Swiss-based crypto wealth management platform SwissBorg confirmed that hackers drained around 193,000 Solana (SOL) tokens — worth roughly $41 million — from its Earn program after exploiting a vulnerability in the API of staking partner Kiln.

SwissBorg emphasized that its main app and other Earn products remain unaffected, and the company is in “good financial health.” Affected users, about 1% of its customer base and 2% of total assets, will be contacted directly by email.

How the hack happened

Attackers compromised Kiln’s API, the software “bridge” connecting SwissBorg’s app with Solana’s staking network.

By manipulating API requests, hackers siphoned off SOL from the Earn program.

Blockchain data now labels the attacker’s wallet on Solscan as “SwissBorg Exploiter.”

️ SwissBorg’s response

CEO Cyrus Fazel said on X Spaces: “It’s a big amount of money, but it doesn’t put SwissBorg at risk.”

The company pledged to reimburse all affected users using its treasury.

SwissBorg is working with international agencies, exchanges, and white hat hackers — and reports say some transactions have already been blocked.

Why it matters

The breach highlights risks in third-party staking infrastructure, even for trusted platforms.

SwissBorg’s Solana Earn program, powered by Kiln, was designed to simplify staking yields for retail users — but central points of integration like APIs remain vulnerable.

While dubbed “a bad day” by Fazel, SwissBorg says the hack will serve as a learning experience and not a fatal blow to operations.

Christie’s, the 258-year-old UK auction giant, is shutting down its dedicated NFT department and folding digital art sales into its broader 20th and 21st-century art category, according to a report from Now Media on Monday.

The move comes with staff cuts — two employees, including Christie’s vice president of digital art, have been laid off. At least one digital art specialist will remain to oversee sales.

Christie’s clarified that the “strategic decision” doesn’t mean an exit from NFTs. The house will continue to auction digital works but no longer as a standalone division.

Market conditions drive change

Global art sales fell 12% in 2024 to $57B, while auction sales dropped 20% to $23B, per the Art Basel & UBS Art Market Report 2025.

Digital art adviser Fanny Lakoubay suggested that Christie’s move reflects the broader contraction: “Auction houses can’t justify a whole department when it brings in less revenue than the others, even with some recent successful sales.”

️ Sustainability vs. business model

NFT collector Benji, a member of the Doomed DAO, argued that Christie’s decision is less about digital art demand and more about flawed economics.
“How can you charge 25–30% commission on something that doesn’t need to be authenticated, stored, insured or shipped, when online competitors charge zero?” he wrote, calling it Christie’s potential “Kodak moment.”

The NFT market today

After a rough 2024 — its worst year since 2020 — the NFT market rebounded in August 2025 to a $9.3B market cap (up 40% month-on-month).

Current market cap sits at $5.97B, up 2% in 24 hours.

Collections trending:

CryptoPunks: +1.9% (3 sales, $208K volume)

Bored Ape Yacht Club: +3.7% ($1.2M volume, 30 sales)

Pudgy Penguins: +2% ($905K volume, 20 sales)

Christie’s was one of the earliest major players to embrace digital art, famously selling Beeple’s “Everydays: The First 5000 Days” for $69.3M in 2021. The latest restructuring signals that while digital art remains part of the future, its role within traditional institutions may be shifting.

Christie’s, the 258-year-old UK auction giant, is shutting down its dedicated NFT department and folding digital art sales into its broader 20th and 21st-century art category, according to a report from Now Media on Monday.

The move comes with staff cuts — two employees, including Christie’s vice president of digital art, have been laid off. At least one digital art specialist will remain to oversee sales.

Christie’s clarified that the “strategic decision” doesn’t mean an exit from NFTs. The house will continue to auction digital works but no longer as a standalone division.

Market conditions drive change

Global art sales fell 12% in 2024 to $57B, while auction sales dropped 20% to $23B, per the Art Basel & UBS Art Market Report 2025.

