GM DOers! 😎
This year, we’ve talked lots about how Apple’s policy is hindering mobile app innovation in web3. 🛑
Remember when we wrote about Apple blocking Uniswap's app (which is now approved 🎉), and how 5 web3 firms outsmarted Apple's tough rules? 😏
The TL;DR: Most web3 companies go around Apple’s policy by sending users off-app, to the browser, where they can do web3 stuff like minting, collecting, and so on.
Very, very bad for UX! 😬
But Google is here to change that because they’ve changed their policy to allow NFTs inside games on Google Play.
Today, we’ll break that down for you by going over:
Google Play’s new policy and why they changed it 🔄
What web3 tech unlocks inside mobile games 🔓
Reddit’s involvement in all of this 🕵️♂️
Let’s go 👇
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Google's Game-Changing Move 🕹️
Google Play just rewrote the rules! They now allow developers to build NFTs into their apps and games. This is a massive leap forward for web3 gaming. 🚀
Users can buy, sell, or earn these unique digital assets right within the apps. How cool is that? 😎
However, developers must mention that their app uses blockchain tech. While we think it's a bit odd (do users really care about the underlying tech? 🤔), it's just part of the process. 🤷
One rule stays firm, though. Google isn't having any of the hype about potential earnings from gaming or trading activities. Their gambling policy is still rock solid. 🎲
With this change, web3 apps can now keep users hooked in-app for all things NFT - minting, collecting, you name it. No more hopping around! 🐇
So, why's Google mixing things up?
We think it's down to 3 main reasons:
Policy Arbitrage 📜
The clear uses of NFTs 🖼️
Reddit’s secret sauce 🤫
Let's explore more below. 👇
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Google Using Policy Arbitrage 🧑⚖️
Google has a history of dabbling in web3, where they once prohibited web3 games from their App Store, and another time, they were ranked 1st as the most active investor in blockchain companies. 🤷
Very confusing, but that’s all behind us.
And incorporating NFTs into apps? That's their boldest move yet! 🥇
The goal: to capture more web3 users, by changing their policy to appeal to a certain niche of people (web3 peeps in this case).
This tactic is called policy arbitrage and it is a clever trick where platforms use different rules to offer users more attractive deals.
And this is Google’s play to outsmart Apple. But will Apple now pivot on their NFT standing? 👀
Realistically no! Apple will only switch sides if web3 tech can truly boost their services, especially their games.
So, let’s chat about the magic that NFTs bring to mobile games 🪄👇
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NFTs: Powering Users and Loyalty 💕
According to their spokesperson, Google's NFT integration zeroes in on two cool features: user-owned gaming content and unique NFT rewards to enhance loyalty.
User-Owned Content in Games 👾
A friend of mine spent $20,000 on in-game items in Fortnite. Items he never owned. 😱
When he decided to take his $$$ out, he had to turn to grey markets, rely on intermediaries, and expose himself to risks. 🕵️♂️
He ended up selling his entire account for $500 because the amount of time required to squeeze every penny out of the game was simply not worth it.
His $20k was forever lost inside Fortnite 😥 – and that’s the web2 gaming norm, which we wrote about here.
Web3 & NFTs fix this issue by operating on a globally accessible blockchain. It provides a marketplace for everyone to participate in and that’s a HUGE benefit, one that Google clearly gets. 👏
Unique NFT Rewards 🏆
Here are four game-changing reasons why NFTs transform loyalty programs:
1. Buy, sell, and trade loyalty points: 🔄
Don't want to spend loyalty points on a flight ✈️ or groceries 🥕? Just sell them on an open, peer-to-peer marketplace!
Or imagine this: your loyalty program has a PS5 up for grabs for 1000 points, but you're short by 200.
With NFTs, you can just hop onto a marketplace and pick up the extra points you need.
2. Improved transparency: 🧐
Right now, giveaways or contests seem like a mystery box. 🎁
Brands struggle with tracking entries and users often question the legitimacy of winners.
With NFTs, the process is as clear as a sunny day. ☀️
3. Dynamic and programmable loyalty: 💡
Loyalty points have always been static. They remain the same. Forever.
NFTs add dynamism to this! Future rewards could be modified or programmed for new experiences. 🔄
Curious about the power of user engagement via NFTs? Check out our article about Burn Island.
4. Interoperability: 🔀
With blockchain, you can effortlessly earn and redeem points across multiple platforms, creating a more rewarding and valued experience. 🎉
You’re not stuck to one platform anymore. A relief. 😌
Now that we’ve explored the use cases of NFTs, let’s see what’s next for Google’s web3 plans, and how did Reddit get involved in all this? 👀
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What’s Next? How Can You Capitalize? And What Did Reddit Have To Do With This? 🤔
Reddit recently overhauled their Terms of Service, enabling the trade of virtual goods like avatars and community points within their platform, likely a direct result of their collaboration with Google on its new policy.
This change has already impacted community tokens such as MOON and BRICK, leading to a surge in their value.
Google Play's policy tweak, coupled with Reddit's ToS revision, are signals of big things on the horizon.
Here's our speculation:
Expanded access to community points (ERC-20 tokens) in Reddit — this is currently limited to 2 subreddits.
Introduction of buy, sell, and trade options for community points. 💱
Potential expansion of Reddit's avatar program to include in-app avatar purchases on Google Play. 🎭
All of the above are HUGE unlocks that weren’t possible before Google’s policy tweak.
This will most likely position Google Play as the primary hub for the distribution of mobile web3 games. 🚀
And we expect many other competitors to follow suit, just like Robbie Ferguson (CEO of Immutable) does too:
So what’s the opportunity for you as an investor, builder and creator? 💰
For investors, we don’t know!
This move by Google will attract developers but we’re yet to see who’s actually building apps that will have value.
Only time will tell which investment opportunities arise from this. But we’ll be sure to keep you updated.
For developers, this change presents a massive opportunity to be among the first to test Google's new NFT policy before it fully launches later this year.
I’d be reaching out to John Mills (guy from the Google announcement) and getting involved ASAP!
For creators, especially if Reddit expands their avatar program, there's a potential gold mine.
A small group of no more than 100 creators has already generated over $1M from this program, pointing to the lucrative potential in store.
So if you’re a creator, a developer, or a web3 builder, you need to get involved ASAP.
Leveraging your earliness is what’ll give you a huge first-mover advantage and allow you to capitalize on the opportunity.
So get to work. 💪
Thanks for reading. And remember, you're strong, you’re powerful, you’re alpha! ❤️
See you soon. ✌️
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and not financial advice. Conduct your own research and consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions or taking any action based on the content.
