Solana CEO Plays BR1 Infinite, Sees Potential in Crypto ‘Mixed In and Out’ of Games

• Solana-based battle royale shooter “BR1: Infinite” is a real-money-shooter where players pay to spawn and earn per kill.
• Solana’s CEO is optimistic that gamers will explore and build communities around Web3 gaming projects if given the right options.
• AAA blockchain-based gaming titles are now available on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox.

As Web3 games continue striving to draw in the masses with AAA titles, Solana’s (SOL) CEO Anatoly Yakovenko thinks it would be “interesting” to see how crypto features can be “remixed” in and out of games.

On Web3 Gaming

During an introductory play-test of a new Solana-based Web3 gaming title called “BR1: Infinite” with Ryan Ever, CEO of BRAVO READY, the studio behind the game, Yakovenko appeared optimistic on the future of Web3 gaming.

He explains he wants to see games that people love and from there you can start building communities. After this, people can start working out how to use crypto.

“Giving people the tools to do whatever it is that they want within the game, and mix crypto in and out, could be pretty interesting,” Yakovenko said.

He explains that growing up, the development of forming a gaming guild and competing alongside each other wasn’t built into the games themselves, it took effort from the players themselves to develop.

So if crypto can be mixed in and out “as it’s happening,” the community could slowly begin to form around the tools available in-game. When asked what type of Web2 games may benefit from Web3 technologies or features, Yakovenko highlights titles, such as Diablo and other loot-centric games as potential candidates.

A Novel Take on Play-to-earn

BR1 is a relatively novel take on the play-to-earn (P2E) mechanic so often featured as the staple of any Web3 gaming title. It’s as much pay-to-play as it is P2E, as you’ll need to pay between $0.10 and $1 to spawn into the game.

There is no score or time limit, only infinite and endless battle.

So if you’re playing the $1 mode, you earn $1 for every kill, and different equipment—represented as NFTs—can offer increases in earning retention among other perks According to the website, players walk away with 85% of their earnings when they’re eliminated.

A game, like BR1, which requires players to cough up crypto before they’ve even spawned into the game, may draw ire from the skeptics and cynics within the scene.

AAA Crypto Gaming

Despite Yakovenko linking the pay-to-play aspect to betting on kills with friends when playing the Nintendo 64 classic “GoldenEye,” the point is that this was a choice to add more fun to the game, not a requirement to play the game.

Web3 gaming took huge strides in 2024, with the likes of Telegram tap-to-earn titles like Hamster Kombat (HMSTR) and Catizen (CATI) taking the crypto scene by storm. But these are just simple “clicker” games that lack the quality and immersion seen in PC and console gaming titles.

Most recently, Gunzilla’s “Off The Grid” Web3 game captured the gaming world’s attention by becoming the first blockchain game to land on the Playstation 5 store. It’s also available on Xbox and the Epic Games store.

It’s a battle royale shooter akin to Fortnite or PUBG, but the developers opted to keep the crypto and blockchain as optional extras, not a core gameplay mechanic. Some would say this model represents a step closer to something gamers can get behind.