Digital art adviser Fanny Lakoubay suggested that Christie’s move reflects the broader contraction: “Auction houses can’t justify a whole department when it brings in less revenue than the others, even with some recent successful sales.”

️ Sustainability vs. business model

NFT collector Benji, a member of the Doomed DAO, argued that Christie’s decision is less about digital art demand and more about flawed economics.
“How can you charge 25–30% commission on something that doesn’t need to be authenticated, stored, insured or shipped, when online competitors charge zero?” he wrote, calling it Christie’s potential “Kodak moment.”

The NFT market today

After a rough 2024 — its worst year since 2020 — the NFT market rebounded in August 2025 to a $9.3B market cap (up 40% month-on-month).

Current market cap sits at $5.97B, up 2% in 24 hours.

Collections trending:

CryptoPunks: +1.9% (3 sales, $208K volume)

Bored Ape Yacht Club: +3.7% ($1.2M volume, 30 sales)

Pudgy Penguins: +2% ($905K volume, 20 sales)

Christie’s was one of the earliest major players to embrace digital art, famously selling Beeple’s “Everydays: The First 5000 Days” for $69.3M in 2021. The latest restructuring signals that while digital art remains part of the future, its role within traditional institutions may be shifting.

Christie’s, the 258-year-old UK auction giant, is shutting down its dedicated NFT department and folding digital art sales into its broader 20th and 21st-century art category, according to a report from Now Media on Monday.

The move comes with staff cuts — two employees, including Christie’s vice president of digital art, have been laid off. At least one digital art specialist will remain to oversee sales.

Christie’s clarified that the “strategic decision” doesn’t mean an exit from NFTs. The house will continue to auction digital works but no longer as a standalone division.

Market conditions drive change

Global art sales fell 12% in 2024 to $57B, while auction sales dropped 20% to $23B, per the Art Basel & UBS Art Market Report 2025.

Digital art adviser Fanny Lakoubay suggested that Christie’s move reflects the broader contraction: “Auction houses can’t justify a whole department when it brings in less revenue than the others, even with some recent successful sales.”

️ Sustainability vs. business model

NFT collector Benji, a member of the Doomed DAO, argued that Christie’s decision is less about digital art demand and more about flawed economics.
“How can you charge 25–30% commission on something that doesn’t need to be authenticated, stored, insured or shipped, when online competitors charge zero?” he wrote, calling it Christie’s potential “Kodak moment.”

The NFT market today

After a rough 2024 — its worst year since 2020 — the NFT market rebounded in August 2025 to a $9.3B market cap (up 40% month-on-month).

Current market cap sits at $5.97B, up 2% in 24 hours.

Collections trending:

CryptoPunks: +1.9% (3 sales, $208K volume)

Bored Ape Yacht Club: +3.7% ($1.2M volume, 30 sales)

Pudgy Penguins: +2% ($905K volume, 20 sales)

Christie’s was one of the earliest major players to embrace digital art, famously selling Beeple’s “Everydays: The First 5000 Days” for $69.3M in 2021. The latest restructuring signals that while digital art remains part of the future, its role within traditional institutions may be shifting.

Italian mobile app developer Bending Spoons has reached an agreement to acquire video hosting platform Vimeo in a deal valued at $1.38 billion, Bloomberg reports.

Deal details

The purchase price represents a 91% premium over Vimeo’s average share value for the past 60 days.

The transaction is expected to close in Q4 2025.

The acquisition will be paid entirely in cash, with no stock or asset swaps involved.

Financial advisors on the deal include JPMorgan, Wells Fargo, and BNP.

Vimeo’s decline

Founded in 2004, Vimeo allows users to upload high-quality videos without ads and monetize them through subscriptions. The platform also offers premium editing tools.

Vimeo went public on Nasdaq in 2021 with a valuation of $8 billion. Since then, it has lost around 90% of its market value, prompting management to explore a sale.

At the time of the acquisition announcement, Vimeo’s market capitalization stood at $797 million.

