In a gaming industry where innovation often collides with skepticism, WARP is positioning itself as a publisher that bridges traditional models and the emerging world of web3. In an exclusive interview with CEO and Co-Founder Matthew Buxton, he shared how the company plans to reshape the relationship between developers, players, and publishers through technology, data, and fair partnerships.
Building a Future for Web3 Game Publishing
From Athens to a New Publishing Model
The idea for WARP was born out of Buxton’s frustration with the status quo. After scaling a web3 game to 250,000 monthly active users, he found no interest from traditional web2 publishers simply because the game involved crypto. It was a defining moment that revealed a gap in the market. “Investors aren’t publishers,” he explained. “They can’t fund your game and also scale it like a publisher can.”
As the 2022 crypto bear market decimated funding across the gaming sector, Buxton saw an opportunity to rebuild. “Something had to be done,” he said. “The opportunity was growing every day to take traditional publishing into web3 and add financial tools to speed up growth.” In late August 2024, while on a balcony in Athens with his team, WARP’s core idea took shape: a publishing model that benefits both developers and players through shared ownership and decentralized systems.
Building a Future for Web3 Game Publishing
Keeping the Best, Fixing the Rest
WARP isn’t throwing out everything from the old publishing playbook. Buxton says the company is keeping what worked - like vetting games carefully and investing heavily in marketing - but dropping the obsession with data-driven mercenary tactics. “Games can be improved massively with design and monetization help,” he said.
Instead of competing titles under one roof, WARP encourages collaboration. Every game and guild in its network earns a share of the ecosystem through a node system, aligning success across all projects.
A Measured View on Web3 Skepticism
Buxton doesn’t shy away from acknowledging web3 gaming’s rocky history. “They were right,” he said about critics. “Most web3 games were poorly managed and badly designed.” But he draws a clear distinction between that phase and what WARP is building. “We’re not a web3 gaming company. We’re a data-driven DeFi layer for the gaming industry.”
For Buxton, the real proof will come from results, not promises. “You can’t convince skeptics with words,” he said. “You have to shift the entire world around them until their position has been left behind by conventional wisdom.”
Building a Future for Web3 Game Publishing
Building the Complete Ecosystem
WARP isn’t just publishing games - it’s building the infrastructure they need to thrive. The company offers wallets, marketplaces, launchpads, and KYC tools in a single ecosystem. Buxton compared this approach to Google’s model of offering free, interconnected services. “If we do it and give it away for free, no one else can compete,” he said.
To strengthen that vision, WARP acquired Nitrodome, a company known for blockchain integration. Now, WARP can provide a white-label web3 toolkit that supports 23 different blockchains. For developers, that means they can integrate web3 features without paying high licensing fees or juggling multiple service providers.
Balancing Decentralization and Usability
When it comes to user experience, Buxton believes practicality wins. “All 578 of those gamers that want total decentralization have fully on-chain games they can play,” he said. “The other 8 billion will play something fun that doesn’t require navigating bad UX or hacked smart contracts.”
For players, WARP’s NFT integration aims to make ownership intuitive. “Ideally, it should feel like having an inventory where you can sell or trade your loot, like in World of Warcraft or HayDay,” Buxton explained. The goal is for blockchain elements to exist quietly under the surface, powering ownership without disrupting gameplay.
Building a Future for Web3 Game Publishing
Using AI to Improve Game Operations
AI is a key part of WARP’s long-term vision. The company’s LiveOps SDK uses artificial intelligence to help developers understand how players interact with their games in real time. “We combine qualitative conversations with quantitative behavior data,” Buxton said. “It helps developers see what’s working and what isn’t.”
Beyond analytics, WARP’s AI can move in-game personalities between titles, allowing them to interact with new environments and characters while maintaining continuity - a feature that Buxton says traditional publishers can’t currently match.
The team is also developing AI tools to assist during development itself. “Think of them as AI copilots,” Buxton explained. “They help with technical integration or economic modeling. It’s not about replacing creativity, but enhancing the process.”
A Fairer Business Model for Developers
Unlike publishers that charge upfront fees or demand large revenue cuts, WARP uses a revenue-share model. This approach mirrors traditional web2 publishing but adds a decentralized twist. “We give all our games and capital guilds a share of the network’s value by giving them a node to operate,” Buxton said. “It creates a base layer of reliable income that grows as we do.”
WARP’s financial targets are ambitious. The company aims for its games to generate over $250,000 in daily revenue, depending on genre. To decide which games to back, WARP uses a data-first evaluation process that focuses on real in-game activity, not social media metrics.
Building a Future for Web3 Game Publishing
Looking Ahead: The Future of Digital Ownership
Buxton envisions a near future where digital ownership connects directly to real-world value. “Imagine tagging your loot for sale and using a debit card to buy groceries in real time,” he said. “Our NFT DEX sells the asset into liquidity at purchase - it’s instant.”
When asked what advice he would give to indie developers, Buxton’s answer was simple. “Focus on building the best game in your genre. Once you’ve done that, come talk to us.”
What Drives WARP’s Founder
Buxton’s love for gaming started with The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, a title he credits for its story and exploration. If WARP could revive any franchise for the web3 era, he’d choose Unreal Tournament for its lasting influence on shooters. As for gaming trends, he sees “Ponzi games” as overhyped and “UX design” as the most under appreciated area in development.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is WARP? WARP is a web3 game publisher and infrastructure provider that combines traditional publishing practices with blockchain and AI technology.
How does WARP’s revenue-share model work? Instead of charging upfront fees, WARP shares network value through nodes, giving developers and guilds a recurring income stream that grows with the platform.
What makes WARP different from other web3 publishers? WARP offers a full, free infrastructure stack (wallets, marketplaces, launchpads, and more) allowing developers to integrate web3 features easily without added costs.
Does WARP only work with blockchain games? No. While WARP provides web3 integration, it focuses on helping any quality game studio add blockchain features seamlessly, whether the game is fully on-chain or not.
How does AI fit into WARP’s platform? WARP’s LiveOps SDK uses AI to analyze player behavior, enhance engagement, and assist developers with technical and economic modeling during production.
What are WARP’s long-term goals? The company aims to make digital ownership as intuitive as traditional gaming, allowing in-game assets to have real-world liquidity and value across multiple titles and chains.
