Immutable, a driving force in web3 gaming, has seen significant momentum in the first quarter of 2024, marked by a flurry of new game additions, strategic partnerships, and surging on-chain activity within its gaming ecosystem. With a focus on mainstream adoption and innovation, Immutable has been tirelessly expanding its platform and offerings to cater to the growing interest in web3 gaming.

In this article, we will dive into the Immutable Q1 2024 report, highlighting top-performing games, new game additions, exciting partnerships, and explosive growth of on-chain activity. Read on to learn how Immutable is contributing to the surge in interest for web3 and blockchain gaming.

More About Immutable?

‍Immutable is a leader in web3 gaming "on a mission to bring digital ownership to every player by making it safe and easy to build great games with blockchain technology". The Immutable platform makes it easy for game studios and independent developers to safely and confidently build and launch successful games on the Ethereum blockchain.

The product suite includes pre-built solutions, optimized for usability, that help developers get to market faster without sacrificing security or player experience. Builders get personalized web3 guidance, live support for their communities, and access to the largest ecosystem in gaming.

Co-founded by James Ferguson, Robbie Ferguson, and Alex Connolly in 2018, Immutable is headquartered in Sydney with a 250+ team, and backed by top tech investors like Temasek, Tencent, Coinbase, BITKRAFT Ventures, King River Capital, Galaxy Interactive, and more.

Immutable was one of the first gaming platforms to deliver a zero-knowledge (zk) scaling solution to the Ethereum community and provides developers with multiple zk-based scaling options, including Immutable X, a rollup based on StarkWare technology, and Immutable zkEVM, powered by Polygon.

Expanding Gaming Ecosystem

Immutable is a leader in web3 game development and publishing, backed by a world-class team who have proven track records of bringing games to millions of players. The studio pioneered the world's first blockbuster p2e NFT trading-card game Gods Unchained and is currently building the anticipated mobile RPG Guild of Guardians.

Alongside its own high-quality titles, Immutable partners with third-party game developers to provide them with best-in-class strategy and execution expertise aimed at ensuring the success of every web3 game deployed within the Immutable ecosystem.

Immutable recently disclosed a 900% increase in signed games year-over-year in Q1 ‘24 vs Q1 ‘23. The recent growth has seen the company sign over 75 games in the past three months alone, bringing the total games available on Immutable to over 270 – in line with the 70% market share reported by Messari in late 2023. 

Notable, the platform recorded a record-breaking 32-game signings in March alone, reflecting a remarkable 9x increase compared to the previous year. This surge in new titles underscores the growing interest and demand for web3 gaming experiences.

Top Rated Game: Guild of Guardians

The emergence of web3 gaming is gaining traction among traditional gamers, exemplified by Guild of Guardians achieving a remarkable 4.9/5 rating on the app store. This accomplishment signifies a significant milestone in the journey toward mainstream acceptance of NFT and blockchain gaming. Guild of Guardians, along with numerous other noteworthy web3 games, is leveraging Immutable's platform to forge a path toward wider adoption.

Top Performing Game: Blast Royale

One standout performer in Immutable's gaming roster is Blast Royale, an action-packed mobile shooter that seamlessly blends MOBA elements with Battle Royale gameplay. With impressive retention rates and a burgeoning player base, Blast Royale has emerged as one of the top-performing games on the platform, garnering significant traction and engagement.

Here are some of the impressive stats:

• Total Installs: 500K
• D1 Retention: 43%
• D7 Retention: 18%
• D30 Retention: 5%
• Average Time playing per day: 1h
• Number of matches per player: 4.9
• Peak DAU: 28K
• Peak MAU: 101K
• Total Matches Played: 5M

Growing Gaming Ecosystem

Among the recent newcomers to Immutable's ecosystem are titles like Skies Verse, Infinity Heroes, Katana Inu Universe, and ScarQuest, each offering unique gameplay experiences and contributing to the diverse array of offerings on the platform. These additions further enrich Immutable's gaming library, catering to a wide range of preferences and interests within the gaming community.

Newest Games:

• Skies Verse, an immersive post-apocalyptic world, will have players embark on a journey to engage in epic battles to control desolate landscapes, cities, and much more.

• Infinity Heroes, developed by Infinity Games, brings its flagship game exclusively to Immutable, further expanding the interoperability of the web3 gaming ecosystem.

• Katana Inu universe, an NFT Skins Battle Royale, lets players control champions to explore an existing universe while engaging in intense battles.

• ScarQuest, a metaverse game of the future, is now integrated with the Immutable zkEVM technology, further expanding the thriving community player base within the ecosystem. 

Strategic Partnerships

Immutable's mission to onboard the next generation of gamers onto the web3 space is bolstered by strategic partnerships aimed at expanding its reach and influence in the gaming industry.

GAM3S.GG x Immutable

We recently announced a partnership with Immutable X - together we aim to onboard over 100 million players to web3 and introduce traditional gamers to the perks of blockchain. The partnership will integrate key Immutable functionalities like Immutable Passport and Immutable Checkout into our platform, providing users with seamless onboarding and purchasing experiences.