Following the news, trading of Vimeo shares was temporarily suspended until the U.S. markets open on September 10, 2025.

About Bending Spoons

Bending Spoons, best known for popular mobile apps like Splice and Remini, was valued at $2.6 billion in a 2024 funding round.

The company began discussions with banks about financing the Vimeo purchase in March 2024.

Amazon-owned startup Zoox, which develops autonomous electric vehicles, has officially rolled out its robotaxi service for all users in Las Vegas, according to The Verge.

How it works

Passengers can order a ride directly through the Zoox app.

For now, the service is free of charge while the company awaits regulatory approval to begin collecting fares, Reuters notes.

The fleet currently includes about 50 vehicles, most of them operating in Las Vegas.

Pickup and drop-off points are limited to select locations during the initial rollout.

Expansion plans

Zoox says the next city on its roadmap is San Francisco, where testing is already underway. Interested passengers can join a waitlist.

By late 2025 and early 2026, Zoox plans to expand further to Miami, Austin, Atlanta, and Los Angeles.

About the robotaxi

Amazon acquired Zoox in June 2020.

That same year, the startup unveiled a fully autonomous electric vehicle without a driver’s cabin, capable of carrying four passengers and operating up to 16 hours on a single charge.

In Las Vegas, Zoox has been testing its robotaxis since 2023, with a pilot launch in early 2025, TechCrunch reported.

Key Takeaways:

MYX price rocketed 1,400% in a week, hitting $18.42 on Sept. 11.

Rally fueled by Trump-linked token listings, Binance Alpha exposure, and massive short squeezes.

️ Analysts flag red alerts: token unlocks, whale manipulation, overbought RSI, and risk of a 70–85% drop.

What is MYX Finance?

MYX is a decentralized perpetual exchange using its Matching Pool Mechanism (MPM) — an alternative to order books and AMMs.

It offers:

Near-zero slippage trading

USDC-margined contracts

Up to 50x leverage

Dual-oracle price feeds

The design aims to replicate CEX-level smoothness, but onchain.

Why Did MYX Price Explode?

1️⃣ Trump-linked WLFI token listing — Boosted visibility and retail hype.
2️⃣ Binance Alpha exposure — Ranked #1 among top-performing TGEs and airdrops.
3️⃣ Derivatives frenzy — Open interest soared past $400M, fueling speculation.
4️⃣ Aggressive short squeeze — Nearly $90M in shorts liquidated between Sept. 6–10, amplifying parabolic moves.

Red Flags Emerge

Despite the moonshot, several warning signs loom:

Token Unlocks: A 39M MYX unlock coincided with the rally, raising dump fears.

Unusual Trading: Perp volumes hit $6–9B daily with suspected whale coordination.

Retail Exit Liquidity? Analysts compare the setup to Mantra’s 90% crash earlier this year.

Overheated Technicals: RSI spiked to 89–97, signaling extreme overbought conditions.

Analysts warn a pullback could target the $2.72–5.10 EMA range — implying a 70–85% decline if history repeats.

Bottom Line

MYX Finance is the latest case of hype-driven parabolic growth — but history suggests such rallies rarely last. While the Trump tie-ins and Binance exposure ignited FOMO, analysts caution that liquidity games, token unlocks, and overbought signals could spark a brutal correction.

Is MYX a new DeFi innovator — or just the next “scam pump” waiting to unwind?

Crypto investment products just saw $2.48 billion in inflows last week — a sharp turnaround from $1.4B in outflows the week before. The big winners? Ether ETFs.

If you’re looking for ways to ride this institutional wave, here’s how:

1. Follow the Smart Money → Ether ETFs Dominate

Spot Ether ETFs attracted $1.4B in inflows last week.

Compare that to Bitcoin funds at $748M, and you’ll see where institutions are allocating.

Nearly 91% of August’s total inflows went into Ether products.

