YGG Play Summit, the world’s largest player-centric Web3 gaming event, was held in Manila, the home of Web3 gaming, from November 19 to 23. More than 7,000 attendees experienced the energy of the summit in person, and 150,000 more watched the summit online via live streaming.
Now in its third year, the YGG Play Summit provides an opportunity for gamers, founders, developers, investors, content creators, cosplayers, and community members from around the world to gather, exchange ideas, and celebrate the progress and achievements of the Web3 gaming industry over the past few years.
The event is supported by a number of local and international sponsors, including HyperPlay and Mantle as title sponsors, Coins.ph and Ubisoft as diamond sponsors. In total, the YGG Play Summit is supported by more than 50 partners, including some of the world’s biggest games and the blockchains that power them, such as Aptos, Avalanche, Base, B3, Immutable, and Ronin.
Top Web3 Events Hosted and Participated by Gamers
Attendees likened the quality and energy of the YGG Play Summit to world-class events like Gamescom and Tokyo Game Show. Superfine CEO Christian Calderon said it was Web3’s answer to GDC, referring to the annual Game Developers Conference held in San Francisco that draws about 30,000 attendees. WolvesDAO member and content creator Iceyyy said, “The YGG Play Summit was the best gaming conference I’ve been to this year,” while Ronin Network OG Cagyjan was so excited that he appointed himself CEO of the Philippines and began planning to move to the country permanently.
WolvesDAO co-founder Sam Steffanina also shared a video recap of the week’s events and discussed professional development in the Web3 gaming industry with founders. In an interview with Steffanina, Oliver Maroney, head of esports at OpenSea, said: “I was really surprised by the turnout YGG got at the event, I wasn’t expecting that.”
Esports star and Parallel ambassador Alliestrasza said the experience was "very magical" and she even saw some of her peers in tears. "Everyone is here, and it feels like a big memory," she added.
“If you’re at home and didn’t come, you have to come next year. The YGG Play Summit was crazy,” said Dreamer, president of DeFi Kingdoms. “This summit represents how we’re all progressing. There are bigger and better things to come, and there are some beautiful stories here, and learning about how previous markets have really changed lives, and these people are here to amplify that impact — it’s beautiful.”
The appeal of this summit mainly comes from connecting the biggest games of Web3 with the most passionate gamers of Web3. Community players can experience games such as Seraph, RIFTSTORM, Star Atlas, Captain Laserhawk, My Neighbour Alice, DeFi Kingdoms and MetaCene first-hand. In addition, elite player exhibition matches are also the centerpiece of the whole week, including exhibition matches of Off The Grid, Shatterline, Sparkball and Parallel.
Throughout the week, the atmosphere was lively at booths and on the expo floor as founders from around the world interacted directly with their fans and future customers, demonstrated their games, received valuable feedback, and posed for endless selfies.
Pixels founder and CEO Luke Barwikowski and Pixels COO Heidi Christine took the stage to answer questions from the community. In addition, the AMA was live-streamed to the YGG Zone in Pixels, where players could complete tasks to earn extra rewards. Viewers attending the live AMA witnessed Terra Villa come to life, with cosplayers dressed as their favorite Pixels characters joining Luke and Heidi on stage. Even YGG co-founder Gabby Dizon dressed as her own NPC in Pixels.
Epic race, unforgettable victory
During the YGG Play Summit, four tournaments were held over a week of competition with prize money up to $130,000. Given the size of the prize pool, all tournaments were conducted under the guidance of the Philippine Gaming and Amusement Commission, which oversees all professional sports in the Philippines. Each player was licensed and drug tested before the start of the competition, which was a first for many players who participated in professional esports competitions for the first time during the summit.
Johnfdong won the Anichess tournament and received a $3,000 prize. SylphyT1 from Sylphy Academy won the Arena of Faith finals and received a $4,000 prize, which was split equally between Syl, Stephy, Lrdgrim, Fer and Pelfi f. In the Indus tournament, Kadiliman Esports won the $2,500 grand prize, which was shared by Bison, Pabi, Majo, Jayzee and Bluetzy. In addition, Kadiliman Esports qualified for the Indus International tournament in India, which had a prize of up to $240,000.
The highlight was the $100,000 Parallel tournament. YGG Esports veteran Zeliaser defeated Hungarian player Bullbence in the final and won the $20,000 grand prize, avenging his loss to Bullbence in the previous round.
“I just want to say thank you to everyone who has supported me. Everybody is so friendly. Everyone in the parallel community is so nice. I am happy to meet everyone,” said Zeliaser, who travelled from South America to attend the Parallel Invitational, the first of its kind in Asia.
YGG Esports elite player Zeliaser poses for a photo with his teammates and YGG Esports members after winning the Parallel match.
