It’s not difficult to see, from the recent blockchain conferences like ETHCC, that the blockchain industry is once again entering a “cold winter” in terms of narrative (except for the flourishing Bitcoin ecosystem). Currently, funds and projects are mainly focused on infrastructure, including modular public chains, MEV, AA wallets, ZK, etc. However, there is a lack of new narratives, especially forlarge-scale user adoption and conversion.

Whether it was Vitalik Buterin’s statement years ago that “the first use cases of blockchain will be in finance and gaming,” or the massive 3 billion players and $200 billion industry value of Web2, both give Web3 Games significant hope in becoming the next narrative. While the first attempts , such as Play to Earn represented by Axie and StepN, failed after a brief boom due to their overemphasis on earning and lack of gameplay, hundreds of teams are actively exploring the new generation of “Gamefi 2.0” . The billions of dollars in funding that the entire Web3 Game sector has received over the past year also reflect the favor of developers and capital for this track.

In recent months, we have seen a strong emphasis on more playable 3A RPG games, as well as Free to Own games or games that continually empower NFTs, that incorporate elements of gambling and competition for earning and skill development. New creative ideas keep emerging, but fundamentally, Web3 Games (or Gamefi 2.0) can be categorized into two main types:

The first category can be called Web 2.5 style. It emphasizes Play & Earn, downplaying the “Earn” component and increasing the “Play” proportion. Unlike the various applications back in 2018, where people were looking for nails with a hammer, the blockchain is not just a simple concept of “asset on-chain.” The culture and storytelling of the game combined with blockchain, Web3 communities based on NFTs, on-chain and off-chain governance, and more, all provide a different experience from Web 2 games.

The second category is more crypto native, fully on-chain game. Now there is a new term for this, “Autonomous World,” represented by Dark Forest, OpCraft, Curio, Topology, Influence, etc. The narrative in this track is more grandiose, more blockchain-native, but in its very early stages. To give a somewhat inappropriate analogy, it’s a bit like DeFi in 2018 or ZK in 2020; it still needs a few years to iterate and develop.

After all this introduction, we finally come to the main question: Why did we invest in Matr1x?

Matr1x is, as far as we can see in the current market, one of the projects that has followed the Web2.5 style game track.

Here are four reasons why:

1. Track Selection — Web2 Games Have Been Proven for Years
   If you’re a long-time gamer, you’ve probably noticed that games like PUBG (Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds) released 5 or 6 years ago can be considered the last “phenomenal” non-single-player games. Since then, the gaming industry has lacked significant innovations in terms of gameplay. With MMORPGs like World of Warcraft gradually declining, the two most mature and suitable multiplayer game tracks for the fast-paced, fragmented lifestyle of today are shooting and MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena).

The shooting category basically includes CSGO (Counter-Strike: Global Offensive) and PUBG (PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds) genres. MOBA games are even more well-known, with titles like DOTA, League of Legends (LOL), and others.

Matr1x has directly chosen the shooting genre, which is well-validated and highly mature. Its first game directly competes with CSGO, and the second game in development is in the battle royale genre (similar to PUBG). Since it’s a Web2.5 game, it doesn’t need to seek innovation like Fully On-chain games and can directly choose the hottest and most mature shooting genre.

Another important reason for choosing shooting is Esports and live streaming. Many viewers who don’t play battle royale games like to watch streamers play them on platforms like Twitch. This demonstrates how important a game with a competitive and livestream-friendly nature is for generating traffic. Matr1x has always aimed to achieve “Mass Adoption” through Gamefi in a sustainable, non-pay-to-win manner. Esports and live streaming are likely to be the key to breaking through, and for this to happen, the game’s genre must be suitable for competition and live streaming, while also being enjoyable and appealing to players. In August, Matr1x invited a former professional esports player to do a livestream, which reached 110,000 views.

It’s worth mentioning that, in recent months, the most popular games on Twitch have been Valorant and CSGO.

2. Game Quality — Comparable to Top Web2 Games

Web2.5 games emphasize Play more than Earn. Games like Axie, when placed in a Web2 context, clearly fall short in terms of graphics and gameplay, resembling games from a decade ago. The next generation of Web3 Games, in terms of “Play,” must have enough appeal. The benchmark for this “enough” level is naturally set by the top games in the Web2 category.

For Matr1x, the upper limit of gameplay quality is equivalent to CSGO and Valorant.

