Blockchain Gaming World 202 | Can Pixels finally make play-to-earn work?
Nov 5, 2025
In a deep dive with Luke Barwikowski, CEO of Pixels and a visionary in blockchain gaming, he discusses the evolution of play-to-earn models. Luke candidly shares his views on the current dismal market sentiment and how reliance on speculation complicates sustainable gaming. He reveals analytics showing that a tiny fraction of players earned the majority of rewards, prompting significant economic changes at Pixels. Also, he introduces a new social Tamagotchi app and emphasizes a shift towards more user-friendly rewards outside crypto.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
1% Took Half The Rewards
- Pixels discovered 1% of players were taking 50% of rewards and very few players were net spenders.
- They intentionally churned low-value users and refocused on macro economics over DAU.
Optimize Return On Reward Spend
- Measure and optimise return on reward spend to align rewards with revenue and retention.
- Use targeted offers to convert lapsed spenders and first-time purchasers to increase LTV.
Reward Offers Need Data Science
- A data-driven offer system can hyper-target rewards to the right players and automate testing.
- Luke plans to open this infrastructure to other developers because most teams can't build it themselves.