Additionally, we will fund exclusive rewards and questing services for AAA games on Immutable zkEVM, while our $G3 token integration will offer more choices and utility for gamers. Collaborative efforts are already underway with exclusive quests, community tournaments, and in-game content driving player growth for web3 games like Blast Royale and MetalCore.

$100M Web3 Gaming Fund

Immutable, Polygon Labs and King River Capital have jointly unveiled a $100 Million Web3 Gaming fund, known as the Inevitable Games Fund. This collaborative initiative aims to attract additional developer talent and expand the player base within the web3 gaming realm. Since 2018, the web gaming sector has witnessed substantial investment, accumulating approximately $19 billion.

In 2023 alone, investments in blockchain gaming reached a noteworthy $1.7 billion. A considerable portion of these investments has been directed toward the development of over 270 web3 games within Immutable's ecosystem. The establishment of this fund aligns with our collective objective to enhance the ecosystem and expedite the creation of AAA-rated web3 games.

Immutable and OKX

The recent collaboration with OKX involves the integration of our zkEVM chain into the OKX Marketplace and OKX Wallet. This strategic partnership is poised to provide access to NFTs and digital wallets within the integrated gaming ecosystem to over 50 million users.

Furthermore, this partnership will feature a GameFi launchpad on the OKX NFT Marketplace. This initiative will showcase highly anticipated games including Guild of Guardians, Shardbound, and Metalcore. Games building on Immutable will now be able to tap into OKX, including its comprehensive educational resource Cryptopedia, to reach a wider audience and enhance player experience.

Immutable zkEVM

Immutable zkEVM, powered by Polygon, is a pioneering solution tailored for web3 gaming applications. It prioritizes low transaction fees, rapid transaction speeds, and efficient processing of large-scale transactions. Leveraging zero-knowledge roll-up technology, it effectively mitigates gas fees and boosts transaction throughput while ensuring compatibility with Ethereum.

In the realm of games and projects utilizing Immutable zkEVM, several noteworthy developments have emerged:

1. Ethlizards, a prominent player in the web3 gaming arena, has introduced one of the inaugural NFT collections on Immutable zkEVM. This collection integrates interactive lore to deliver an engaging web3 onboarding experience.
2. LUXON has demonstrated its commitment by transitioning its flagship game, DESPERADO B218, to Immutable zkEVM mainnet. This move signifies a significant expansion of Immutable's industry-leading gaming ecosystem, establishing it as the premier zk-rollup platform for gaming.
3. A recent collaboration with Vendetta Games, creators of a Red Dead Redemption-style web3 free-to-play game, is poised to utilize Immutable Passport for their flagship game, Chalk River. This integration aims to offer player-centric experiences seamlessly across the game's website, gameplay, and marketplace.
4. To foster further growth in its multi-chain ecosystem, Immutable is joining forces with Affyn Official, a company specializing in web3 gaming, metaverse, and lifestyle experiences. This partnership will see the launch of a special NFT collection alongside the introduction of their new game, Buddy Arena.

On-chain Metrics

Immutable's impressive on-chain metrics over the past four months reflect the platform's growing traction and activity, with significant transaction volumes and user engagement. According to the Immutable Team, in 2024 the focus remains on delivering a premier plug-and-play solution for developers keen on crafting high-quality web3 games.

A newly introduced dashboard now highlights Immutable X's significant on-chain metrics from the past four months:

• Approximately 200-250k on-chain transactions per day, totaling around $300 million in lifetime transactions.
• An impressive ~$1 million in daily NFT trading volume.
• A substantial $3 million in lifetime on-chain users.
• A notable $300 million in total value locked (TVL).

Immutable Passport Over 200K

Immutable Passport has surpassed the 200,000-user milestone, demonstrating its growing popularity as an all-in-one gamer identity solution. Developed to simplify the onboarding process for new players without requiring intricate blockchain knowledge, Passport offers a seamless single-sign-on and passwordless wallet experience. This streamlined approach reduces friction during onboarding and facilitates the adoption of web3 gaming among players.

In addition, games built on zkEVM now empower developers to sponsor their players' gas transactions, eliminating transaction fees and enhancing the gaming experience. This innovative feature opens up new revenue streams for game studios, allowing players to engage in gameplay, asset trading, and in-game economies without the interruption of gas fees.

With Immutable, developers are equipped with comprehensive tools to create exceptional games, while Immutable handles the technical aspects, ensuring a smooth development process.

Looking Ahead

As Immutable continues to make strides in the web3 gaming space, the outlook for the remainder of 2024 appears promising. With a focus on innovation, accessibility, and community engagement, Immutable is poised to shape the future of gaming and usher in a new era of decentralized gaming experiences. Stay tuned for exciting developments, including the upcoming launch of Main Quest, as Immutable continues to redefine the gaming landscape.