Based on the internal testing videos and feedback from players in the closed beta, Matr1x’s first game, Matr1x Fire, is comparable to Valorant in terms of gameplay, graphics, and overall quality. In other words, even if this were not a Web3 game and were placed in the Web2 market, it would still be competitive in the shooting genre. In the blockchain gaming space, it’s considered a game with immense potential.

Another noteworthy point is that CSGO and Valorant do not have mobile versions, leaving many players wanting to experience these games on mobile devices. The mobile gaming market is currently three times larger than the PC gaming market. Matr1x Fire is directly seizing this opportunity by developing a mobile version, and players who want to play the game on PC will also have access to emulators. This approach is very user-friendly.

During the 20-day alpha test in August, Matr1x attracted over 200,000 registered players, had over 100,000 downloads, averaged 15,000 daily active players, reached a peak concurrent player count of 4,000, and had an average playtime of 2 hours. It’s worth emphasizing that among the test players, there were a significant number of traditional and semi-professional esports players. These results would be considered excellent for any Web 2 game’s test network. They are outstanding gamd in web 3, in which Matr1x’s match with Web2’s top-tier game quality.

3. Gameplay and Culture -Web2 Experience + Web3 Culture
As mentioned earlier, Web3 games that emphasize a Web2.5 hybrid style need to offer exclusive Web3 gameplay and a narrative and culture different from Web2. Matr1x has put in a lot of efforts in gameplay design and culture. The game’s story revolves around a future Earth facing resource depletion in an AI-dominated society, where human data sovereignty is monopolized by organizations like Uranus (reminiscent of Black Mirror Season 6, Episode 1). The Matr1X Alliance is formed to reclaim data sovereignty from Uranus and engage in a direct conflict (akin to Web3’s Read, Write, Own…). The novel based on the game’s storyline already exceeds 100,000 words, and the entire narrative is divided into a trilogy with a unified worldview. The first step involves CSGO-style gameplay and battle royale set on Earth, the second step involves shooting and MMORPG gameplay set on Mars, and the third step is set in the interstellar era with the game type yet to be determined.

In terms of gameplay, most users won’t even realize that this is a Web3 game under normal circumstances. The official promotion only positions it as a CSGO-style mobile game. Users only notice the NFT and Marketplace elements when they want fancier characters and cooler gun skins, or when they want to explore the NFT marketplace for skins, and this brings a unique experience to Web2 players. Currently, it’s in a limited testing phase, and its NFT 2061 has already accumulated over 7,000 ETH in trading volume, with a floor price of 2.1 ETH, increasing more than tenfold in just a few months.

4. An Outstanding and Innovative Team
In Web3 projects, the team is crucial, and if you want to break through the barriers, the requirements for the team increase exponentially. For the gaming track, the team needs strong game development skills, deep knowledge of the gaming market, and a profound understanding of Web3. The Matr1x team is one of the few that meets all these criteria. The team includes veterans from major game companies with extensive game development experience and individuals deeply immersed in the blockchain space for many years. They also understand the importance of marketing and promotion in a market as competitive as the crypto space. They have demonstrated their marketing abilities through various means:

• KOL livestreams (as mentioned earlier).
• Community-led esports competitions with prize pools of up to 10,000 U.
• Design of game characters with a cyberpunk style, resembling characters from Marvel’s Black Widow and Cyberpunk games.
• Collaborations with well-known cosplayers for cosplay events.
  According to the team, as the player base grows and the game IP becomes more well-known, they also have plans for short videos and possibly even movies. The project itself is considering following the model of Steam and Half-Life from the past, gradually transitioning from being a hit game to becoming a Web3 game distribution platform.

In conclusion, we believe that Matr1x has the potential to become a leader in the Web3 gaming track, playing a significant role in breaking down barriers and achieving mass adoption in the next crypto bull market. It has the potential to become the next phenomenon in Gamefi, similar to Axie Infinity and StepN.

About ABCDE

ABCDE is a VC focused on leading investment in top Crypto Builders. It was co-founded by Huobi Cofounder Du Jun and former Internet and Crypto entrepreneur BMAN, who both have been in the Crypto industry for more than 10 years. The co-founders of ABCDE have built multi-billion dollar companies in the Crypto industry from the ground up, including listed companies(1611.HK), exchanges(Huobi), SAAS companies(ChainUP.com), media(CoinTime.com), and developers platforms(BeWater.xyz). If you are a Builder with the dream of changing the world, join us to build the next-generation encrypted network.

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