2025 in Review: The Rise of Casual Degen Gaming

In 2025, YGG focused on a simple thesis: There is an underserved market of Web3 natives who wouldn’t call themselves gamers but who would enjoy casual, bite-sized games — if crypto elements are built into the gameplay.

We tested this thesis by building our own game, LOL Land, which reached over $8.2 million in lifetime revenue in just five months. To scale more games like it, we launched our publishing arm, YGG Play, to provide partners with the resources, guidance, and community needed to grow.

From signing four games to collaborating with IPs like Pudgy Penguins, partnering with top creators, building the YGG Play Launchpad, and organizing events worldwide, 2025 proved that Web3-native games supported by a Web3-native publishing model can generate real revenue while delighting Casual Degens worldwide.

LOL Land as the First Casual Degen Game

Since launching in May, LOL Land has acted as a case study to show how Casual Degen games can achieve product-market fit and profitability. A key part of our strategy and success came from the decision to build LOL Land on the consumer-first blockchain Abstract, developed by Pudgy Penguins’ parent company, Igloo Inc. Onstage at Korea Blockchain Week, Igloo Inc. CEO Luca Netz highlighted YGG as a best-in-class builder deploying high-quality products on the chain.

By the end of December, LOL Land had reached $8.2 million in lifetime revenue. Other standout metrics from its first year as of the end of December 2025 include:

• 709,503 total unique players in 2025
• 41,684 monthly active users (MAU)
• $313K+ peak daily revenue
• $2,474 average revenue per paying user (ARPPU) 

Throughout the second half of the year, LOL Land rolled out cross-IP collaborations, including with Igloo APAC’s Pudgy Penguins community, Pengu Asia, and GAM3S.GG, as well as YGG Play’s fast-growing ecosystem of publishing partners. Each partnership launch was paired with a custom-themed LOL Land game expansion. 

The Game-Publisher Relationship Redefined

YGG Play spent the year supporting Casual Degen games, anchored by a Web3-native publishing model that combines player acquisition, growth marketing, and community engagement, with smart contract-enforceable revenue share. Our games reached players worldwide through major IRL events, in-game activations, and discovery via the YGG Play Launchpad.

• Gigaverse
  YGG Play’s partnership with Gigaverse features an IP collaboration with the Gigaverse-themed board, Gigaland, and the Gigaverse final boss, Bedka, as a playable NFT in LOL Land. Gigaverse co-founder Dith was also one of the first guests of the YGG Play podcast LOL Lounge.

• GIGACHADBAT
  YGG Play launched Delabs Games’ GIGACHADBAT alongside a themed LOL Land map called GIGACHAD Baseball. CHAD Parties at events such as Korea Blockchain Week (KBW) and Art Basel Miami Beach, as well as game nights hosted by YGG Play ambassadors Dub and Doug Hype, drove engagement. LOL Lounge also featured Delabs co-founder James Joonmo Kwon in an episode.

• Proof of Play Arcade:
  Proof of Play Arcade was included in the initial lineup of games on the YGG Play Launchpad when the platform went live, giving it immediate access to the Casual Degen audience. The World of Pirate board was also released in LOL Land.

• Waifu Sweeper:
  Waifu Sweeper debuted in December following a teaser and exclusive first look at Art Basel Miami Beach for its marriage of Minesweeper and gacha waifus.

LOL Lounge and the Business of Web3 Game Publishing

In Q3, YGG Play launched LOL Lounge, a podcast where Web3 gaming founders, publishers, and investors unpack strategies for bringing games to market, using Casual Degen titles as case studies. Hosted by Emfarsis’ Leah Callon-Butler and featuring YGG co-founder Gabby Dizon, the series recorded episodes on location at major industry events all around the world.

