Insights into Apple’s 30% Rake on NFT Sales and the Future of Cross-Chain Gaming – SlateCast #21
Tyranno Studios is the rebranded name of Wax Studios, the developer and publisher of several web3 games such as Blockchain Brawlers. It is also the developer of the WAX blockchain, which hosts NFT and gaming projects from some of the world’s biggest IPs, including Sony, Mattel, Funko and Hasbro.
Michael Rubinelli is the Chief Gaming Officer for Tyranno, and he joined Akiba on the latest episode of SlateCast to discuss the future of web3 gaming across chains, as well as touch on Apple’s recent move to allow NFT-based apps.
Regarding Apple’s recent decision to allow NFTs in the Apple App Store, Rubinelli stated that there is confusion about where the 30% cut will be used. Should Apple apply the cut to first-party sales only, Rubinelli argued that creators will see a big drop in revenue. However, he believes a 30% rake on marketplace fees could be viable.
The debate surrounding Apple’s decision was highlighted during the call due to the relationship between NFTs and web3 games. Third-party sales are integral to the success of web3 games, which are moving towards a focus on non-custodial ownership of in-game assets rather than click-to-earn models from late 2021.
Rubinelli talked a lot about the role of blockchains in web3 gaming. The Tyranno rebrand was done to distance the studio from the WAX blockchain as it transitions to releasing games and game assets on other blockchains. An Ethereum and BNB chain bridge is now available for WAX-based games, allowing users to buy and sell WAX NFTs on marketplaces such as OpenSea.
The concept of “gaming to earn is dead” according to Rubinelli, who believes that gaming first is the future, and it is “incredibly exciting.” But to integrate new players into web3 gaming, Rubinelli argued that developers need to follow the Disney model of user adoption. The model suggests that users will value convenience above all else, including security.
“That’s what we have to do. We have to continue to lean into convenience and lean into frictionless things.”
The WAX blockchain allows users to create a cloud wallet using traditional web 2.0 single sign-on methods such as Google, Facebook Connect, Steam, Twitter and more. The Web 2.5 model used by WAX is one that Rubinelli remains extremely confident in as he claimed that “people don’t actually want decentralization.”
To find out more about Tyranno, Apple’s 30% NFT slice, cross-chain web3 games and more about the WAX blockchain, watch the full video.
