Tell em’ Web3 gaming sucks and watch em’ flock in, says Ava Labs
Why not just be upfront and tell gamers that Web3 games are totally trash?
There’s no future in the tech, so developers might as well throw in the towel and go back to regular software gigs.
That is the tongue-in-cheek marketing approach to grab gamer attention taken by Ava Labs — the team behind Avalanche blockchain — and it looks like it’s paying off.
“With a topic as polarizing as Web3 gaming, people tend to already have their minds made up,” Ed Chang, the head of gaming at Ava Labs, tells Web3 Gamer.
“We figured why not take a humorous approach to help people step outside their comfort zones, consider things differently, and see the substance behind all the hype.”
It’s a breath of fresh air in Web3 gaming marketing, where buzzwords like “revolutionary,” “pioneering,” and “groundbreaking” are tossed around too easily.
Chang concedes there have been some real flops in Web3 gaming, but he doesn’t want that to scare gamers off from the industry.
After all, the first-ever blockchain game, Crypto Kitties, only came out seven years ago, in 2017.
“We want to help gamers realize that, sure, not all Web3 games have been the best, but if you look in the right places, big things are happening,” he says.
Ava Labs’ massive banner declaring Web3 gaming sucks at GDC (X/Chris Gonsalves)
Just to set the record straight, Chang is a fan of Web3 gaming, and this is not some sort of passive-aggressive payback for not getting a raise or something.
“No, I don’t believe that Web3 gaming sucks. I believe the opposite. We have dozens of amazing games building on Avalanche, including some stunning AAA titles dropping soon,” he says.
One of the most talked-about games in Web3 right now is Shrapnel, an extraction shooter on Avalanche. Early access to the game is slated for release later this year.
So why take an unusual approach to marketing by dissing the product…
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