In its first season, LOL Lounge set up at the sidelines of Coinfest Asia in Bali, Indonesia, Korea Blockchain Week, and TOKEN2049 Singapore, to chat with special guests from Gigaverse, Abstract, Igloo Inc., Pengu Asia, Delabs Games, and Web3 VC firms LongHash Ventures and BITKRAFT. Each episode went under the hood to unpack lessons learned about game publishing in Web3 — from community building that starts hyperlocal and scales globally, to a framework for crypto apps choosing a chain to build on, and designing balanced game economies for speculation as well as fun.

The season finale was recorded live on the YGG Play Summit main stage in Manila, Philippines, featuring YGG Play ambassadors YellowPanther and Iceyyy, who shared how they turned their passion for Web3 gaming content creation into a sustainable, scalable business.

Watch LOL Lounge Season 1:

Episode 1 - Gigaverse co-founder Dith and Abstract Head of Ecosystem Mason

Episode 2 - Igloo APAC CEO Aaron Teng and President Cheryl Law

Episode 3 - Delabs Games co-founder and CEO James Joonmo Kwon

Episode 4 - Igloo Inc. CEO Luca Netz

Episode 5 - LongHash Ventures co-founder Shi Khai Wei and BITKRAFT Ventures partner Jonathan Huang

Episode 6 - Gaming Daily founder Iceyyy and GamingGrid co-founder YellowPanther

Ambassadors of Casual Degen Gaming

YGG Play sponsors two leading shows on X — Gaming Daily, hosted by Iceyyy, and Gamified, hosted by Sam Steffanina — supporting high-quality news content and industry analysis on Web3 gaming. 

At the YGG Play Summit, Gamified closed the Town Hall with a live episode, featuring the show’s signature debates with luminaries including OpenSea’s Oliver Maroney, Parallel’s Kohji Nagata, and WolvesCo’s Payton Kaleiwahea on topics such as the validity of Football.fun as a Web3 game and the long-term viability of celebrity-led marketing campaigns.

YGG Play’s ambassadors were at the heart of the Casual Degen ecosystem in 2025, bringing both reach and expertise to every activation. Throughout the year, they hosted events, streamed content, and engaged directly with players, helping to connect communities to YGG Play’s growing arcade of games. 

YGG Play works with the following game ambassadors:

• Dub‍

A regular on Gamified and co-founder of Glittercloud Solutions, Dub creates streams, videos, and vlogs for Web3 games. He hosts game nights, daily rips for trading card games (TCGs), and a daily Forkast.

• Doug Hype

‍Host of HYPED, one of the most-watched shows in Web3 gaming, Doug Hype champions the latest titles with his trademark swagger.

• Iceyyy

‍Host of Gaming Daily, Iceyyy has turned the show into a go-to source for Web3 gaming news, with insights that extend across the broader gaming landscape.

• YellowPanther

‍Founder of GamingGrid, YellowPanther has built a strong community with over 174,000 followers on X. He won Creator of the Year at the 2024 GAM3 Awards and was the YGG Play Summit Ambassador in 2024 and 2025.

Calling All Casual Degens Worldwide

In 2025, YGG Play went all over the world to introduce thrill-seekers and crypto natives to Casual Degen gaming.

• LOL Land Launch Party — Kuala Lumpur

• Pengu Wonderland Map Launch Party — Coinfest Asia, Bali

• YGG Play Launchpad Release — TOKEN2049, Singapore

• GIGACHADBAT Chad Party — Korea Blockchain Week, Seoul

The degen arcade came to life at YGG Play Summit in November, where the Degen District of the City of Play expo featured hands-on demos, merch giveaways, and life-sized installations for LOL Land and GIGACHADBAT.

Shortly after, YGG Play made waves at Art Basel Miami Beach, partnering with OpenSea to host the YGG Play House. The week-long activation was highlighted by an exclusive first look at Waifu Sweeper, which drew industry figures including Michael Christine of Andrometa, Miss Rosa of Miss W Project, Tony V of GlitterCloud, Abstract Chain creators B U, ProofOfEly, GMB, 0xMeow, and SnaG, Glassape of Lurky, WolvesCo member Jerry Singer, Unfiltered host Daryl Quan, YGG Play ambassadors Dub and Iceyyy, and more.

