NFT Lately talks to the Co-Founder of GamerPay, Mathias Hermansen, about all things Web3, including the advantages of in-game NFT cosmetics and skins
Please tell me about your project and your project, GamerPay?
My name is Mathias Hermansen and I am the Co-Founder of GamerPay.
GamerPay is a marketplace for digital gaming cosmetics. For gamers of all ages, GamerPay offers a fiat-based marketplace that makes it safe for gamers to trade globally. But we also create an opportunity for games to launch unique collections of in-game cosmetics and skins, which enhances the visual appeal of their games, making it more accessible for gamers to connect with their games.
The platform reaches users in 95 countries and since completing Y-Combinator summer ’21 batch we’ve 12x’ed GMV growing 20% MoM passing $1 mill. GMV/month. We’ve passed 95k gamers on
the platform and reached more than 250k through our community.
Founders of GamerPay previously built the leading secondhand fashion marketplace in Denmark used by a ⅕ of the population and transacting +50 mio USD/year GamerPay is backed by FCVC, Y-Combinator, Alexander Leonard (Axie Infinity), Heini Zachariassen (Vivino) and Runar Reistrup (Depop) among others.
Related Content: GamerPay Pushes Toward NFT Games Going Mainstream
Can you tell me what makes GamerPay unique compared to other Web3 marketplaces?
GamerPay is based on fiat/cash and uses the blockchain solely for verification of trades or changes in ownership. In that way, gamers can trade in their native currency while leveraging the safety and ownership capabilities of blockchain. This reduces on- and off-ramp costs, removes crypto-volatility, and speaks the native tongue of traditional gamers.
We strongly believe that web3 needs to be mainly about creating great experiences: Games that you want to play because of their gameplay, a community that is lively because of the game and gaming cosmetics and in-game items you crave because they are slick and makes you stand out.
What are your thoughts about the current scope of Web3 gaming?
Web3 gaming is at a very early stage. We really like the technical capabilities and promise of web3 – for instance, the ability to own your digital assets, while we are less attracted to the financial speculation that has been dominant through some of the first waves in crypto. Thus, our main focus is on leveraging the good sides of web3 without the cryptocurrency aspects.
The Web3 game Ev.io has shown how you can easily combine making a web3 game with a very low entrance barrier. Type in a URL in your browser and you are ready to go. It is needed for web3 gaming to have a bigger on onboarding traditional gamers just like ev.io have done, which will increase the chances of growing to the same level as the traditional gaming industry.
Why did you feel the need to erase crypto payments from your platform entirely?
We are gamers and have really looked at solutions we know work and that we’d love to use ourselves. To be more specific we do this based on three main reasons.
Firstly, we want to have the lowest possible entry barrier for gamers. Gamers live their lives in fiat/cash and, thus, should be able to pay in the easiest possible way.
Secondly, crypto-currencies are still extremely volatile which for game-devs and gamers is vastly a negative aspect.
Finally, we do it by walk-the-talk and showing that blockchain technology can and should be usable without the need of being “in the crypto community”.
What is the need for implementing fiat payments rather than crypto?
Using mainstream currencies is the main way for games to attract the web2 audience everyone talks about – and actually, the question should be the other way around. Why would you want to use a cryptocurrency with high volatility, unclear ownership and incentive structures and high end-to-end transaction cost? We don’t mind people paying in crypto in the same way we don’t mind them paying in USD, EUR or Yuan, so that will be possible in the future. We just need to get to a point where cryptocurrencies are “just” a currency and not a “thing”.
Please reveal a list of your favorite GamerPay games:
Firstly, it’s important to note that we are not an NFT marketplace, but a marketplace for cosmetics in games. We use blockchain technology and, therefore, some cosmetics are NFTs. It’s important to highlight that difference, as many people confuse the two. Anyways, my favorite GamerPlay games are:
- CS:GO: An OG Shooter that is played by more than 20 mill. players a month – and growing. The
game has a highly competitive esports scene and a 5 billion dollar cosmetics/skin economy that has
grown to become the largest gaming economy in the world. - Ev.io: A fast-paced First-Person-Shooter with +1 mill gamers a month, that might remind you of
the good old Quake days, while they have added abilities giving you a more dynamic and creative
gameplay. It already has a small competitive scene and a skin economy in the making.
Which are good assets and use cases of games on-chain?
It is great to see NFTs being used as a crowdfunding mechanism for games, which enables games to later add different in-game and other utilities to the NFT-holders.
As a gamer, you know that whenever a game is on-chain you own your digital assets.
What’s in the pipeline for GamerPay?
We will launch Ev.io on our marketplace today (14th of December) and have made a special NFT to celebrate it. Together with the esports organization Ninjas in Pyjamas we have made the coolest possible Auto Rifle for ev.io. It will be released on the 14th at 3 pm CET. It has a limited supply and will be the first NFT ever to be sold in cash-only.
Going forward we will double down on our great collaboration with ev.io and make more cool skins for the game.
On a large scale, GamerPay is on a mission to open the skin market for every gamer and every game that wants to create a visual universe for their game. We started in 2022 with Counter-Strike, but as time moves on we will include more games in our marketplace like EV.io and collaborate with game developers regarding the creation of new skins.
Please tell us your socials so we can keep in the loop:
GamerPay: Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.
Co-Founder, Mathias Hermansen: LinkedIn
Be sure to also check out GamerPay to inspect NFT skins directly from your browser!
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