ARM · Decrypt
Yield Guild Kills Crypto Game Publishing Arm, Lays Off 35 in AI Pivot
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Yield Guild Games, a blockchain-based gaming organization, announced Monday that it is shutting down YGG Play, its publishing arm for crypto-infused casual games, citing the crypto market downturn alongside broader video game industry struggles.
Key facts
- Yield Guild’s YGG token is up about 4% on the day at a recent price of $0.023, but has fallen about 84% in the last year
- After Axie Infinity’s economic collapse in 2022 and the broader decline of the play-to-earn movement, Yield Guild pivoted in 2024 into launching blockchain infrastructure for guilds across various
- The YGG Play website, its launchpad, and games including LOL Land and Waifu Sweeper will be retired by August 1
- Given the current market environment, the team said it made the decision to shutter the publishing division, cut 35 jobs as a result, and give Yield Guild more runway as it pursues an AI-driven pivot
Summary
Yield Guild Games is sunsetting its crypto game publishing arm, retiring its website, launchpad, and games like LOL Land and Waifu Sweeper by Aug. 1. The firm said the crypto market downturn left the business commercially unsustainable, with 35 jobs to be cut. YGG is pivoting to the AI data economy, aiming to supply gaming-derived behavioral datasets for AI training. The unit's closure marks a retreat from a strategy the Web3 company had championed as recently as this year: building "casual degen" games—bite-sized titles laced with crypto incentives—for crypto enthusiasts who don't consider themselves traditional gamers.