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If you’re a game developer looking for a break in web3, or a studio wondering where to start, you could do a lot worse than to study the Mythical Games playbook. For one thing, it makes for fine reading on what to do in web3 gaming – as well as what to avoid doing if at all possible. But aside from furnishing you with a good overview of the tooling and strategy to guide your own foray into the industry, the Mythical story is highly motivational.
It’s not that Mythical Games is the perfect web3 studio that’s never put a foot wrong or misjudged what its fans want. As its execs will readily concede, they’ve had to learn fast, adjust rapidly, and fix things on the fly. But the story so far, all seven years of it, makes for compelling reading. And if there’s one overarching reason why the Mythical casebook deserves to be read from cover to cover, it’s this: unlike 99% of web3 studios, Mythical has actually scored a hit, releasing a multi-million downloaded game that’s broken all records.
There’s a good chance you won’t even like the game, if you’re not a football fan – NFL Rivals is for hardcore fans of the sport. But you’ve got to respect a studio that can pick a niche genre like football as its debut release and then, to mix sporting metaphors, knock it out the park. But Mythical have done just that – and they’re about to do it all over again with the sequel. But we’ll get to that later. First, let’s examine what Mythical has done well – and why you’d do well to take a leaf out of their book.
Web3 Gaming According to Mythical Games
This isn’t a biography of Mythical Games, so we’ll save the founder story, the backstory, the growth hacking story, the investor story, and all the other cool stories that would be included if this were a script for a biopic and not a developer guide. But it is a guide for devs, and so let’s get down to the nitty gritty of what makes Mythical’s approach to web3 gaming different to that of most studios.
In fact, let’s gamify it and deliver Mythical’s eight greatest lessons in the form of levels: four do’s and four don’ts. Master them all and you’ll be ready to face the final boss who will dictate whether you achieve web3 gaming immortality or respawn back on Level 1. Ready Player 1? Then let’s do this.
Level 1: Don’t Rush Your First Release
The first game you release under your name will define you. That doesn’t mean it has to be a masterpiece. But it should be representative of the values that define you and the type of games that excite you. You can’t dictate the success of your first game – but you can determine its quality.
Despite having been in GameFi for almost seven years, Mythical has only released two games to date (NFL Rivals; Blankos) with another two on the verge of release. That’s not slacking: it’s being conscientious.
Level 2: Don’t Make It Play-to-Earn
Don’t make your game Play-to-Earn. Or Play-and-Earn. Or any variant thereof. It’s not just that the industry has moved past P2E – you already know that – but that the web3 mechanics should not be your selling point. The game is the game. Which is why your attention should be lavished on kicking as much ass as possible.
Not only did Mythical avoid the P2E trap, even when it was in vogue, but it’s studiously avoided marketing its games using the latest web3 model. It has stressed the value of Play-and-Own in distinguishing web3 gaming, but you’ll notice a word that’s conspicuously absent from that term: Earn. Your web3 game should be played for pleasure, not profit.
Level 3: Don’t Force a Token
There’s a lot of reasons why it may be desirable to include a utility token in your game. But whatever you do, don’t make it the mechanism for accessing the game. Try to keep your game free to play, with a native token – if included – only there to enhance gameplay, rather than as a barrier to further progress.
Because it also runs an eponymous blockchain, Mythical has its own utility token which serves a number of use cases. It’s the medium of exchange for trading NFTs within Mythical Marketplace, for example. But anyone picking up a game like NFL Rivals isn’t required to hold MYTH or even to create a web3 wallet. Because web3 gaming is all about breaking down barriers, and the fewer of them you place between your players and the game, the more active users you’ll attract.
Nate Nesbitt, Head of Communications at Mythical Games, says, “Sure, use tokens, blockchain, and all the other cool stuff web3 gaming unlocks, but only if it improves the game. A simple rule of thumb for determining that is to ask: Does it add friction or fun? If features make your game more enjoyable, incorporate them by all means. But if they just add an additional hurdle, you’re doing it wrong.”
Level 4: Don’t Chase Fads
Web3 is very narrative-driven. This means that what’s in fashion one season may be old news by the next (e.g. the metaverse; P2E). Just because web3 VCs are simping over MMORPGs right now, for example, doesn’t mean this format will be in vogue by the time your title’s ready for release. Rather than trend-chasing or second-guessing narratives, choose your genre, make your plan, and then stick to it.