In an article for (The GAME), esports editor Ramon Domingo shared his experience attending esports events this week. “There’s really no way to replicate the excitement of a crowd of fans watching your favorite game,” Ramon wrote. “Web3 esports is uncharted territory, but it has the potential to deliver thrilling moments and unforgettable experiences. At the end of the day, that’s what esports is all about.”
Keynote speeches, fireside chats and roundtable discussions
Wednesday was “Industry Day” with sessions and panels focused on B2B and developers. Gabby’s fireside chat with Emfarsis Director Leah Callon-Butler revealed one of the biggest news of the week – the launch of Onchain Guilds on Base. Towards the end of the conference, Base founder Jesse Pollak took the stage to discuss the significance of YGG and Base working together to build Onchain with Gabby and Leah.
“Whether through competitive esports teams, decentralized artist collectives, or AI-driven projects, Onchain Guilds positions YGG as a leader in bringing communities together around on-chain movements,” wrote Phil Hall of PlayToEarn.
“The launch of Onchain Guilds on Base feels less like a product launch and more like a coming-of-age moment for the Web3 community,” journalist Vince Dioquino noted in a feature article for Decrypt magazine.
Additionally, on Industry Day, YGG co-founder Beryl Li spoke at the Future of Work panel with FrodoBots core team member Niresh Dravin, CUDIS CMO Dirk Yuan, and BitPinas Editor-in-Chief Michael Mislos, sharing how YGG expanded from gaming to AI and DePIN to uncover more learning and earning opportunities for the community.
"YGG is in a very unique position because we have a global network of over 7 million community members, and what sets us apart from other communities is that we are very open to economic opportunity," Beryl said at the symposium. "We strive to give them what they want, and in order to do that we provide them with a platform where they can discover and try out these economic opportunity seeking activities. That's what we do. We give them what they want."
Other speakers included Parallel co-founder Kalos, e-sports pioneer FATAL1TY, Confiction Labs co-founder and CEO Arief Widhiyasa, MapleStory Universe chief business officer and vice president Dominic Jang, and more.
In his highly anticipated presentation and final keynote of the Industry Day, Hilmar Veigar Pétursson, CEO of CCP Games, discussed the community-driven growth of EVE Online over the past two decades and spoke about the upcoming Web3 survival game spinoff EVE Frontier. Under his leadership, EVE Online has thrived, surpassing $500 million in lifetime revenue, boasting a player-driven economy with over 2 billion daily transactions, making it one of the longest-running and most economically productive online games in gaming history. In his presentation, Hilmar emphasized that a strong virtual economy cannot grow if the community doesn’t grow with it.
During the summit, YGG also partnered with Web3 consulting firm Emfarsis to conduct a series of leadership roundtable discussions on two controversial topics affecting the Web3 gaming industry. The first topic aimed to explore the values and ethics of Web3 key opinion leaders (KOLs), while the second topic delved into the evolution of Web3 native user acquisition (UA).
Many of the summit’s speakers participated in the Leadership Roundtable, including YGG Philippines Head Mench Dizon, CCP Games CEO Hilmar Veigar Pétursson, MON Protocol Co-founder Giulio Xiloyannis, Daredevil Media Founder and CEO Jared Dillinger, Unbox Founder Carlo Ople, Cointelegraph Reporter Ciaran Lyons, The Sandbox Co-founder and COO Sebastien Borget, KGeN Elders Council Member Ishank Gupta, Infinity Ventures Crypto (IVC) Partner Ann Chien, and many more.
Nearly 70 industry leaders attended the conference, who shared their perspectives and engaged in lively conversations with streamers, guild leaders, and gamers. Insights gained from the leadership roundtable will inform a post-conference report to be released in early 2025.
Focus on community and content creators
Following the announcement that Onchain Guilds would be available on Base, YGG Community Manager and Axie University (AxU) co-founder Spraky took the stage to introduce some of the most notable Onchain guilds in the global “guilds of guilds” network, including Nate from Synergy Guild, Kookoo from Sando Metaverse, and JB from NFT X-Street.
Throughout the Gaming Summit, YGG community members and content creators showcased their talents to the world. Star performers included Sedano, Excelsor, Munchies, Stephy, Miccolo, and Ruth, who hosted sessions, broadcast tournaments and show matches, and participated in panel discussions and masterclasses to share their knowledge with the global Web3 gaming community.
To support aspiring content creators, YGG educational platform Web3 Metaversity launched a creator masterclass. Led by Carlo Ople, Kyroh, and Kookoo, the workshop focused on providing practical advice to Web3 creators on how to increase authenticity, build communities, educate cryptocurrency newbies, and create engaging content for their audiences.
"In Web3, there are builders, players, and creators. Creators are particularly important because they are the frontline workers who keep the gaming space alive. They provide not only entertainment, but also educational value," said YellowPanther, co-founder of Gaming Grid, official ambassador of YGG Play Summit, and winner of the GAM3 Awards 2024 Content Creator of the Year.