Strategy: Keep a close eye on ETH accumulation zones ($4,200–$4,300). Institutions are buying dips — you can too.

2. Watch Rotation Into Altcoins

Solana (+$177M) and XRP (+$134M) inflows show ETF speculation spreading beyond ETH & BTC.

Early positioning before official ETF approval could deliver outsized gains.

Strategy: Accumulate quality alts that are ETF “next-in-line” candidates. Solana and XRP are already showing signs of institutional nibbling.

3. Arbitrage ETF Flows vs. Spot Prices

Even with billions flowing in, ETH and BTC dipped last week. Why? Heavy retail profit-taking.

BTC slipped under $108K.

ETH dropped under $4,300.

Strategy: Short-term traders can exploit this mismatch. When ETF inflows continue but spot prices lag, it often signals a coming catch-up rally.

4. Think Long-Term: AUM is Still Growing

$35.5B YTD inflows → that’s 58% higher than last year.

Fund assets under management surged 165% YoY.

Strategy: Long-term investors can treat these inflows as confirmation bias — institutions are here, and they’re building exposure for the next cycle.

Bottom Line

Institutions are betting big on ETH, nibbling Solana & XRP, and still allocating to BTC despite outflows. For retail investors, the play is clear:

ETH = Core hold (backed by ETF demand).

SOL/XRP = High-upside ETF speculation bets.

BTC = Buy dips if whales keep selling.

When Wall Street pours billions into ETFs, don’t overcomplicate it — ride the same wave.

After a bruising $1.4 billion outflow the prior week, crypto investment products snapped back with $2.48 billion in inflows last week, according to CoinShares.

But despite the cash inflow, both Bitcoin and Ether struggled to hold key levels, showing that institutional demand hasn’t yet translated into price stability.

Key Highlights

Total inflows: $2.48B (vs. $1.4B outflows the week before)

Ether leads: Spot Ether ETFs saw $1.4B inflows, continuing their dominance.

Bitcoin funds: Added $748M, but still logged $301M outflows month-to-date.

Other assets: Solana (+$177M) and XRP (+$134M) benefited from ETF optimism.

AUM check: Despite inflows, total crypto assets under management (AUM) slid 7% to $219B amid market price drops.

Prices Still Under Pressure

Bitcoin (BTC): Dropped under $108K after touching $113K earlier in the week.

Ether (ETH): Fell below $4,300 after starting the week above $4,600.

Both assets ended their ETF inflow streaks on Friday, according to SoSoValue.

Context: August Flows

August inflows: $4.37B vs. July’s record $12B.

Year-to-date (YTD): $35.5B inflows, up 58% YoY.

Ether’s dominance: Nearly $4B of August inflows, or 91% of the total.

Takeaway: Institutions keep pouring money into Ether, while Bitcoin faces mixed flows and heavy sell pressure. Meanwhile, Solana and XRP are emerging as ETF hopefuls riding the regulatory speculation wave.

After a bruising $1.4 billion outflow the prior week, crypto investment products snapped back with $2.48 billion in inflows last week, according to CoinShares.

But despite the cash inflow, both Bitcoin and Ether struggled to hold key levels, showing that institutional demand hasn’t yet translated into price stability.

Key Highlights

Total inflows: $2.48B (vs. $1.4B outflows the week before)

Ether leads: Spot Ether ETFs saw $1.4B inflows, continuing their dominance.

Bitcoin funds: Added $748M, but still logged $301M outflows month-to-date.

Other assets: Solana (+$177M) and XRP (+$134M) benefited from ETF optimism.

AUM check: Despite inflows, total crypto assets under management (AUM) slid 7% to $219B amid market price drops.

Prices Still Under Pressure

Bitcoin (BTC): Dropped under $108K after touching $113K earlier in the week.

Ether (ETH): Fell below $4,300 after starting the week above $4,600.

Both assets ended their ETF inflow streaks on Friday, according to SoSoValue.