YGG co-founder Gabby Dizon also spoke at several events throughout the year, including Korea Blockchain Week and Binance Blockchain Week Dubai.

In Dubai, YGG Play brought the Casual Degen energy to the Binance Blockchain Week show floor with a dedicated booth and exclusive merch. YGG Community Operations Lead Sam Cruz and YGG Pilipinas’ Phee Tejada led the booth, engaging directly with builders, partners, and the wider ecosystem.

YGG Play also represented and spoke at events at the sidelines of Coinfest Asia, including Tokocrypto x Binance Beach and TBV: The Best Event.

What’s Cooking: YGG Play Launchpad

YGG Play launched the website yggplay.fun in 2025 as a hub for the latest news on its Casual Degen ecosystem and to host the YGG Play Launchpad.

First announced at the Chad Party during Korea Blockchain Week, the Launchpad went live on October 15. Here, players can discover the latest YGG Play titles, complete quests, and participate in exclusive token launches. 

After a play-to-airdrop campaign, LOL Land’s in-game loyalty and reward token $LOL went live on November 2 as the first token generated via the YGG Play Launchpad. 

The token will power LOL Land’s VIP System, where players can stake $LOL to unlock exclusive perks, higher withdrawal limits, and premium gameplay benefits.

YGG Play in the Media

YGG Play received extensive media coverage throughout 2025, appearing on Web3 news sites, traditional media platforms, and more.

• YGG expands into Web3 game publishing with launch of LOL Land — VentureBeat
• YGG Launches New Publishing Arm, Debuts First Game “LOL Land” — Decrypt
• Hot Take: LOL Land (Web3 Gamer) — Cointelegraph
• Earn YGG Tokens in New Web3 Board Game LOL Land — GAM3S.GG
• LOL Land Launches on Abstract: YGG’s First Casual Degen Game — Abstract Horizon
• YGG Play Signs First Publishing Agreement with Gigaverse — BitPinas
• YGG and Pudgy Penguins Strengthen Ties With LOL Land Update — Funjible Games
• Coinfest Asia 2025: Pudgy Penguins & YGG Play Hadirkan ‘Pengu Wonderland’ di LOL Land — BeInCrypto Indonesia
• CoinFest Asia 2025 Highlights | Crypto Gaming, SEI, The Sandbox, YGG, Altcoin Buzz and More! — Funjible Games
• In Conversation with Gabby Dizon — OpenSea
• YGG Play and Delabs Games launch Web3 baseball game Gigachadbat — GamesBeat
• Gabby Dizon: The future of Web 3 Gaming — Cointelegraph
• YGG: YGG Play and LOL Land Launch — Messari
• YGG Play Launchpad Debut Taps Pirate Nation To Attract Next Generation of Casual Gamers — CCN
• Yield Guild Games Buys Back Another $1 Million Worth of Its YGG Token — BlockchainGamer.biz
• Building Games for Crypto Natives — GAM3S.GG
• YGG's First Launchpad Token Provides a 4x for Participants — The Delphi Podcast
• YGG Play Summit Champions Familiar and New Web3 Esports — The Game
• YGG Play Summit 2025 elevates Web3 creators, emphasizes digital upskilling — BusinessWorld
• Waifu Sweeper To Launch At Art Basel Miami Under YGG Play And Raitomira Partnership — Juice Gaming News
• 2026 Trends: YGG’s Gabby Dizon says we need to build crypto games for crypto people — BlockchainGamer.biz

Doubling Down in 2026

The previous year validated the Casual Degen thesis and showed that a Web3-native publisher can work when built around the right audience and incentives. By attracting players and generating real revenue, Casual Degen games turned experimentation into repeatable outcomes.

As 2026 gets underway, new releases are already taking shape. Our next game is coming, followed closely by another token launch to follow $LOL. Degens, lock in — the year ahead is packed with drops and surprises.

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Join the YGG Play Discord and follow YGG Play on X for future updates on the world of Casual Degen gaming.