By Ezra Strauss, Head of Partnerships at Portal

I’m proud to be writing this article about a partnership that will reshape the landscape of Web3 gaming. Portal and Immutable have come together to redefine how games are distributed, monetized, and experienced in the Web3 space. This collaboration isn’t just a strategic business move; it’s a personal milestone for me, reuniting with former colleagues at Immutable, as we aim to push the boundaries of what’s possible in gaming.

Together, we’re setting the stage for a new era in the Web3 world, where seamless user experiences and cutting-edge technology converge.

But what does this partnership really mean for gamers, developers, and the broader gaming ecosystem? To understand the impact, we need to explore the synergies between Portal and Immutable and why this collaboration has the potential to accelerate the adoption of Web3 gaming.

Addressing the Web3 Gaming Challenge

The Web3 space has long been a promise of ownership, decentralization, and community-driven innovation. Gaming, in particular, has proved a fertile ground for Web3 disruption - a classic case of innovative technology giving rise to new, high-growth business models. The industry has always always been an early adopter of new tech, from cheap home computing in the 1990s and UGC in the 2010s - to blockchain and AI in the 2020s. This culture of early adoption has led to meteoric growth over the past 3 decades, with gaming now worth $300bn+ yearly.

But the Web3 gaming sector has encountered one key challenge—how to reach mainstream audiences. Games built on blockchain technology have struggled with accessibility, distribution, and monetization in ways that traditional gaming companies do not. Players want seamless access and rewards; developers want a robust infrastructure to build games. This is where Portal and Immutable step in.

At Portal, we’ve been laser-focused on solving Web3 distribution—connecting games with players through frictionless products that aggregate users across multiple chains. From discovering a Web3 game to playing it, buying in-game assets, joining its community and ultimately becoming an evangelist, our product suite caters to every stage in the prospective Web3 gamer’s journey.

By making this process seamless, we massively boost the chances of mass adoption. Ultimately, we want Web3 gaming to be the most accessible and rewarding online experience, period.

The first step on this journey is simplifying the payments in the space. With Portal Pay, our cross-chain payments offering, we’re helping games take payments in over 5,000 cryptocurrencies on any chain. Gamers can pay in whatever token they want, and with Pay’s SmartSwap feature, games only receive the token they need. For example, a gamer who only plays Solana-based games might only have $SOL in their Phantom wallet. With Portal Pay, they can buy into a sale on Ethereum without having to bridge, swap, or even create a new wallet.

By removing these pain points for both games and gamers, we’re widening the TAM of every game onchain, improving liquidity in the gaming ecosystem in the process. Immutable, on the other hand, has developed a sophisticated gaming platform that allows developers to confidently build and deploy Web3 games while prioritizing usability and security. By leveraging their extensive ecosystem and technology like zero-knowledge (zk) scaling, Immutable empowers developers to create groundbreaking gaming experiences.

The Power of Synergy: Portal + Immutable

This partnership is about more than just technology integration—it’s about creating a holistic, streamlined experience for players and developers alike. By integrating Immutable chains into the Portal platform, we are enabling game developers to access Portal Pay, our seamless payment and rewards solution, for their in-game economies. This enhances the way transactions, rewards, and player engagement are handled, which is critical in Web3’s user-first world.

In addition, Portal’s cross-chain technology is designed to bring users from every blockchain into a single, vibrant ecosystem of games. This is a game-changer for developers on the Immutable platform who now have access to a much broader audience. Gamers can experience titles from Immutable’s impressive roster of games, like Gods Unchained and Guild of Guardians, with less friction, while developers can benefit from Portal’s comprehensive tools to boost monetization and player retention.

We’re tackling the liquidity issue head-on, too. By introducing advanced liquidity solutions through this partnership, developers will be able to capture more value from their in-game assets and transactions, while players are rewarded more effectively for their engagement. This adds a new level of depth to the gaming economy and significantly enhances the user experience.

A Vision for the Future: Web3 Gaming Meets the Mainstream

Looking at the broader picture, the partnership between Portal and Immutable signals the beginning of a Web3 gaming revolution. Data from DappRadar indicates that Web3 gaming generated $3.1 billion in 2023, yet it remains a small fraction of the $184.4 billion global gaming market.

The potential for growth is enormous, especially as mainstream audiences begin to realize the benefits of decentralized gaming—true ownership of in-game assets, seamless cross-platform experiences, and innovative monetization strategies. Our collaboration with Immutable is focused on making Web3 gaming more accessible, scalable, and lucrative for everyone involved.

We’re already seeing indicators that Web3 gaming will grow exponentially. According to a report by Citi, the Metaverse economy could be worth up to $13 trillion by 2030, and gaming will be at the heart of this digital revolution. As the boundaries between digital and physical worlds continue to blur, Portal and Immutable are uniquely positioned to drive the gaming sector’s transformation, not just in the Web3 space but across the global industry.

The Road Ahead: Innovation Through Collaboration

For me, personally, this partnership is the culmination of years of dedication to pushing the frontiers of gaming. Working alongside the brilliant team at Immutable, some of whom I’ve had the privilege of collaborating with in the past, has reignited the passion I have for the possibilities that lie ahead.

We’re not just enhancing distribution and monetization; we’re creating an entirely new blueprint for how gaming can—and will—thrive in a decentralized world.

The next steps in this journey are exciting. With Immutable’s zk-based scaling technology, games can continue to drive down costs and improve scalability, making Web3 games more accessible than ever before. And as Portal continues to innovate with our distribution layer, developers will be able to focus on what they do best: building the next generation of AAA games on any chain, while we connect them with players from around the globe.

This is just the beginning. The collaboration between Portal and Immutable is poised to accelerate the adoption of Web3 gaming and bring the future of gaming into the present. Together, we are setting a new standard for what gaming can be—and I couldn’t be more excited for what’s to come.

About Ezra Strauss

Ezra Strauss is the Head of Partnerships at Portal, a leader in Web3 gaming distribution. Previously, he held roles at Immutable, where he contributed to their mission of revolutionizing blockchain gaming. Ezra is passionate about building synergies between technology and gaming to create experiences that are accessible, rewarding, and enjoyable for players worldwide.

About Portal

Portal is building the distribution layer for Web3 and beyond. An ecosystem that’s bringing together users from every chain and connecting them with the best dApps in the space – starting with gaming. Via frictionless products, a pioneering liquidity layer, and a world-class network, Portal is helping Web3 solve distribution – aggregating users into a single, vibrant ecosystem in the process.

Builders of top-level games and dApps can now focus on creating AAA experiences on any chain – Portal is connecting them to users from around the world. Portal’s advisors include Jamie King, Rockstar Games Co-Founder, Russell Hanson, former CSO of Consensys, Matt Dixon, former Head of BD, EA Games, and John Yao, CEO Team Secret eSports. Portal is proudly represented by WME.

For more information, users can follow Portal on X: https://x.com/Portalcoin

This story was distributed under HackerNoon’s Business Blogging Program. Learn more about the program here.