Tomer Pascal, the CEO and co-founder of OwnPlay, recently had a conversation with Matt Zahab, the host of the Cryptonews Podcast. OwnPlay is a Web3 mobile gaming ecosystem and the developer of CityVerse Tycoon, a game that allows players to trade, buy, and sell tokenized replicas of real buildings in New York City using PWAs (Progressive Web Applications).
Pascal discussed the advantages of Web3 gaming compared to Web2 and explained why they decided to avoid Apple and Google for their game. He also talked about the challenges they faced in creating a PWA game and shared some exciting upcoming launches.
According to Pascal, Web3 gaming presents a significant opportunity compared to Web2, which heavily relies on paid customer acquisition. With Web3, players have the potential to benefit financially from the gameplay itself, adding a new level of excitement.
One of the biggest challenges for OwnPlay was bypassing Apple and Google, as their app stores are unfriendly to anything crypto-related. Pascal explained that these companies prioritize their financial interests over user interests and that the on-chain experience is not compatible with their platforms. However, the team found a way to create the game as a mobile app without going through the app store by utilizing the PWA protocol.
By using PWAs, OwnPlay was able to provide an app-like experience to players without the need for approval from Apple and Google. Pascal emphasized that this was a “crazy path” to take, but it allowed them to overcome the limitations imposed by the app stores.
The team conducted ads on Facebook and Instagram to market the PWA game and found that the conversion rates were on par or better than a mobile native app. They also achieved good results in terms of retention and monetization, with over 100,000 PWA installs already. Pascal highlighted that users couldn’t distinguish the PWA from a regular app, treating it as such.
OwnPlay is gearing up for the public launch of the game’s new version, which is set for May. This version will include various Web3 elements, such as the ability to purchase and sell buildings as NFTs. The game will also introduce an additional coin with its utility to be revealed later on. Every user will have a non-custodial embedded wallet, and buildings can be purchased using fiat and crypto, with the seller receiving payment in crypto.
Additionally, OwnPlay plans to release a collection called the Piggy Club, which will boost players’ in-game earnings. Pascal mentioned that the Piggy Club collection will be small, with a limited number of units.
During the podcast episode, Pascal also discussed his previous startup experiences, meeting his co-founder, Boaz, and the decision to build the game as a PWA. He touched on the challenges of creating and operating a mobile Web3 game and the struggle between crypto apps and centralized app stores.
Tomer Pascal is an experienced entrepreneur and has held various positions in revenue growth and strategy. Before founding OwnPlay, he was the Chief Revenue Officer at Mohawk Group, Inc. and the CEO of OMG Studios. Pascal has a strong background in delivering products to their respective markets and working with both early-stage and well-established companies.
Overall, Pascal’s conversation with Matt Zahab provided insights into the world of Web3 mobile gaming, the challenges faced by developers, and the exciting developments happening in the industry.