This Week in Crypto Games: Dogecoin Got Game, FIFA Rivals Launches

It's tough to keep tabs on the ever-changing crypto gaming space, thanks to the constant flow of news: everything from big game launches and fun degen experiments to token price swings and occasional project collapses. It's a lot to follow.

Luckily, we're plugged in at Decrypt's GG. We cover the biggest happenings throughout the week, and then this weekly roundup provides a quick way to catch up, as well as find a bunch of other little bits of news from throughout the week.

Top stories

Dogecoin gaming explosion: PlaysOut plans to release approximately 15 Dogecoin-themed mini-games throughout the rest of 2025, with the first launching in August. These hypercasual games will be playable through the MyDoge wallet and PlaysOut mobile app, utilizing the DogeOS application layer built on Dogecoin's blockchain.

The games will feature DOGE token rewards through leaderboards, quests, and competitions, while in-game items will be tradable as Dogecoin NFTs (aka Doginals). Spanning various genres from life simulators to puzzle games, they're designed to be easily accessible and create real-world utility for Dogecoin beyond just holding the token.

PlaysOut, which adapts successful Chinese WeChat games for Western markets, is also pursuing licensing deals to incorporate global intellectual property into the Dogecoin gaming ecosystem. The company aims to showcase meaningful use cases for the meme coin while boosting Doge culture in the process.

FIFA Rivals launches: FIFA Rivals, a mobile blockchain soccer game from Mythical Games, launched Thursday on iOS and Android. The studio believes FIFA Rivals could be 20 times bigger than NFL Rivals, which has attracted seven million players, citing soccer's massive global audience of roughly five billion fans along with other factors.

The game features a multi-year licensing deal with Adidas, spanning collectible gear and sponsored athletes like Lionel Messi. Built on the Mythos blockchain, FIFA Rivals allows players to trade in-game assets freely. Mythical Games has secured a FIFA contract spanning multiple World Cups ahead, and plans to add AI sports agents, esports competitions, and new game modes throughout the year.

ICYMI

• The VERSE token on Solana, tied to the VR metaverse game Verse World, surged upon launch last week. It's down substantially since then.
• Eve Frontier, the Ethereum-powered game from the makers of Eve Online, has launched into a public alpha with its Founder Access: New Era offering. Players are no longer bound by NDAs.

• Crypto game My Neighbor Alice is launching a Pudgy Penguins collaboration on June 17.
• GameStop is raising another $2.25 billion (boosted from $1.75 billion) via a convertible notes offering, which could be used to buy more Bitcoin. GME stock plunged 26% on the week.

• Rumble Kong League is entering a "brand new era," according to the devs, with 1v1 hoops mode coming soon.
• Immutable is launching IMX staking on Immutable zkEVM on June 19, a key step as the gaming platform merges its original Immutable X network into zkEVM this year.
• Avalanche hero shooter BloodLoop is releasing on June 23 via the Epic Games Store.
• Ronin game Fishing Frenzy debuted its second in-game season on Thursday.

• Tencent is exploring an acquisition of game developer Nexon, according to Bloomberg. Nexon's MapleStory franchise just launched on Avalanche with MapleStory N.
• Speaking of MapleStory N, the developers rolled out updates on Friday following what one player deemed a "game-breaking flaw."

• Proof of Play launched its Verified RNG tool on Avalanche.
• Amid recent game and studio shutdowns, Craft World developer Angry Dynomites Lab says it has 24 months of runway.
• Immutable card battler Gods Unchained will debut its next expansion—a crossover with Guild of Guardians—on June 24.

Weekend reads