Beyond Fragmentation: Polygon Strategy for Seamless Web3 Gaming

Flavien (BGA) : Polygon will be speaking at ETHCC Cannes this year thanks to the support of the Blockchain Game Alliance. Why is it important for you to take part in this event, and how do you see collaborations with organizations like the BGA helping push the narrative of Web3 gaming forward in Europe and beyond?

Sergio Varona Bustillo (Head of Gaming at Polygon Labs) : ETHCC is a crucial touchpoint for aligning the broader Ethereum community and web3 community around innovation and infrastructure progress and gaming is one of the main drivers to mass adoption, so it is important to explain to the community how we are adapting the strategy in the vertical and how the Polygon protocols solve the current challenges.

Collaborating with the Blockchain Game Alliance helps amplify a unified message around interoperability, player ownership, and sustainable game economies. I have always emphasized, even before we became BGA members, that the work you do for Web3 gaming and for fostering a healthy, forward-looking industry is truly invaluable. Many of the connections in my current network were formed at events you have organized, and for that, I have nothing but praise and appreciation.

Europe has a deep history in gaming, and events like this help connect infra protocols with builders, studios, and platforms to accelerate the next wave of experimentation and scale. I would say that EthCC is a bit different from traditional gaming events like Gamescom, GDC, or Tokyo Game Show, because here, every developer has already made the decision to build with blockchain technology.

That creates a more focused environment and allows for deeper, more productive conversations, since most teams are beyond the exploratory phase and actively building in web3.

Polygon has become one of the most widely used ecosystems in Web3 gaming. What is your vision for Polygon’s role in supporting game studios and publishers as they transition to Web3?

We need to distinguish between two key aspects here: the technology and the business support.

Starting with the technology side, our goal is to equip developers with the best tools to scale their games using blockchain infrastructure. In this context, there are three main options:

Polygon PoS : particularly well-suited for casual and hyper-casual games, as well as titles that involve gambling mechanics or continuous reward/bet loops. It’s also ideal for platforms that integrate stablecoins. Polygon PoS stands out as the leading blockchain in terms of unique active wallets (UAWs) using USDC, and ranks third for USDT, making it highly attractive for developers. It also offers extremely low gas fees, which is crucial for high-frequency gameplay. In conclusion, it serves as the ideal solution for integrating the game’s payment layer.

Agglayer CDK, for publishers and developers who want to design their own L2 with the objective of creating a customized network to develop a complete ecosystem. CDK supports multiple execution stacks so developers can choose the architecture that best suits their project. Current options include:

a) cdk-opgeth: A high-performance, OP Stack-style client built on Ethereum’s most widely adopted execution client, Geth.

b) cdk-erigon: A customizable, ZK-secure client with advanced configuration options and full Agglayer connectivity.

Integrate the game on an existing Layer 2 built with Polygon technology, such as Immutable zkEVM and benefit from the full range of synergies our partners offer. This includes robust product infrastructure like wallets, marketplaces, and SDKs, as well as strategic support on the business side.

Secondly, we are not just offering tech, we are building ecosystem partnerships, G2M support, and user onboarding rails to reduce friction at every step of the journey, including commercial agreements with projects that are aligned with our broader strategy.

All this set of solutions and support have a common vision: to enable a fundamental change in the internet by empowering the world to equitably access its value. The tool that seamlessly connects all these chains and solutions is Agglayer, an interoperability protocol that allows for trustless, cross-chain token transfers and message-passing.

Polygon is recognized as one of the leading protocols powering Web3 games today. What makes this chain so attractive to developers in the gaming space?

There are several reasons why game developers choose to build within the Polygon ecosystem, but if I had to highlight the most important ones, I’d focus on the following:

Ecosystem maturity, as we have one of the richest gaming ecosystems in web3, including hundreds of live games, wallets, marketplaces, and tooling partners. Over the past few years, we’ve seen a wide range of scalability solutions emerge. However, Polygon PoS has just marked its fifth year as a proven, reliable solution, widely adopted and fully integrated with all major infra providers.

