Dialogue NEXTYPE: Building a New Form of Next-Generation Blockchain Games

Blockchain games have become a focal point in the recent cryptocurrency market, with games like Axie Infinity gaining a large following. The logic and reasons behind this phenomenon have piqued the curiosity of many industry professionals, and more blockchain games are starting to make their mark in the market.

Leo, the NEXTYPE ambassador for China, shared insights on why blockchain games have surged in popularity recently, the significance of the metaverse for blockchain games, and NEXTYPE's development roadmap during a session at Catcher Academy. This article aims to help you gain a deeper understanding of the blockchain game ecosystem.

**Catcher: ** Please introduce NEXTYPE and the team background.

Leo: We define NEXTYPE as a comprehensive application ecosystem that is cross-chain and integrates GAME + NFT + DeFi. We aim to create a more free and efficient NFT asset exchange protocol for the blockchain world and provide users with high-quality blockchain game DApps. This means that NEXTYPE not only needs to complete the underlying technical support and self-developed blockchain games but also provide partners with an ecological platform for co-construction, co-governance, and sharing.

To achieve this goal, NEXTYPE will launch 8-10 blockchain games with various themes and gameplay within this year and collaborate with at least 10 partner games to build a product matrix for NEXTYPE's blockchain games.

These are some of the games NEXTYPE plans to launch this year.

In addition, NEXTYPE will develop protocols that can greatly improve the challenges of NFT trading: the NFT Value Exchange Protocol (NVEP) and the NFT Cross-chain Protocol (NCCP). These protocols will enable multi-form value exchanges between NFTs and fungible tokens (FTs) as well as between NFTs themselves, and will facilitate cross-chain storage, trading, and circulation of NFTs. This will provide convenient underlying infrastructure for blockchain game developers on different public chains to join the NEXTYPE ecosystem.

NEXTYPE always welcomes blockchain game developers, institutions, communities, KOLs, and other partners interested in the blockchain game field to join us in promoting ecological development.

GND STUDIO is the core team of NEXTYPE, composed of pioneers from the gaming industry, blockchain technology geeks, and fintech elites, who have previously worked at globally renowned companies such as NGBI, Activision, Standard Chartered Bank, Reuters, and McGraw-Hill, primarily using distributed collaboration as their working method. Key members are located in the United States, Australia, Singapore, and Japan, with extensive experience in game development, publishing operations, blockchain technology development, fintech, and digital marketing.

NEXTYPE's CMO, David, is a video blogger with tens of millions of followers across the internet. He has already launched a promotional campaign for NEXTYPE's debut game, MiningTycoon, which is expected to reach a potential audience of over a million blockchain game players.

**Catcher: ** What are the main features and advantages of NEXTYPE compared to other blockchain games?

**Leo: ** Compared to other blockchain games, NEXTYPE's biggest advantage is "deep integration." We are not just a blockchain DApp disguised as a game; we are a truly fun blockchain gaming platform. We design game mechanics using DeFi. For example, the staking and mining gameplay in MiningTycoon.

You can choose to stake a single currency of USDT or a dual currency of USDT + NT to mine for rewards. Of course, the latter yields higher returns, and in the initial phase of the game, the APR for dual currency staking will exceed 240%.

Moreover, the NFTs in the NEXTYPE ecosystem are not just collectibles; we have designed many interesting mechanisms to integrate them with the games. The launch timing of the game NFT Master will be determined by the NFT collection in MiningTycoon. The development team will design a clever gameplay in MiningTycoon that allows all players to participate in a grand mining journey and collectively promote the official launch of NFT Master. This is just one example; there are many interesting scenarios where NFTs and games combine in NEXTYPE.

Additionally, we will fully focus on the field of blockchain games and provide players with an entry point into the blockchain gaming world through another product, NT GameBox.

In summary, NEXTYPE aims to provide a more efficient and cost-effective blockchain gaming platform and redefine the new form of next-generation blockchain games.

