User Acquisition, Retention, and Web3 Gaming’s New Frontier: Lessons from the Builders

At the BGA side event in San Francisco, the final panel of the day brought together an exceptional lineup to tackle one of the biggest challenges in Web3 gaming today: user acquisition — and more importantly, user retention.

Heidi Christine (CMO of Pixels), Timothy Tello (Founder & CEO of 3thix), and Alex Jivov (VP Global Partnerships at SKALE Labs) underlined a shared truth: in 2025, growth isn’t just about pulling users in — it’s about giving them a reason to stay.

Moderated through a dynamic, open conversation, the panel offered raw insights into how Web3 gaming must evolve to thrive — by learning from Web2, innovating beyond outdated practices, and above all, putting players first.

Retention Before Acquisition: Pixels’ Success Story

Heidi Christine, CMO of the massively successful Pixels game, opened the discussion with a simple but often-overlooked reality: growth is meaningless without retention.

“Everyone wants to know the secret to our growth,” she said. “They expect me to give them a single tactic. But honestly? Growth isn’t linear. It spikes with campaigns, but without strong retention, it’s just wasted effort.”

Pixels has anchored its success on cultivating a “sticky” community — one that doesn’t just show up for an airdrop, but builds lasting relationships within the game. Weekly AMAs with the founders, strict culture guidelines like being “farmer friendly,” and deep integrations with NFT collections have made Pixels a home, not just a platform.

“Retention is about creating a place people want to return to,” Heidi emphasized. “Community, consistency, culture — that’s the real growth hack.”

The IDFA Apocalypse and the Rise of Web3 Targeting

Switching gears to the world of advertising, Timothy Tello explained how the collapse of IDFA (Apple’s Identifier for Advertisers) dramatically disrupted traditional mobile game monetization — costing the industry billions.

“$200 billion disappeared overnight because people couldn’t target users anymore,” he said. “Ads used to bring players in and keep them engaged. Now? Most games can’t even monetize properly.”

3thix is building new tools for this new reality: leveraging blockchain to target players based on their behavioral data — not personal data — while preserving user privacy.

“We don’t care who you are. We care about what games you play, what items you buy. That’s the future of advertising: respecting privacy while enhancing relevance.”

Infrastructure as a Growth Engine: Scale’s Model

Alex Jivov of SKALE Labs argued that beyond ads and community, technical infrastructure is a critical — but often overlooked — part of the user acquisition puzzle.

Through SKALE’s Indie Web3 Accelerator, they help Web2 and Web3 developers bridge the gap between launching a product and reaching revenue-positive models. Grants, infrastructure support, and zero-cost blockchain operations allow developers to focus on players, not fees.

“We’re not selling blockchain for blockchain’s sake,” Alex said. “We’re enabling great games — period. If Web3 helps your gameplay, use it. If not, don’t force it.”

The real magic, Alex explained, lies in building ecosystems where games synergize — sharing players, IPs, and communities in ways that Web2 never allowed.

Why KOLs Are Not the Answer

When the conversation turned to marketing through Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs), there was near-unanimous skepticism among the panelists.

“KOLs care about money, not your game,” Timothy said bluntly. “You want players who love your game — not ones who are paid to fake it.”

Instead, Pixels built a creator-first ecosystem, where anyone — no matter their audience size — could become a community content creator, earn real rewards, and grow organically with the game.

This approach, they argued, creates authentic champions who drive real user engagement — not just short-term traffic.

Moving Beyond the Web2/Web3 Divide

Perhaps the most powerful point came near the end: stop building for “Web3 gamers” — build for gamers, period.

Alex summed it up perfectly:

“The moment you separate ‘Web2 players’ and ‘Web3 players,’ you’re breaking your model. There’s just one player base. Build good games. Remove the friction. Web3 should be invisible.”

Timothy added that Web3 has historically been far too complicated for the average user — and must prioritize ease, simplicity, and value above ideology.

Final Thoughts: Experiment, Simplify, Empower

The panel closed on a note of realism and optimism.

No one has all the answers to mass adoption yet. But the path forward is becoming clear:

• Prioritize retention over empty acquisition.
• Respect user privacy while delivering value.
• Leverage blockchain only where it truly enhances gameplay.
• Empower communities rather than buying attention.
• Build games, not token economies.
• Simplify, simplify, simplify.

As Heidi put it:

“Experiment. Take risks. Sometimes it won’t work — but when it does, it changes everything.”

In the evolving world of Web3 gaming, the winners won’t just be those who can acquire users. They’ll be those who give players a reason to stay.