If you heard about 'Play-to-Earn' in 2021, you must be familiar with the name Yield Guild Games (YGG). That year, it acted like a 'gaming financier', raising funds to purchase expensive game NFT assets and lending them to players in Southeast Asia and other regions, sharing the profits. This story is filled with the colors of financial revolution, but it also buried hidden dangers: when the market cools down and the game economy becomes unbalanced, this system, which heavily relies on the success of external games and asset price models, appears particularly fragile.
However, today's YGG has quietly transformed. It is no longer satisfied with being just a 'landlord' or 'investor', but is determined to participate in the construction itself, transforming into one of the most powerful ecological infrastructures in the Web3 gaming field. The core of this transformation is shifting from 'borrowing others' dreams' to 'investing in and creating one's own IP'.
Transformation Step One: From Investment to Release, Launching Own Games
The signals of transformation became clear in mid-2025. YGG launched its own publishing division—YGG Play—and released its first internal game (LOL Land). This is a casual board game that combines popular NFT characters (like Pudgy Penguins), allowing players to earn token rewards through gameplay. Its significance goes far beyond just the launch of a new game: it marks a fundamental leap in YGG's business model. By directly developing and publishing games, YGG has taken control, enabling better management of game economic models, player experiences, and long-term value accumulation, rather than being entirely subject to the successes or failures of third-party games.
Transformation Step Two: Building the Flywheel, Launchpad as the Core Engine of the Ecosystem
If self-owned games are the "points," then the launch of YGG Play Launchpad is building a powerful growth "flywheel." This platform, set to launch in October 2025, aims to become the core hub for new Web3 games.
Its operational model is highly ingenious:
· For developers, Launchpad not only provides token issuance services but, more importantly, offers an instant, validated player community. A new game can quickly tap into YGG's vast global player network, gaining real test users, community feedback, and early growth momentum.
· For players, Launchpad is a unified "game discovery, tasks, and early access" hub. Players can explore new games here, engage deeply by completing tasks, and have the opportunity to earn early token rewards from new projects. YGG has shifted the focus of this model from mere "token speculation" to measuring success based on real player metrics and engagement.
Evolution of Token Economics: From Governance Symbol to Ecological Lifeblood
Along with the transformation of the business, the economic model of YGG tokens is also evolving. It has deeply integrated into all aspects of the YGG network, including task rewards, player onboarding, experience point systems, and staking mechanisms. As more games join the ecosystem through Launchpad, the practical scenarios and demand foundation for YGG tokens are continually solidified. In addition, YGG's actively developing "experience and soul-bound badge" system creates unique on-chain identities and growth records for players, further enhancing user stickiness and sense of belonging, making the YGG network itself a powerful value carrier.
