At ESI London this year our Head of Partnership, Dan Cole, moderated and built the discussion for an insightful Web3 and Crypto panel titled “What can Web3 actually bring to esports?”. He was joined by Santiago Portela (CEO of Fitchin), Nicolas Weber (Founder of MetaGameHub), Amanpreet Singh (Global Media Lead at Unilever), and Warren Lincoln (Senior Project Manager at Reality+) to discuss how Web3 will impact the competitive gaming industry and how stakeholders can benefit from the changes.
The panel discussed the broader context of Web3 and what changes the evolution of the web will bring, including decentralized parties and how user-driven ownership will change how we interact with properties on the web. Much of the discussion around esports came in the form of viewer and fan ownership of both teams, tournaments, and brands. The panel discussed the possibility of a future where fan-owned esports brands will compete in worldwide tournaments, and the possibility of fan-led decision-making when it comes to roster and branding moves.
They also discussed the emergence of the ‘metaverse’ and how many games already operate their own metaverse, be that Fortnite, Minecraft, Roblox, or similar games with persistent worlds where users can enter and interact. The conversation also turned the possibility of live viewing experiences in a metaverse and how they compare with a traditional esports viewing experience from home.
You can watch the full panel below:
The panellists also discussed NFT’s (Non-Fungible Tokens) and how they are being used currently in the gaming and esports space. The experts argued that NFT’s are yet to reach their full potential, as in the future they will be key to ensuring fan-ownership of certain products and properties. They also highlighted that some teams are already pursuing NFT-driven ownership initiatives but they expect this to be more common in the future.
Want to chat about the topics covered on the panel? Or simply want to riff about all things web3? Feel free to get in contact with us to discuss how we can help your web3 initiatives find its footing in the gaming and esports space – hello@hotdrop.gg