**Catcher: ** How do you view the current development landscape and status of blockchain games? What obstacles do blockchain games face?

**Leo: ** Since 2021, blockchain games have entered a period of vigorous development. According to data statistics, the number of blockchain game players has increased by 148%, game activity has increased more than tenfold, and the number of daily active wallets has reached over 70,000. Moreover, with the gradual popularity of NFTs, the number of NFT-type games is also continuously increasing.

From the data performance, blockchain games have indeed entered a new stage of development. Compared to a few years ago when CryptoKitties was the only standout, the types and numbers of blockchain games, as well as player participation, have significantly increased and improved.

On the other hand, the obstacles to the development of blockchain games are also evident. Firstly, there is the issue of user numbers; over 70,000 daily active wallets are undoubtedly a drop in the bucket compared to the entire cryptocurrency world. This can be compared to the real world; in 2020, the number of gamers in China was 685 million, close to fifty percent of the total population. Therefore, the market space for blockchain games is indeed very promising.

Secondly, there is the quality of games in blockchain itself, which mainly focuses on two aspects: a lack of innovation.

Currently, mainstream blockchain games have a high degree of homogenization and can be roughly divided into the following categories: pet breeding/battles, card competitions, and virtual world management. Compared to the rich and diverse gameplay mechanisms in traditional games, the playability is very low; secondly, the operational models are unreasonable. Many blockchain game developers target the vast user base of traditional games as potential users and attempt to create games according to their preferences.

However, the asset value-driven operational model requires users to invest a certain amount of money to participate in the game, which is unattractive to users accustomed to free games. Those willing to participate are all native blockchain users, and the unclear positioning affects the overall development of subsequent game projects.

**Catcher: ** NEXTYPE aims to create a new generation of blockchain game forms. What problems exist in the previous generation of blockchain game forms? What will the new generation of blockchain game forms look like?

**Leo: ** The development team of NEXTYPE, especially the game development team, consists mainly of seasoned gamers with years of experience in the gaming industry. After encountering a large number of blockchain games, everyone generally feels that these games are "not fun."

Indeed, blockchain technology provides a new direction for the gaming industry. The emergence of new models like DeFi and NFTs makes decentralized rule-setting and decentralized storage of virtual assets technically feasible. The convenience of putting virtual assets on-chain also brings more possibilities for the implementation of blockchain in gaming scenarios. However, if a game is not fun, it loses its core significance of existence.

These games either suffer from poor on-chain performance and unfriendly game design, leading to a poor player experience, or they have immature game mechanics, resulting in low playability.

The issue of on-chain performance has greatly improved with the rapid rise of HECO and BSC public chains, as well as the continuous maturation of Ethereum Layer 2 and ETH 2.0 solutions. However, the lack of gameplay requires a professional game development team to address.

Therefore, from the very beginning, NEXTYPE has made it the team's mission and requirement to "develop fun blockchain games," using traditional game development models to create blockchain games. Taking NEXTYPE's debut game, MiningTycoon, as an example, the client is developed using the LAYA engine, establishing a complete player growth value system, while integrating DeFi gameplay into the game economy system, ultimately creating a next-generation blockchain game that is completely different from what we have seen in the past.

In summary, we believe that the new generation of blockchain games must be "fun" games that combine playability with blockchain attributes.

**Catcher: ** NEXTYPE's self-developed NFT cross-chain protocol supports the storage, exchange, and circulation of NFT assets across different public chains. Why promote NFT cross-chain, and where is the market demand?

**Leo: ** In the traditional crypto collectibles field, NFT cross-chain may not be an urgent need because the trading of artworks is mostly very low-frequency, and a lack of liquidity does not severely impact the value of NFT artworks.

However, as I mentioned earlier, the NFTs in the NEXTYPE ecosystem are not just simple collectibles; they are game items and part of the game functionality, needing to carry the value created by players within the game. Therefore, high liquidity supported by underlying technology becomes essential.

