User Acquisition in Web3 Gaming: Key Strategies and Insights
User acquisition remains a critical challenge in the Web3 gaming space, but new strategies and technologies are emerging to tackle this issue. With 53.9% of blockchain gaming professionals citing onboarding and user experience as their biggest challenges in the BGA 2024 State of the Industry Report, it is clear that seamless onboarding and effective user engagement strategies are crucial for success.
This article explores some of the most promising approaches, including questing, identity solutions, seamless user experiences, cross-pollination, and evolving player incentives—a discussion I had the privilege of initiating with industry leaders from Tribally, Hyperplay, FIO Protocol, and Sequence. By bringing these voices together, we were able to uncover key insights that can drive Web3 gaming adoption forward.
Join us in an hour for an exciting discussion on "User Acquisition: The #2 Challenge of the Web3 Gaming Ecosystem" from our 2024 State of the Industry Report.
— Blockchain Game Alliance (@BGameAlliance) January 29, 2025
We welcome all members to participate and will reserve time for you to share your opinions and insights. See you! https://t.co/KGfjnpaVtf pic.twitter.com/KB0vSzMeYD
The Power of Questing
Questing has emerged as a powerful tool for user acquisition and engagement in Web3 gaming. According to Rare from Tribally, Web3’s ability to align incentives among all participants in an ecosystem makes questing particularly effective. By distributing tokens, games can convert users into product evangelists. As Rare notes:
“By handing out tokens for any game or project, you can actually align incentives and essentially convert your users into your project’s product evangelists.”
Micah from Hyperplay highlighted the versatility of questing, emphasizing its role in reactivating dormant players, incentivizing loyal users, and acquiring new players. Hyperplay’s in-app questing platform enables games to activate players and motivate users from other communities to explore new games.
Questing models include off-chain and on-chain rewards, giving developers flexibility in how they structure incentives. Some AI-driven platforms dynamically adjust quests based on user behavior, ensuring that rewards remain engaging without over-rewarding existing players.
This is SUPER amazing, you can now see Axie Quest activities in Tribally Games. 🚀@TriballyGames Thanks for having us integrated! 🫡
— AxieQuest.ron (@AxieQuest) December 12, 2023
Visit: https://t.co/rdlvsdG71J pic.twitter.com/IwldtaC0aX
Seamless User Experiences
With 53.9% of blockchain gaming professionals identifying onboarding challenges as the industry’s biggest pain point, reducing friction is key to driving adoption. Micah from FIO Protocol emphasized the importance of unified identity solutions, which simplify logins across multiple games and platforms:
“FIO handles create a unified identity that can be used across different platforms and games.”
FIO X YOM: Seamless Web3 Identity Meets Revolutionary Gaming 🎮
— FIO Protocol (@joinFIO) August 22, 2024
We are so excited to announce this game-changing partnership!🥳
FIO & @YOM_Official are joining forces to simplify #blockchain transactions with YOM’s cutting-edge cloud gaming technology🚀
Read how FIO & YOM… pic.twitter.com/W71hOWtdVq
Similarly, Megan from Sequence reinforced the importance of making Web3 as seamless as Web2:
“Our goal is to make Web3 feel as seamless or as invisible as any Web2 experience in gaming.”
Platforms like Sequence are leading the charge in integrating gasless transactions, free-to-play options, and walletless sign-ups, significantly improving onboarding experiences for new users. According to the BGA 2024 report, these innovations are crucial in addressing the industry’s major UX challenges.
🎆 The Sequence Year in Review is HERE! 🎆
— Sequence (@0xsequence) January 29, 2025
We built BIG for web3 in 2024, and now we're building into 2025 with unstoppable momentum, innovation & growth! 🚀
Watch the highlights & major milestones in this recap reel! Happy #LNY2025 🐍! pic.twitter.com/4obbgZ46uE
Cross-Pollination and Community Engagement
Rather than attempting to build entirely new player bases, Web3 gaming companies are increasingly leveraging existing gaming communities to drive adoption. Cross-pollination strategies include:
- Partnerships with established gaming guilds to onboard engaged players
- Interoperability between games, allowing users to transfer assets and achievements across multiple platforms
- Quest-based collaborations, where players complete tasks in one game to unlock rewards in another
These approaches not only reduce user acquisition costs but also improve retention and engagement rates, as players are already invested in similar ecosystems.
The Future of User Acquisition in Web3 Gaming
The industry is moving towards a future where blockchain elements are integrated seamlessly, without requiring all gamers to be fully on-chain. The BGA 2024 survey found that 71.1% of respondents identified asset ownership as the primary benefit of blockchain gaming, followed by new revenue models (42.2%) and player reward models (42.4%).
To stay ahead, Web3 gaming projects must:
- Refine their onboarding processes to remove unnecessary friction
- Leverage questing and gamified incentives for sustainable engagement
- Ensure community-driven growth, tapping into existing gaming ecosystems
- Enhance cross-platform experiences, making blockchain benefits feel native to players
By engaging with industry leaders and facilitating these discussions, I’ve witnessed firsthand the passion and innovation shaping the future of Web3 gaming. As the industry evolves, user acquisition will rely less on speculative incentives and more on quality gameplay, frictionless onboarding, and community-driven ecosystems. By integrating insights from industry leaders and adapting to emerging trends, developers can successfully bridge the gap between Web2 and Web3 gaming, unlocking mass adoption in the years ahead.
