Recent research highlights a significant trend of crypto and NFT games being abandoned or becoming inactive. Game7, a blockchain gaming group, initially reported that around 50 crypto games stopped development in 2023. However, Jon Jordan, creator of the Big Blockchain Games List and writer for BlockchainGamer.biz, presents a much higher figure. He found that 248 crypto games were discontinued in the first half of 2023 alone, with 162 more in the latter half. This means a total of around 410 blockchain games were discontinued last year, over 30% of the 1,322 games on the list.

The main reason for a game being labeled as "discontinued" is extended inactivity, especially no updates or engagement on social media or websites. For example, Blankos Block Party, initially launched on the Epic Games Store, announced its closure and is now shifting to a mobile version. Similarly, Neopets Metaverse and Immortal Game have abandoned blockchain elements due to factors like low crypto interest among fans or issues such as cheating.

The blockchain gaming sector is also seeing games halting development or switching chains due to market conditions and funding challenges. According to Game7, 157 blockchain games were halted in 2022, with an additional 43 in 2023. Chains like Binance’s BNB Chain, Polygon, Ethereum, and Solana saw the highest numbers of game discontinuations.

However, the data is not fully comprehensive. Many games don't clearly disclose their blockchain platforms, and some early-stage projects were marked as "unknown" in blockchain affiliation before being discontinued.

This 30% discontinuation rate in blockchain gaming is consistent with the broader gaming industry. A 2023 report showed that 43% of non-crypto mobile games are canceled during development, and 83% fail within three years. The gaming industry, in general, faced challenges in 2023, including approximately 10,500 layoffs, and 2024 continues this trend with significant layoffs and halted game developments, reflecting ongoing economic and strategic difficulties in the industry.

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