Context: August Flows

August inflows: $4.37B vs. July’s record $12B.

Year-to-date (YTD): $35.5B inflows, up 58% YoY.

Ether’s dominance: Nearly $4B of August inflows, or 91% of the total.

Takeaway: Institutions keep pouring money into Ether, while Bitcoin faces mixed flows and heavy sell pressure. Meanwhile, Solana and XRP are emerging as ETF hopefuls riding the regulatory speculation wave.

Ethereum is showing serious strength onchain even as its price cools off from record highs.

ETH is trading at $4,319, about 15% below the Aug. 24 all-time high, but network and institutional data suggest the next leg toward $5,000 could be forming.

Key Takeaways

Ethereum leads in fees → A 30% weekly surge pushed ETH’s 7-day fees to $16.3M, topping Tron and Solana combined.

DApp growth is booming → ETH apps generated $466M in fees in August, a 36% jump vs. July. Leaders: Lido ($91.7M), Uniswap ($91.2M), Aave ($82.9M).

Derivatives cautious → Futures premiums hover at a modest 5%, signaling neutrality. Options skew sits at 3%, showing traders see equal odds of upside or downside.

Institutions are stacking → Corporate treasuries added 2M ETH in the past 30 days, bringing total reserves to 4.71M ETH (~$20.2B).

Market Pressure vs. Onchain Strength

Macro jitters, including Trump’s latest remarks on India-China ties, weighed on risk assets. Nasdaq dropped 1.3% while gold hit fresh all-time highs. ETH felt the heat, but unlike Solana (-10% DApp fees in August) and BNB Chain (-57%), Ethereum is surging in actual usage.

Meanwhile, derivatives traders are cautious but not bearish. Futures open interest climbed 26% in 30 days to $58.5B, showing traders remain engaged.

Why It Matters

Corporate ETH adoption isn’t just about balance sheets anymore. Companies like Bitmine Immersion Tech (BMNR) and SharpLink Gaming (SBET) are starting to actively deploy into Ethereum-based DApps. This is real-world capital flowing into decentralized applications — something Solana and Tron haven’t matched at the same scale.

Bottom Line: Despite short-term nerves in derivatives, Ethereum’s fundamentals — fees, apps, and institutional reserves — are stronger than ever. If adoption keeps building, the path back above $5K ETH looks increasingly likely.

Ethereum staking demand is heating up again, with the entry queue hitting levels not seen in nearly two years.

On Tuesday, 860,369 ETH (~$3.7B) sat in line to be staked, according to onchain data — the largest figure since September 2023.

Why the spike?

Staking protocol Everstake points to three main drivers:

Rising confidence → more investors trust ETH’s long-term value and want to help secure the network.

Favorable market conditions → ETH’s recent price run and low gas fees make staking more attractive.

Institutional entry → corporate treasuries and funds are piling in, staking large amounts for yield.

Exit queue cools off

Concerns of a major ETH sell-off have eased. After hitting a record 1M ETH exit queue on Aug. 29, unstaking demand has dropped 20%, signaling fewer withdrawals.

Currently, 35.7M ETH (≈31% of supply, ~$162B) is locked in staking, according to Ultrasound.Money.

Institutional treasuries stacking ETH

Corporate players now hold 4.7M ETH (~$20.4B) across 70+ treasury funds (StrategicEtherReserve). Most of this ETH is already staked or earmarked for staking, further fueling the entry queue.

Price check

ETH trades at $4,321, down 1.2% on the day and 12.4% below its ATH of $4,946 (Aug. 24), as retail profit-taking continues.

Takeaway: With staking demand surging while exits slow down, Ethereum is seeing a new wave of long-term conviction — led this time by deep-pocketed institutions.

Ethereum staking demand is heating up again, with the entry queue hitting levels not seen in nearly two years.

On Tuesday, 860,369 ETH (~$3.7B) sat in line to be staked, according to onchain data — the largest figure since September 2023.

Why the spike?