WolvesDAO, a global collective of content creators, influencers, investors, and competitive gamers, came to Manila to take the main stage on the final day of the YGG Play Summit. Led by Co-founder Sam Steffanina and Co-founder Payton Kaleiwahea, WolvesDAO hosted its first CreatorDEN, bringing 15 leading Web3 gaming content creators. These included gamer favorites icyyy_gaming, MatDefies, dub, Cbass, Storming, SpikeCollects, and itzBolt.
“Creators drive increased visibility and engagement, and play a key role in shaping the narrative and community that drives the Web3 gaming industry,” said Steffanina. “Bringing this group of creators to Manila was not just about producing content, but about bringing East and West together and allowing them to see firsthand the impact the Philippines is having on Web3 gaming and shaping the future of the industry. Supporting YGG’s mission and amplifying their vision made this event impactful for everyone, and it solidified why WolvesDAO prioritizes events like this.”
The “Match + Play” mixer event hosted by MadeViral and YGG was a welcome entry point for Web2 content creators to be introduced to the world of Web3 games. Experienced Web3 KOLs (including Myrtle Sarrosa, Een Mercado, Extra Rai, and VMiguelG) hosted panel discussions and actual game demos, introducing key concepts and helping decentralized technology feel less intimidating. Web2 attendees also connected directly with the Web3 games participating in the mixer (including Shatterline, Sparkball, Sipher Odyssey, and Aurory, among others), giving them ample opportunities to better understand Web3 games.
Gaming Contests and Cosplay Contests
The YGG Play Summit Game Jam, co-hosted by YGG Pilipinas, Web3 Metaversity, and Sovrun, saw 35 teams and 136 individuals compete for a Php500,000 prize. G?Ka emerged victorious in the Junior category, which consisted of students and first-time game developers, and took home Php75,000. Kusho Guardians won the Professional category, which consisted of experienced developers, and took home the Php220,000 grand prize.
As always at YGG events, the Cosplay community brought iconic characters from Web3 games to life throughout the expo, vying for the top spot in the Summit Cosplay Contest. In the Community Cosplay category, Dwight Tristan Ibajan and Zhiwei cosplayed as Pulsefire Ezreal and Kana, respectively, taking home Php 5,000 each. In the Professional category, Izaiah won Php 34,990 as Valorant’s robot soldier KAY/O.
Rolling out the red carpet
On November 20, after the Industry Day, attendees headed to the red carpet premiere of the Metaverse Filipino Worker miniseries. Written and directed by Leah Callon-Butler, creator of Play-to-Earn: NFT Gaming in the Philippines and director of Emfarsis, the series details a range of new career options made possible by Web3.
The stars of Metaverse Filipino Worker, Gabby, Mench, Sky Mavis co-founder Jihoz, The Sandbox co-founder and COO Sebastien Borget, and director and screenwriter Leah Callon-Butler
YGG Pilipinas Community Manager Spraky, YGG Esports Captain Disi, NFT X-Street Founder JB, YGG Pilipinas Social Media Manager Stephy, YGG Pilipinas Event Manager and Mommy Influencer Julie, and Sister Mary School Web3 Metaversity students Aileen and Kryztine also participated in the series.
“These positive stories come from community members — real, everyday Filipinos — and those stories don’t always make it to the press. So, it’s really important for me to share those stories, and I think I’m blessed to be able to do that because I actually live here (in the Philippines),” Lea said in an interview with GMANetwork.com. “I’ve always lived here, so my goal is to showcase that to the world.”
Metaverse Filipino Worke is scored by Filipino music icon Apl.de.Ap and his collaborative team L!NE OUTS!DE, led by longtime DJ and producer Edgar “Artek606” Sinio, with Apl.de.Ap’s manager Dan Vo also attending the premiere.
The Game Summit also hosted the first live awards ceremony for GAM3S.GG's annual GAM3 Awards. Off The Grid won Game of the Year, Action Game of the Year, and Multiplayer Game of the Year, Parallel won Esports Game of the Year, Strategy Game of the Year, and TCG Game of the Year, while Pixels won the Casual Game of the Year title and the People's Choice Award for the second consecutive year. YellowPanther, the official ambassador of the YGG Play Summit, was named Content Creator of the Year 2024.
Ronin won the "Best Ecosystem" award, and co-founder Jihoz gave a heartfelt speech to the crowd. He called for unity in the Web3 gaming industry as Ronin transitions to an open and permissionless network. "With the opening of Ronin, this is a great opportunity to make the space more harmonious," Jihoz said in his acceptance speech.
YGG Play Summit was a winning week for Web3 gaming. Builders, content creators, esports athletes, and industry newcomers all experienced the energy and passion of the community. Set in Manila, the epicenter of Web3 gaming applications, the summit laid the foundation for the continued development of the global ecosystem.
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