“We’re one of the only platforms that enables mobile developers to publish their web3 games on app stores”

• PLAY intends to engage user with a consumer friendly approach to create a better Web3 gaming experience
• Mobile studios and publishers are found to be the most willing to adopt new technologies due to larger player bases and lower entry barriers

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Web3 gaming ecosystem READYgg has rebranded to become PLAY, however, its goal of bridging the gap between web2 and web3 remains at its core. The company has now added ex-Sony boss Shawn Layden as a board advisor and has raised $4 million in funding. 

To find out more about the purpose of the rebrand, we spoke with the CEO and founder of Play, Christina Macedo, who shares the team’s ambitions with us, the state of the web3 market and what role mobile has to play in closing the divide between web2 and web3.

PocketGamer.biz: Tell us a little about the decision behind the rebrand, what it means, and if anything else changed along with it?

Christina Macedo: PLAY represents the evolution of our company from its tech-centric origins into a web3 gaming ecosystem. PLAY is not a reiteration of READYgg; rather, it builds on the foundation to democratise game access for all with turnkey solutions that make onboarding billions of new users onto the blockchain as smooth as possible.

At PLAY, we want to enrich and enhance the web3 gaming experience with a consumer-friendly approach and an engaging first-time user experience, as exemplified by our tagline: “PLAY is reinventing play in web3. PLAY is for everyone. PLAY is for every platform. PLAY is gaming.”

And what are your long-term goals or visions behind PLAY?

PLAY hopes to redefine and reinvent web3 gaming from a niched “pay-to-play” model to an accessible and mainstream “play-to-earn” ecosystem for players across the globe. We empower players to gain ownership of their digital assets and tap into the creator marketplace by creating, sharing, and monetising in-game items for the games they enjoy.

Our interconnected web3 gaming platform promotes respect, collaboration, and a sense of community among developers and players across various games and platforms – providing an immersive and engaging experience for everyone. 

Can you tell us a little more about the tech behind PLAY? You aim to help developers leap from web2 to web3 more seamlessly. What does that involve?

PLAY offers developers with cutting-edge SDKs and our proprietary PLAY protocol, streamlining the integration of blockchain technology into existing games. Developers can easily incorporate web3 functionalities and turn web2 games into Web3 games, allowing them to focus on the creative aspects.

Our technology is meant to build native web3 games. But to bring true scale to web3, we’ve designed our tools to be modular, prioritising helping studios migrate their current games and IPs, which are already being played by millions of gamers.

Our PLAY Hub – a cornerstone offering of our PLAY gaming ecosystem – provides data-driven insights that help developers target high-value players referred to as “whales”. They can then tailor games to suit the preferences and behaviors of players, increasing player retention and satisfaction. The advanced monetisation tools in the PLAY Hub also enable developers to generate revenue directly from their games with no added friction.

Many of PLAY’s clients are mobile studios. How big of a role do you think mobile has in bridging the gap between web2 and web3?

That’s right! Mobile studios make up 80% of our clients, including multiplayer, Hermit Crab Game Studio, and Aeria Canada. Mobile studios and publishers are the most willing to adopt new technologies due to their large player bases, lower entry barriers, and opportunities for innovative monetisation strategies.

To achieve widespread adoption of web3 gaming, we must prioritise mobile inclusion. Most gamers worldwide play on mobile devices, and the limited access to traditional video gaming in developing countries has made mobile the primary access point to gaming.

How do you aim to support mobile developers specifically? 

We’re one of the only platforms that enables mobile developers to publish their web3 games on app stores like Google Play and the Apple App Store.

We integrate our wallet system to handle transactions within the app stores directly. This setup allows in-game purchases to be directly deposited into players’ wallets, ensuring compliance and a smooth user experience.

Most importantly, all these transactions happen on-chain, maintaining the integrity and transparency of the gaming experience.

What sets PLAY apart from other services that aim to increase the adoption of web3?

Our advantage lies in our team’s gaming background. We know what gamers need.

There are many fragmented solutions around like wallets or NFT marketplaces, but our technology is designed for full migration. Our robust SDKs are built to handle the complexities of migrating popular, monetised Web2 games to Web3, ensuring low development friction for developers and seamless adaptation for players.

There are many great gaming IPs out there in web2, and we’re committed to preserving and enhancing the value of these existing IPs in the web3 space, something our competitors have yet to fully embrace.

With the new rebrand what comes next for PLAY and what are your thoughts on the state of web3 and its future? 

We’re now very excited to bring our gaming ecosystem full circle. Our forthcoming B2C offerings are designed to make our platform more accessible and seamless.

Next year, we’re introducing a player app that centralises access to a player’s PLAY ID, wallet, game history, and so much more. This will enhance game discovery and engagement through personalised recommendations and event participation. Our upcoming marketplace, while showcasing game assets, will also serve as an exciting discovery channel for new games.

I have confidence in the growth of web3, but it requires a focus on user-centric innovations and seamless integration of services. We’re working towards this with PLAY – enabling players to create and build in their favourite games, developing monetisation tools for developers, and introducing the $PLAY token to unify our ecosystem. These initiatives will create a cohesive and engaging web3 environment.