exclusively at a discounted price with $OL.

• When purchasing NFTs during primary sales, using $OL may qualify you for special discounts or grant exclusive access to certain sales only available to VIP users. This provides a unique advantage in acquiring new and desirable NFTs.

• Partner games may enable the ability to spend tokens to access content or acquire items.

• Open Loot Reward Points can be converted directly into $OL tokens. These rewards can come via in game drops, leaderboards, activity in game, social media engagement, and Clockie Chaus Telegram game

At the time of writing $OL is currently trading at $0.1673 a coin and can be traded on Bybit, OKX, and other exchanges.

Find out everything you need to know about the $OL token here.

Conclusion

There’s no doubt about it, gaming is not going anywhere.

The global video game market size was estimated at USD 217.06B in 2022 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.4% from 2023 to 2030.³

Blockchain gaming is continuing to expand in this space as players seek ways to become more involved with the ecosystem and community. Players demand the ability to own in game assets, be able to trade those assets, and not allow a developer to step in the way. Open Loot is one of the many platforms that is shining through and guiding this market growth by benefiting not only the players but also the developers to come.

Disclaimer: This is not financial advice or an endorsement to buy the Open Loot $OL token. Investments of this kind are risky and can bear significant loss. Do your own research.

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Sources:

1  https://www.forbes.com/digital-assets/crypto-prices/?sh=34e21e9e2478

2  https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/blockchain-gaming-market-108683

3  https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/video-game-market