🎮 Want Players to Actually Try Your Web3 Game? Just Steal Hollywood’s Homework, Says Improbable CEO

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Hey devs, founders, and fellow game nerds

You know how we keep talking about onboarding users into blockchain games, yet most of them never make it past the trailer? Well, Herman Narula, CEO of Improbable (aka the SpatialOS + Somnia blockchain guys), just dropped a spicy take:

💡 "Forget originality. Build games using stuff people already love—like Bond, Jurassic Park, or the freakin' Avengers."

Yeah. He basically said: Why roll the dice on new IP when you can borrow a blockbuster? 🦖️‍️🦸‍️
🧮 It's All About That Acquisition Cost

According to Narula, getting someone to try a free game now costs devs about $40 in ads. Yes, forty bucks... to maybe get a click.

And that’s just to acquire the user—not keep them. In a market where VC cash is drying up and players are buried in options, Narula says using familiar IP is the cheat code for cutting through the noise.

“IP reduces the cost of user acquisition a lot,” he said.
“It’s a hell of a lot easier to get people to play your game if they already love the universe.”

Honestly… hard to argue.
Improbable’s Web3 Pivot

In case you missed it, Improbable is the company behind SpatialOS (a platform for building giant online games) and now the Somnia blockchain, which launched in 2024. It currently hosts:

🧟 Night Spawn (horror survival)

💥 Maelstrom (battle royale chaos)

Narula says Improbable is one of the few firms still actively investing in blockchain game development while others are scaling back or straight-up ghosting.
So, Originality Is Dead?

Not quite. But Narula’s making the case that Web3 devs don’t need to reinvent the universe every time they ship a new title. If anything, the combo of:

Familiar lore

Proven fan bases

Blockchain-backed economies

…might be the best way to finally get non-crypto gamers to care.
Thoughts?

Smart move or creative sell-out?

Would you be more likely to play a Web3 game set in Middle-Earth or Wakanda?

Is this actually good for blockchain gaming... or just short-term bait?

Drop your takes below. And devs—if you're working on a “ShrekCoin Metaverse Brawler,” now’s your moment.
#Gamefi #web3 #coingames