Chinese Game Developers Turn to TON Blockchain Games Amid Industry Shifts

SNEAK PEEK

  • Chinese game developers pivot to TON blockchain, escaping domestic market restrictions.
  • TON blockchain’s success, driven by viral games like Notcoin, attracts displaced developers.
  • TON’s decentralized platform offers new growth opportunities for China’s struggling game industry.

Chinese game developers are increasingly turning to the TON blockchain as a new platform for their creations. This trend reflects a significant shift in strategy as developers seek alternatives to overcome the limitations of the domestic gaming market, particularly in the face of stringent approval policies and declining opportunities.

The downturn in China’s traditional gaming sector has been evident since 2018, with the implementation of strict game approval policies leading to significant industry disruption. 

The issuance of domestic game licenses decreased dramatically, resulting in the closure of over 600 game companies by the end of the year and the deregistration of 14,000 game-related companies by 2021.

Developers like Xiaoze, who faced layoffs and uncertainty, began exploring new avenues, eventually finding a potential lifeline in the emerging blockchain gaming space.

As traditional avenues closed, blockchain games began to gain traction, offering a refuge for developers displaced by industry shifts. The TON blockchain, developed by the TON Foundation after Telegram ceased its involvement, has become a focal point for this movement. 

The platform’s recent success, highlighted by the viral popularity of the game Notcoin, has attracted significant interest from both independent developers and established game companies. Notcoin’s simple, click-based gameplay has proven highly engaging, boasting over 5 million daily active users and generating significant revenue.

The TON chain’s appeal lies in its lack of centralized restrictions and access to Telegram’s vast user base. This has made it an attractive option for developers looking to repackage or revitalize their existing projects, particularly those who had previously struggled to find success in traditional or larger-scale blockchain games. 

As more and more developers and companies join the TON ecosystem, it is becoming clear that the platform will be one of the major players in the global gaming market creating new prospects for its further development and implementation.

Although the prospects of the large-scale games on the blockchain are more or less questionable in the long run, the fact that mini-games are popular on the TON chain suggests that it is a shining niche market waiting to be explored.

The storm in the industry has passed for developers like Xiaoze, and a new hope and prospects for development in this sector are emerging for him.