Key takeaways
- PlayZap addresses the complexity problem in play-to-earn games by focusing on simple, casual games accessible to mobile users with limited playtime.
- The platform features skill-based competitive tournaments with free entry options and small token entry fees that create prize pools distributed to winners.
- PlayZap operates as a multi-game ecosystem within a single app rather than focusing on one game, allowing players to choose different casual games.
- The platform plans a four-phase NFT launch beginning in late May or early June to give players digital ownership of virtual goods beyond traditional free-to-play models.
- PlayZap targets the 70 percent of mobile gamers who play casual games, representing a massive market opportunity within the projected 140 billion dollar mobile gaming market.
Casual players, not crypto natives
Ashton Addison: What is PlayZap, and what problem are you trying to solve?▶ 00:25
Abhishek Buchvani: At a very high level, PlayZap is a play-to-earn gaming platform. Players can play multiple games in one app, compete against each other in an esports-style format and win tokens and NFTs. I come from a gaming background, with more than 15 years at large publishers like Gameloft and Miniclip, and this is my second venture. When we looked at play-to-earn projects, we saw a common pattern: they're very complex and hard to understand. The users who played my games before aren't going to come to a platform that complex. Gaming is an entertainment medium, so it has to be much easier to understand, adopt and play. Mobile gaming is going to be a $140 billion market in the next four years, and 70 percent of that audience plays casual games. They want something simple they can play for two minutes at a bus stop.
You're not building something based on time, you're building something based on skill.
Skill over time spent
Ashton: How do you balance good gameplay with the blockchain side, like tokens and NFTs?▶ 04:05
Abhishek: When we built free-to-play games, we always focused on the economy: how people use virtual currency and goods in the app, and how you build an experience around those items. We're applying a similar approach here, in an esports-style competitive format. Everybody who joins gets free tournaments, so you don't have to invest a lot to get started. If you're good, you can win our native tokens. Then you can move on to paid tournaments, where you pay a small number of tokens to enter. We collect those entries into a prize pool and distribute it back to the winners. People ask me how much you can earn per day. You're not building something based on time, you're building something based on skill. You can practise for free and build a strategy. Then you see yourself on the leaderboard, realise you're ranked around 100th and need to do better, and that keeps engagement very high.
NFT passes and cashing out
Ashton: What is your timeline for the game and the NFT drop, and what will the first NFTs do?▶ 07:54
Abhishek: We're about to launch the beta version, around the beginning to the middle of May. After our token generation event, we'll launch the full version along with the tokens, and our first NFT sale. That sale is called Z Passes. They're mostly a lifelong premium membership on the platform. If you own one, you get access to premium tournaments that other users won't have, and you can earn a little more than other users, for life. For example, our spin-to-win gives small token rewards every day you come back. If you own a pass, you get a little extra.
Ashton: How do players actually cash out what they earn?▶ 10:34
Abhishek: You play tournaments, you win tokens, and you can go to an exchange and cash them out. We're also unlocking in-game NFTs. Say you really like a game like eight-ball pool and you win 50 matches. You'd be rewarded with a cool NFT for that game that only you own. We're rewarding users for their performance and their loyalty to the game. That's one reason we have multiple games on the platform: you might be passionate about one or two games, and others will like something else.
Gaming is an entertainment medium, so it has to be much easier to understand, adopt and play.
Easy onboarding and a social gaming future
Ashton: How are you making it cheap and easy for people to transact with NFTs in the game and marketplace?▶ 11:38
Abhishek: We're going with a chain that's more friendly for players, although we are multi-chain. We have to be very sure players benefit whichever chain we choose. We're also keeping wallet integration very simple. If you don't own a wallet, you can buy our tokens directly through online services and get straight into the game, like a free-to-play experience. If you're an avid crypto gamer, you can connect your wallet, see your currencies and do transactions from there. We don't want to make it a very financial-heavy gaming app.
Ashton: Where do you see PlayZap and the gaming industry a year from now?▶ 13:12
Abhishek: Our long-term ambition is to become a social gaming metaverse. Right now we're starting with a gaming platform where you can hang out, socialise with friends and win tokens. Eventually, you could be walking around, find a friend and want a quick round of a match-three game. You get connected immediately, play for three to five minutes, come back, share emojis and move on. That's what we aspire to, but we have to take the first step with what we're building right now.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Recorded April 2022.