Staking protocol Everstake points to three main drivers:

Rising confidence → more investors trust ETH’s long-term value and want to help secure the network.

Favorable market conditions → ETH’s recent price run and low gas fees make staking more attractive.

Institutional entry → corporate treasuries and funds are piling in, staking large amounts for yield.

Exit queue cools off

Concerns of a major ETH sell-off have eased. After hitting a record 1M ETH exit queue on Aug. 29, unstaking demand has dropped 20%, signaling fewer withdrawals.

Currently, 35.7M ETH (≈31% of supply, ~$162B) is locked in staking, according to Ultrasound.Money.

Institutional treasuries stacking ETH

Corporate players now hold 4.7M ETH (~$20.4B) across 70+ treasury funds (StrategicEtherReserve). Most of this ETH is already staked or earmarked for staking, further fueling the entry queue.

Price check

ETH trades at $4,321, down 1.2% on the day and 12.4% below its ATH of $4,946 (Aug. 24), as retail profit-taking continues.

Takeaway: With staking demand surging while exits slow down, Ethereum is seeing a new wave of long-term conviction — led this time by deep-pocketed institutions.

Ethereum staking demand is heating up again, with the entry queue hitting levels not seen in nearly two years.

On Tuesday, 860,369 ETH (~$3.7B) sat in line to be staked, according to onchain data — the largest figure since September 2023.

Why the spike?

Staking protocol Everstake points to three main drivers:

Rising confidence → more investors trust ETH’s long-term value and want to help secure the network.

Favorable market conditions → ETH’s recent price run and low gas fees make staking more attractive.

Institutional entry → corporate treasuries and funds are piling in, staking large amounts for yield.

Exit queue cools off

Concerns of a major ETH sell-off have eased. After hitting a record 1M ETH exit queue on Aug. 29, unstaking demand has dropped 20%, signaling fewer withdrawals.

Currently, 35.7M ETH (≈31% of supply, ~$162B) is locked in staking, according to Ultrasound.Money.

Institutional treasuries stacking ETH

Corporate players now hold 4.7M ETH (~$20.4B) across 70+ treasury funds (StrategicEtherReserve). Most of this ETH is already staked or earmarked for staking, further fueling the entry queue.

Price check

ETH trades at $4,321, down 1.2% on the day and 12.4% below its ATH of $4,946 (Aug. 24), as retail profit-taking continues.

Takeaway: With staking demand surging while exits slow down, Ethereum is seeing a new wave of long-term conviction — led this time by deep-pocketed institutions.

The USD/CHF pair on the M30 timeframe presents a Potential Buying Opportunity due to a recent Formation of a Wedge Breakout Pattern. This suggests a shift in momentum towards the upside and a higher likelihood of further advances in the coming hours.

Possible Long Trade:
Entry: Consider Entering A Long Position around Trendline Of The Pattern.

Target Levels:
1st Resistance – 0.8048
2nd Resistance – 0.8067

Please hit the like button and
Leave a comment to support for My Post !

Your likes and comments are incredibly motivating and will encourage me to share more analysis with you.

Bitcoin(BTCUSDT) currently appears to have completed its pullback to the 100_EMA(Daily), and Bitcoin has failed to break the Resistance lines with high momentum. The Resistance zone($110,920-$110,200), Resistance lines, and Cumulative Short Liquidation Leverage($111,711-$110,745) could prevent Bitcoin from rising.

In terms of Elliott Wave theory, Bitcoin appears to have completed the wave Y of the Double Three Correction(WXY).

I expect Bitcoin to decline at least to the Support lines and Cumulative Long Liquidation Leverage($107,230-$106,277). And there is a possibility that Bitcoin will eventually break the Heavy Support zone($111,980-$105,820) in this attack.

Do you think Bitcoin can finally break the Heavy Support zone($111,980-$105,820)?

CME Gap: $117,235-$113,800

Stop Loss(SL): $111,880(Worst)

Please respect each other's ideas and express them politely if you agree or disagree.