Additionally, NEXTYPE aims to build a comprehensive cross-chain blockchain gaming ecosystem, which means that in the future, not only games on the HECO chain can participate in ecological co-construction; we also welcome blockchain game developers from ETH, BSC, and even Flow to join us. As an ecological provider and leader, developing underlying protocols that support cross-chain functionality is also a responsibility that NEXTYPE must undertake.

Therefore, NEXTYPE has developed the NFT Value Exchange Protocol (NVEP) and the NFT Cross-chain Protocol (NCCP), which not only support NFT cross-chain but also facilitate value swaps between NFT-FT and NFT-NFT, to meet the needs for high-frequency trading and high liquidity in blockchain gaming scenarios.

**Catcher: ** How is NEXTYPE's economic model designed? What is its core value?

**Leo: ** Here, we must mention NEXTYPE's token—NT. NT is the ecological token of NEXTYPE, with a total issuance of 1 billion tokens, of which 70% will be generated through mining. NT plays a crucial role in the NEXTYPE ecosystem; it is not designed for a single game but serves as the financial support for the entire NEXTYPE platform.

We have designed various consumption scenarios for NT:

1) Staking: In MiningTycoon, players can earn rewards by staking NT, and more fun and high-yield staking models will be designed in other upcoming games.

2) Game consumption: In the upcoming games launched by NEXTYPE, NT will be accepted as the primary payment method, allowing players to use NT to purchase various items in the game, including NFTs, thus achieving the recycling of NT.

3) DAO governance: Users can vote with NT to participate in the governance of the NEXTYPE ecosystem, such as game releases, popular game recommendations, etc.

4) Burning: NEXTYPE will use 15% of weekly game revenue to repurchase NT, with a repurchase cap of 20% of the total NT issuance.

Through these various consumption scenarios, the circulation of NT will gradually decrease, and its investment value will continue to increase. NT is intuitively important for the ecological development of NEXTYPE, so the core value of NEXTYPE's economic model design is to achieve the continuous appreciation of NT's value, allowing users to gain more rewards, consolidating a stronger community consensus, and providing a stable underlying economic foundation for the prosperity of NEXTYPE's ecosystem.

**Catcher: ** What designs and ideas do you have for incentivizing early community users?

**Leo: ** An active community atmosphere and strong community consensus are key to a project's success, and cultivating early seed users is crucial for community growth.

At the end of June, when the whitelist reservation for MiningTycoon gift packs opened, NEXTYPE held a genesis airdrop event in collaboration with HECO. So far, over 20,000 users from nearly 130 countries and regions worldwide have participated. This event attracted over 22,000 active users to join NEXTYPE's global Telegram group and garnered more than 23,000 followers on the official Twitter account. Subsequently, NEXTYPE opened the gift pack pre-purchase for early members who obtained the whitelist, providing them with an opportunity to participate in the project early.

The airdrop event initiated by NEXTYPE in collaboration with CoinMarketCap is also set to officially launch globally on July 15, and a larger operational event in collaboration with HECO is in preparation.

To attract more overseas crypto community users, NEXTYPE has already held AMA events in collaboration with more than a dozen internationally renowned communities, such as HECO, Crypto Eagles, Crypto Nation, and VBC, and has received AMA invitations from over 50 additional communities.

The global community is currently a key focus for NEXTYPE's operations. Player communities in India and Vietnam have already been established, and based on the actual distribution of users, we will create more regional communities to adapt to NEXTYPE's global development.

NEXTYPE will provide weekly project progress reports to community members and share the latest project news in a timely manner. In addition, NEXTYPE will regularly hold voting and interactive Q&A activities within the community, which will not only activate the community atmosphere but also allow community members to gain a deeper understanding of the project, strengthening the connection between the project and community members. These early users provide a loyal player base for the upcoming MiningTycoon.

