Luke Barwikowski, the CEO of Web3 Game Pixels, recently sat down for an interview with Cryptonews to discuss the current state of Web3 gaming and share insights into the success of his own game. Barwikowski began his journey in coding at a young age, creating mini-games for his friends using a program called GameMaker. He then delved into web development and even dabbled in Bitcoin mining. After selling his first app at the age of 18, Barwikowski went on to found Pixels, a social casual Web3 game powered by the Ronin Network.
Pixels has achieved impressive traction, boasting over 700,000 daily active addresses and 500,000 daily active users. Barwikowski attributes this success to the team’s unique approach to growth and incentive design. The Pixels team focuses on a “bottoms-up growth approach,” harnessing the power of Web3 to create innovative ways for the game to grow. Unlike traditional Web2 games that rely heavily on performance marketing, Pixels relies on user acquisition through incentive structures and community engagement. This approach has allowed the game to grow organically without the need for expensive advertising campaigns.
In addition to discussing Pixels’ growth strategy, Barwikowski also touched on the game’s migration from Polygon to Ronin. While Barwikowski expressed his respect for the Polygon team and their technology, he emphasized the value of Ronin’s user acquisition and distribution capabilities. Ronin has already onboarded millions of users through Axie Infinity, creating a strong user base that can be tapped into for Pixels’ growth. The move to Ronin has also provided valuable knowledge and mentorship from the Ronin Sky Mavis team, who have extensive experience in the Web3 gaming space.
Barwikowski also highlighted the recent collaboration with Binance, which rolled out the PIXELS token. He praised Binance’s understanding of Web3 and tokenomics and commended their thorough due diligence process. The partnership with Binance ensures that PIXELS has a sustainable and valuable ecosystem.
Finally, Barwikowski shared his thoughts on the trend of launching tokens before games in the Web3 space. He believes that many teams take this approach because it is easier, but it often leads to tokens losing value without a strong ecosystem to support them. Pixels took a different approach, launching the game first and carefully preparing for the introduction of the PIXELS token. This approach allowed the team to learn valuable lessons and ensure the success of the token launch.
Looking ahead, Barwikowski sees the future of gaming as play-to-earn and is committed to exploring this model further. He believes that the company that can crack the play-to-earn concept and make it sustainable will have a significant opportunity in the gaming industry.
Overall, Barwikowski’s interview provides valuable insights into the current state of Web3 gaming, the success of Pixels, and the team’s innovative approach to growth and community engagement.