A clear testament to its success is the Polymarket application, which continues to thrive on the network.

-Scalability and cost-efficiency: developers can choose the right throughput and cost profile for their needs, leveraging Ethereum’s security.

-Liquidity: one key advantage of Polygon is its greater liquidity across the ecosystem. With a high concentration of active users, assets, and DeFi protocols, developers building on Polygon benefit from deeper markets, faster asset movement, and broader interoperability making it easier to integrate seamless in-game economies and marketplaces.

Immutable zkEVM runs on similar technology. How does Polygon differentiate itself when it comes to serving game developers?

Polygon is focused on building an open and interoperable multi-chain ecosystem through Agglayer and CDK. Developers using Polygon benefit from full optionality, shared liquidity, and a deep partner network. Our support model, infra maturity, and integrations across gaming and beyond make us the most extensible platform for long-term game success.

In parallel, Immutable is one of our key partners in the gaming vertical, having deployed a dedicated chain specifically for gaming, which gives them strong advantages compared to general-purpose chains. We offer the possibility of acting as a bridge between the Polygon and Immutable teams, enabling game developers to explore the benefits of Immutable’s solutions, particularly with a gaming-specific blockchain like Immutable zkEVM on the backend. More than 500 games are currently being built on Immutable zkEVM, with nearly 13 million accounts already created.

Ultimately, it’s up to the game developer to decide where to build. We’re increasingly seeing hybrid models, where NFTs are hosted on Immutable zkEVM while the game’s token lives on Polygon PoS.

Regardless of the approach, we fully support the developer’s choice.

Our goal is to ensure that Polygon PoS, Agglayer CDK, Immutable zkEVM, and any other gaming chains remain interoperable through the Agglayer, providing a seamless experience across the ecosystem.

What should we expect from Polygon over the next 12 months when it comes to gaming? Are there upcoming collaborations or studio partnerships we should be watching out for?

Over the next 12 months, expect us to double down on:

-Custom gaming chains (Agglayer CDK): several major studios are launching chains tailored to their games, with deep integration into their game logic and monetization models. In parallel, Moonveil and Wilder World are experimenting with huge progress on their ecosystems.

– Web3 gaming becoming a catalyst for the broader payments narrative and stablecoins on Polygon PoS: this trend is particularly strong due to its low fees, high throughput, and extensive integration with major stablecoins such as USDC, USDT or AUSD. Within games, stablecoins are increasingly used for reward payouts, betting systems (wagering), in-game purchases, etc. These transactions feel natural and intuitive to players, even those with no background in crypto. Because they’re dealing with stable-value assets, it also reduces volatility and builds trust, key components in bringing mainstream audiences into the Web3 space. Moreover, the sheer volume of microtransactions in gaming creates real demand for stable, fast, and cheap payments infrastructure, something Polygon PoS is purpose-built to support. As game economies grow, they organically drive liquidity into stablecoins and increase on-chain payment volume, helping accelerate broader stablecoin adoption far beyond the gaming sector. Expect announcements here involving major web2 and web3 gaming tournament platforms integrating stablecoins, mobile gaming platforms, and on-chain mechanics embedded directly into gameplay using crypto, among others.

-Strong retention campaigns: we are actively supporting developers already building on Polygon to drive long-term player engagement through a variety of strategic initiatives. This includes on-chain retention mechanics, co-branded campaigns with external partners, G2M support, and increased visibility through community events like our Discord Gaming Nights. Developers also benefit from our collaborations with key ecosystem partners such as the Blockchain Game Alliance, helping amplify reach and credibility within the industry. In select cases, we’re even rethinking traditional commercial models,provided they align with our broader narratives around Agglayer interoperability and payments adoption. Looking ahead, expect exciting announcements involving guild integrations, user acquisition platforms, and the launch of a new Polygon Gaming landing page featuring live data and ecosystem metrics coming soon.