**Catcher: ** NEXTYPE has stated that it will collaborate with traditional IPs. What is the current progress? What specific value do these IPs play in the NEXTYPE ecosystem?

Leo: NEXTYPE aims to empower traditional IPs through NFTs and blockchain games. In fact, attempts to combine games and IPs have never ceased, with many successful examples. Using blockchain and NFTs for on-chain rights confirmation of IPs can also stimulate players' motivation and creativity, opening up larger markets and application scenarios for traditional IPs.

Therefore, shortly after NEXTYPE was established, our marketing team began reaching out to various IP copyright holders. So far, we have reached strategic cooperation with well-known Japanese companies SeeSea Japan and Quaras, a subsidiary of Fuji Media.

SeeSea Japan Co., Ltd. has long been focused on IP brand operations with a global perspective, expanding partnerships in the pan-entertainment industry, including film and television, animation, derivatives, and offline entertainment, and has rich experience in creating world-class cultural brands.

Fuji Media Holdings Group primarily operates media content businesses and owns Japan's most widely covered television station, Fuji TV, as well as a wealth of well-known Japanese anime copyright resources, such as "Dragon Ball," "Miss Koikawa," and "Chibi Maruko-chan."

As a comprehensive advertising media company under Fuji Media Holdings Group that invests in IPs, Quaras also possesses world-leading experience and technical strength in IP resource reserve, incubation, development, and operation, committed to continuous expansion in animation, comics, and other pan-entertainment directions, extending and enhancing IP value. Successful cases include "ART SCRUM rugby is art," "THE DANSHAKU LOUNGE," "CITIZEN ATTESA TVC 'THE CONTACT'," and "SEGA GLOBAL V.I 'Amazing SEGA.'"

NEXTYPE has already made a good start in the Japanese IP market. Additionally, NEXTYPE has signed cooperation agreements with over 1,000 IP items, covering various types such as anime, music, games, novels, and event videos, involving mainstream IPs from countries like China, the United States, and Japan.

These cooperative IPs will generate a rich variety of NFT works in various derivative forms on-chain, appearing in the NEXTYPE ecosystem. As I mentioned earlier, in the NEXTYPE ecosystem, NFTs will not only be collectibles but will also closely integrate with games, carrying some functions and gameplay within the games. This will not only breathe new life into traditional IPs but also attract more players who love these IPs to join NEXTYPE and help us build a prosperous ecosystem.

**Catcher: ** How do you understand the significance of the metaverse for blockchain games? How do you plan to develop your own metaverse?

**Leo: ** This is a very valuable and worthy topic to explore. The NEXTYPE official has published an article on Medium titled "From NEXTYPE to Metaverse," which has also been reposted by domestic public accounts and discusses the relationship between blockchain games and the metaverse in detail.

One viewpoint I strongly agree with is: the ultimate form of the metaverse does not necessarily have to be a completely realistic virtual world. 3D open worlds, VR, etc., can all be options for the metaverse, but they are certainly not necessary conditions. The ultimate form of the metaverse should be a free and open world. And freedom and openness are also among the core values pursued by blockchain. A decentralized economic system and DAO governance model supported by blockchain technology may be the best choice for realizing the metaverse.

Therefore, the recent popularity of the metaverse concept has actually set the tone for the future development direction of blockchain games. The mature technological reserves of the gaming industry, as well as the user habits and perceptions of gamers, greatly increase the likelihood of the metaverse being born within games. Furthermore, the high immersion of games and the mechanisms of equal rights and similar powers among players have already nurtured the embryonic form of the metaverse.

In summary, games are the shortest path to realizing the metaverse, and blockchain is likely to become the underlying technological foundation of the metaverse. Therefore, blockchain games that combine both are naturally positioned as pioneers in exploring the metaverse.

The core value of the metaverse is freedom, one manifestation of which in the economic system is the absolute freedom of players to create assets and value within the game.