There were no successful web3 sports games when Mythical entered the industry – especially not for football. Yet they elected to release a game called NFL Rivals and, six million downloads later, the results speak for themselves.
Level 5: Dream Big
We’re trying to avoid cliches here, but this one warrants inclusion: dream big. Let’s elucidate a little: while it’s important to be realistic about what you can achieve with the skills and budget you have, you’re never gonna create the first mainstream web3 crossover without dreaming big. In practical terms, this means envisioning game concepts that, if well executed, have a chance of resonating with the mass market. Create something original and highly playable and you’ve an outside chance. Produce a second-rate Gods Unchained rip-off and you’ve zero chance.
One of Mythical’s masterstrokes was to start a conversation with the NFL about licensing its IP. And for only the second time in its history (the first being EA Sports), the NFL said yes and approved its IP for use in a game – and a web3 game at that. If you don’t ask, you don’t get and if you don’t dream big, you never achieve big.
Level 6: Reach Out
When you’re creating something, it’s easy to lock yourself away in the lab burning the midnight oil. But great games aren’t created in a vacuum. Especially not when you’re developing a web3 game that requires a blockchain, an API, and various other tooling. Reach out to prospective partners who can assist with these things before you’ve built your game. Not only will these decisions determine the framework you utilize, but gaming chains are eager to attract up-and-coming developers and will be only too happy to offer support.
Mythical’s strategy for attracting developers takes the form of Mythical Platform, which provides out-the-box tooling, from SDKs to a plug-and-play marketplace for trading in-game items. Basically, they’ll do all the heavy lifting so that you can focus on creating the most awesome game possible without needing to code all of the web3 elements from scratch. You’ll find a similar stack of tooling and eagerness to please in other leading web3 gaming ecosystems, from Gala Games to Treasure. Reach out and see what they have to offer.
Level 7: Play the Long Game
If you’re just getting started in web3 gaming, it’s a little early to think about your legacy. But you should certainly be thinking beyond your debut release. Is it the sort of title that lends itself to a sequel? Expansion packs? Cross-collaboration? IP licensing? And, should it perform poorly, do you have a Plan B that will allow you to take a radically different approach next time around? When you’re developing a game, it’s easy to get lost in the detail. Remember to zoom out occasionally, both in space and time, and look to the future with a view to what comes next.
Even while working on maiden release NFL Rivals, Mythical Games had something very different in mind as a follow-up. Colorful platformer Blankos Block Party could scarcely be more different from the studio’s debut. But it also had a sequel in mind for NFL Rivals – and it eventually came in the form of FIFA Rivals. Same style, different sport.
Level 8: Put the U in UX
To create a game with great user experience, you need to think like a gamer. And not just any gamer, but one picking up your game for the first time. They don’t know your game inside-out like you do. What seems obvious to you may be non-intuitive to beginners. While good UX is vital in all games, it’s critical in web3 where there are more moving parts and some players will be unfamiliar with the blockchain components, such as a crypto wallet. Now matter how original the game or addictive the mechanics, if the onboarding sucks and the user flow is confusing, it’s destined to be a flop.
While many factors can be attributed to the success of Mythical’s web3 games, NFL Rivals especially, the UX is arguably the greatest reason. It’s also the most overlooked. Because that’s the thing about user experience: we notice when it’s bad, but we rarely pay attention when it’s working flawlessly. If you haven’t already, go play a Mythical game or two and take notes on the UX. Now go away and copy it. Not the game – just the ease with which players are guided effortlessly through the whole thing, from onboarding to end-of-level scenes.
Speaking of which, we’ve reached the end of our eight levels of web3 game design lessons, filtered through a Mythical lens. Which leaves just the final boss to face. Go walk to your bathroom and take a glance in the mirror. Plot twist: you’re looking at them. Yes, if you want to make it in web3 gaming, the greatest fear to face is the fear of failing because you stayed in your comfort zone. Because you played the game in easy mode rather than test your mettle and risk a respawn.
We’ve cited Mythical Games throughout this piece as an example to learn from, but that’s not to say that everything they’ve touched has turned to gold. They even changed blockchains at one point, moving to Polkadot despite the disruption that such a migration typically entails, yet made it to the other side. By all means make a plan and implement it but don’t be afraid to change tack if it isn’t working. If you can take these eight lessons – or rather levels – to heart, get out of your comfort zone, dream big, and be unafraid of failure, you’ve got what it takes to make it as a web3 games developer.
