You are likely to know Axie Infinity, CryptoKitties, and Pegaxy. These are some of the soundest breeding titles, but blockchain gaming is not limited to them. For nearly a year, the industry got hundreds of similar projects. So, let’s explore the phenomenon, explain what made breeding games viral, and determine whether they are still popular.
The Brief History
Also known as pet simulation, breeding games trended during the lockdown. However, their long history started in the 1990s when the first Tamagotchi was released in 1996. Similarly to real pets, this cute virtual creature required players’ love and care but lacked the problems real pet owners usually have to face.
The success of Tamagotchi and the development of video games led to the launch of multiple projects, including Neopets and Pokémons, that could also be trained and participate in battles. Next, mobile games entered the market, and in the 10-s, such titles as Dragon City attracted much attention thanks to their accessibility. Five years later, in 2012, the introduction of blockchain gaming boosted their adoption.
Reasons Of Popularity
Breeding games are a peculiar genre with multiple benefits that explain why they slay. Let’s point them out.
Financial
Such cute projects are considered to be profitable for players. Sometimes they can even earn a fortune. For instance, in 2021, the game’s most expensive Axie was sold for 300 ETH, and in 2018, CryptoKitties’ cat named “Dragon” brought its creator 600 ETH.
Simplicity
While many genres have complex gameplays, storylines, and characters, breeding games offer transparent mechanics. In most cases, users must acquire at least two virtual pets as NFTs treat and breed them. Next, sell the best species. Thus, the monetization model is also evident.
Technologies
In Web 2 breeding games, players used to have the same virtual pets with different rarity levels. However, NFT technologies enable them to craft unique creatures and keep them safe regarding rights.
Emotional
Money, simplicity, and technologies count, but according to our research, the main reasons for breeding games’ popularity are emotional.
Nostalgia
Though Gen-Z representatives are regarded as the key audience of blockchain gaming, it is also popular among millennials who remember their 90-s and early 00-s childhood when such projects as Sims, Tamagotchis, and Pokémons were viral. Thus, though contemporary breeding games hit differently, they still give them nostalgic vibes. Meanwhile, younger P2E fans are obsessed with retrowave and appreciate its aesthetics in gaming.
Collecting
Collecting is a significant part of breeding games’ processes, making them more attractive to users because they, except radical minimalists, somehow regard this activity as a pleasure. The brightest example of it is the NFT craze. Meanwhile, scientists even assume that collecting is our instinct.
Creativity
NFT breeding games boost users’ creativity because they can customize their pets or reach unique breeding combinations.
Predictability
Though one can’t can’t know for sure what offspring they get and what revenues they will bring to them, gameplays of breeding games are not stressful, and, unlike real pets, virtual creatures don’t die.
Community
Gaming is always about social interaction and community, with genres, storylines, and visuals attracting particular target audiences. Considering that breeding games are all about cuteness, breeding gaming communities are supposed to be friendly and lack negative features that used to be commonly related to gaming.
Why Is The Hype Over?
According to the latest blockchain gaming reports, breeding games are not trending anymore, and there are multiple reasons for this.
Low Engagement
The simplicity of breeding games is both their blessing and the curse. The negative side is that such projects are predictable, lack storylines, and, as a result, empathy triggered by virtual creatures’ cuteness and financial revenues become the only players’ retention tools. Thus, users gradually lose interest.
Small Audience
Though breeding games are relaxing, soothing, and pleasant, they still are niche products. According to statistics, the primary audience prefers the opposite game genres, for instance, shooter and action-adventure games.
Overflood Of Projects
The success of the NFT breeding games giants provoked the fast development of similar projects that overflowed the market but didn’t pass the test of time due to primitive gameplay, low-quality graphics, and other consequences of “copying”.
New Trends
Fashion is fashion, and trends change. The rise of battle royale games, the introduction of new-gen projects, and the migration of sophisticated Web 2 titles to blockchain gaming have reshaped users’ expectations and interests. Meanwhile, the elements of classy breeding mechanics should still be relevant and integrated into other genres.
Seats Are Taken
The most prominent players stay in the market and, despite various complications, keep mastering their products and adapting them to the new needs and expectations of players. For instance, they add new modes and mechanics to make gameplay more engaging.
Conclusion
Everything is good in its season, and NFT breeding games are no exception. The epoch of their craze is over: weak projects left the market, and the best stayed here to enrich their mechanics. In other words, the blockchain gaming industry is constantly changing and reaching new heights. Let’s watch its development together! To catch everything, stay tuned and subscribe to our socials.
Follow Prom:
Website: prom.io/
Twitter: twitter.com/prom_io
Telegram Announcements: t.me/prom_ann
Telegram Chat: t.me/prom_io
Discord: discord.gg/prom
Instagram: instagram.com/prom_io_official
CMC Gravity: coinmarketcap.com/community/profile/Prom
YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UC2mC_ZMPnrivHGgz5CaZnvQ