To achieve this goal, NEXTYPE has been researching the technical feasibility of ensuring the cross-chain circulation and storage of on-chain assets like NFTs. We have already determined a multi-chain transfer plan for ERC20 tokens, which will be implemented and deployed by NEXTYPE's Golang development team.

At the same time, NEXTYPE will also increase the research and development efforts for underlying cross-chain technology, enabling direct cross-chain transfers of multi-chain assets to different blockchain network addresses, including ECR20 assets and NFT assets. The planned blockchain networks to support cross-chain functionality include Ethereum, BSC, Heco, OKChain, Polygon, etc.

To realize users' rights to participate in governance, in the NT GameBox planned for launch by NEXTYPE, users can use the ecological token NT to participate in the daily operations and decisions of the NEXTYPE ecosystem, such as game rankings, community voting, etc., ultimately evolving into a DAO governance model.

Taking the first step towards the metaverse, NEXTYPE has already begun its journey.

**Catcher: ** Recently, the tokens of games like AXS and DEGO have seen significant increases. What do you think are the reasons for this surge? What aspects are worth learning from them?

**Leo: ** The main reason for the rise of AXS and DEGO is that the quality of the projects themselves is excellent. There is a saying, "Only when the tide goes out do you discover who's been swimming naked." The blockchain world is a free world, and users are gradually maturing; the quality of the project itself is the decisive factor for its success. Of course, this is also somewhat related to the recent market downturn. In such a broad market context, users are more willing to shift their focus from projects that can make quick money to those that are more valuable and enjoyable.

Axie Infinity's game mechanics are highly innovative, combining elements of Pokémon battles with the gameplay of CryptoKitties, significantly enhancing the playability of the game. Additionally, the game features a vast array of game settings, and the depth of the game allows players to enjoy the fun of exploration and achievement.

DEGO gained market attention due to its NFT airdrop marketing campaign, dubbed "blockchain scratch-off lottery." Similar to NEXTYPE, GEGO (DEGO's NFT) not only has collectible value but also practical attributes, such as staking mining, which, like NEXTYPE's value attributes assigned to NFTs within games, not only introduces more value into the NFT market but also provides a new gameplay for the DeFi market.

These are all aspects that NEXTYPE can learn from and draw inspiration from.

**Catcher: ** What is NEXTYPE's development roadmap for the future? What are the development goals?

**Leo: ** NEXTYPE's goal is to build a comprehensive application ecosystem for blockchain games, which is a long-term effort we aim to achieve.

Currently, NEXTYPE's focus is on the launch of its debut game, MiningTycoon, for which we have already made many preparations, including whitelist reservations, game gift pack pre-purchases, and the airdrop event initiated in collaboration with HECO, as well as the upcoming airdrop event with CoinMarketCap. The quality of the game itself goes without saying; what we need to do now is to let more players know about and understand MiningTycoon. Based on the data from various activities and player feedback, we are very confident in the success of MiningTycoon.

Next, NEXTYPE will primarily work towards two directions: product and market.

On the product side, in addition to MiningTycoon, NEXTYPE will release 8-10 self-developed games within this year and collaborate with at least 10 partner games to complete the game product matrix.

Simultaneously, with the launch of NFT Master, the NFT asset trading platform will also be unveiled. In the Q3-Q4 phase of this year, we will officially release the dual protocols NVEP and NCCP, greatly enhancing the circulation speed of NFT assets.

Based on NEXTYPE's high-quality game products, various forms of NFT assets, and a broad user base, NT GameBox will complete development and be released in the second half of the year. At this point, the complete form of NEXTYPE will be initially presented.

On the market side, NEXTYPE has already achieved good results in the Japanese IP market. Moving forward, NEXTYPE will continue to expand its market partnerships, including communities, institutions, and other partners. In terms of regional markets, in addition to the mainland market, South Korea, Southeast Asia, North America, and the Middle East will be key areas for NEXTYPE's future expansion.