Price data from Decrypt’s Art, Fashion, and Entertainment Hub shows that the world of crypto and NFT gaming is buzzing with activity. There are new game releases, token airdrops, and exciting developments happening all the time.

Decrypt’s GG is here to keep you in the loop. With our feature, This Week in Crypto Games, we provide a quick recap of the biggest news from the past week. We also highlight some original stories you might have missed.

Biggest News

Let’s start with Off the Grid. This Avalanche-based battle royale shooter launched in early access back in October. While the initial excitement has cooled, the game just received its biggest update yet. It revamped its aiming system, boosted performance, and adjusted weapon stats. This update prepares the game for a future ranked mode. Players will notice that scoped weapons now feel much more natural. Plus, the weapon meta has seen significant changes with various buffs and nerfs.

On Friday, Gunzilla Games shared some exciting news with us. They announced the creation of the GUNZ Foundation, which will be guided by Delphi Ventures. This Foundation will oversee the mainnet launch of the GUNZ L1 network and the upcoming GUN token, set to roll out in Q1 2025. Also, look out for the “Crackhead Christmas” content pack coming in December for Off the Grid.

Now, let’s talk about TapSwap. The creators of this tap-to-earn Telegram game revealed that the long-awaited TAPS token launch and airdrop will happen in late January. This follows months of speculation. The TAPS token will launch on The Open Network (TON).

However, Tomarket, another Telegram game, made a last-minute switch to the Aptos blockchain. This change came just a week before its planned launch. Now, the game is gearing up for the highly anticipated TOMA token launch, which has attracted 50 million users eager for an airdrop set for December 20.

Ubisoft has some news too! They confirmed that their new game, Captain Laserhawk: The G.A.M.E., will launch on December 18 via the Ethereum layer-2 network Arbitrum. To celebrate, they’re offering a free NFT mint, giving away 10,000 NIJI Warrior ID Cards. The game takes place in a dystopian world inspired by the Netflix series, featuring characters from popular franchises like Assassin’s Creed and Rayman.

In Case You Missed It

Neon Machine, the team behind Shrapnel, appointed a new CEO and is currently fundraising. The mobile shoot ‘em up game Zoppel launched in alpha on the Ethereum layer-2 network Skale. Additionally, the crypto gaming ecosystem Treasure launched its own Ethereum layer-2 chain, moving away from Arbitrum.

The developers of the original tap-to-earn game Notcoin introduced a new rewards sharing platform. OverTrip, a battle royale shooter, made its debut on the Epic Games Store. Ethereum Name Service partnered with Ubisoft to provide ENS subdomains for NIJI Warrior ID Card holders. The role-playing game Aurory: Seekers of Tokane is launching a festive update this week. Meanwhile, the SocialFi game Fantasy Top is returning with a second version after raising $4.25 million.

Apeiron, a crypto strategy game, debuted on iOS and Android last week. The NFT project Doodles has taken over PlayStation Music with a playlist for console owners. Heroes of Mavia, a mobile strategy game, launched staking for its MAVIA token on Saturday.

Gomble Games, part of the crypto division of 111%, announced a new IP hub for game developers. Guild of Guardians kicked off its Shield Breaker event, introducing new dungeon challenges. Players holding Ancient and Mythic Seeds from the AI-driven crypto metaverse game Today could claim their share of the LIMBO token on Tuesday. Shatterline, an Avalanche-based first-person shooter, launched its first in-game season with prizes totaling up to $40,000.

Farm Frens, a Telegram game, confirmed that its airdrop allocation will be based on the total NUTS, DIRT, and DUNG earned by each player. The Beam Network is set to launch a node sale on December 17, offering rewards in BEAM and other tokens. Beam Ventures aims to raise up to $150 million to invest in crypto games. Immutable announced it onboarded over 250 games in 2024. Lastly, the mobile MOBA game E4C: Final Salvation, built on Sui, is in closed beta until December 24 globally, except in India, where it has fully launched.

GG Spotlight

Here are some original stories from the past week that you might find interesting:

Play With Doge: 7 Games That Feature the Dogecoin Meme Pup: Dogecoin is back in the spotlight, recently surging to a three-year high. With continued promotion from Elon Musk, who will co-lead a government agency called the Department of Government Efficiency, the original meme coin is all about good vibes. If you’re looking to add some fun to your gaming experience, you can find Dogecoin and its meme dog in several games.

‘Tomarket’ Telegram Game Dumps TON for Aptos Ahead of Token Launch and Airdrop: Tomarket, a popular Telegram game, is ditching its plan to launch its token on The Open Network (TON) and will now deploy TOMA on the Aptos network. With 50 million total users and 6 million daily active users, Tomarket is set to launch its TOMA token on December 20, with an airdrop for players who meet certain criteria.

Telegram Game 'TapSwap' Sets Token Launch and Airdrop for January: The popular Telegram tap-to-earn game TapSwap revealed it will launch its TAPS token on The Open Network (TON) alongside an airdrop of rewards for players in the second half of January 2025. TAPS will become a crucial resource in the TapSwap ecosystem, granting holders access to tournaments, staking rewards, and governance participation. Whether a player receives the TAPS airdrop will depend on their overall engagement within TapSwap.