Bitcoin Analyze (BTCUSDT), 1-hour time frame.

Be sure to follow the updated ideas.

Do not forget to put a Stop loss for your positions (For every position you want to open).

Please follow your strategy and updates; this is just my Idea, and I will gladly see your ideas in this post.

Please do not forget the ' like' button & Share it with your friends; thanks, and Trade safe.

Pixel Heroes Adventure is bringing its new web3 strategy title LandZ Arena online August 20, followed by a Play2Mint event where players can earn from a starting prize pool of 10 million $MGT (~$25.9K), plus potential $CROSS token rewards.
What’s LandZ Arena?

A 2D PvPvE strategy game set in the dungeon of Carnium:

Up to 100 players mine, fish, gather, and fight in PvP & safe zones.

Defeat field bosses like Kardos for valuable loot.

Join Territory Wars — guild vs. guild battles to capture bases, earn buffs, and climb rankings.

How to Join the Play2Mint Event

You’ll need an Arena Seal NFT (~5000 $MGT / ~$13) to participate.

Grants 1 daily Carnium ticket for dungeon entry.

Lets you earn PlayPoints — the core metric for rewards.

Can sponsor other players to earn Seal PlayPoints (bonus rewards).

Prize Pool Distribution

80% → Based on individual Base PlayPoints (from gameplay: gathering, mining, PvP, boss fights).

20% → For Seal PlayPoints (from sponsored players’ performance).

Pool can grow as players spend $MGT on tickets, Arena Seals, and Premium Arena Boxes.

Extra Rewards

Earn Statue Cores in Territory Wars and other activities → exchange for Boss Statue NFTs to boost LandZ NFT staking power. This can increase your share of the upcoming $ADVTR token airdrop (7% of total supply).

Launch Date: August 20, 2025
Event Window: Starts shortly after launch, likely before Sept 17.
NFT Marketplace: LandZ NFTs floor ~55 $RON on Ronin Market.

Bottom Line:
Buy an Arena Seal, enter Carnium daily, stack PlayPoints, and secure your share of tokens, NFTs, and ecosystem rewards before the $ADVTR launch later this year.

The play-to-earn (P2E) dream promised endless digital gold mines. In reality, it tied gameplay to volatile token speculation — and when token prices crashed, so did the fun.

Funding for Web3 games fell 70% in Q1 2025, major projects shut down, and player engagement plunged. P2E’s collapse isn’t a market dip — it’s a design flaw.
Why P2E Failed

Token inflation: Games minted endless rewards, relying on new players to absorb sell pressure.

Speculation over fun: Every balance change became a market risk.

Exit spiral: Once payouts shrank, late adopters left, liquidity dried up, and token value tanked.

No traditional game expects players to treat in-game currency like an investment asset — P2E made that mistake, and it proved fatal.
Enter Play-to-Own (P2O)

P2O removes the token drip and focuses on ownership:

Fixed-supply in-game assets (skins, land, weapons)

Value from utility + aesthetics, not constant payouts

Tradable on secondary markets with blockchain-backed scarcity

Forecasts show NFT gaming could grow ~25% CAGR through 2034, fueled by demand for ownership, not speculation.
Design Rules for P2O

Make gameplay the hook — ownership is the bonus.

Limit supply of cosmetic/functional assets.

Add sink mechanics to remove assets over time and prevent inflation.

Treat resale markets like collectibles — prices anchored to cultural and gameplay value.

Lessons from Web3 Gaming’s Graveyard

Over 90% of blockchain game projects have failed. Most prioritized token extraction before gameplay. Survivors that shifted to fixed-supply assets + strong sinks are seeing wallet activity rise despite the funding winter.

Bottom Line:
P2E delivered a sugar high, not a revolution. If Web3 gaming wants staying power, it needs better games, better economies, and zero dependence on endless token emissions. Burn the drip, keep the loot.