GM DOers! 😎
This year, we’ve talked lots about how Apple’s policy is hindering mobile app innovation in web3. 🛑
Remember when we wrote about Apple blocking Uniswap's app (which is now approved 🎉), and how 5 web3 firms outsmarted Apple's tough rules? 😏
The TL;DR: Most web3 companies go around Apple’s policy by sending users off-app, to the browser, where they can do web3 stuff like minting, collecting, and so on.
Very, very bad for UX! 😬
But Google is here to change that because they’ve changed their policy to allow NFTs inside games on Google Play.
Today, we’ll break that down for you by going over:
Google Play’s new policy and why they changed it 🔄
What web3 tech unlocks inside mobile games 🔓
Reddit’s involvement in all of this 🕵️♂️
Let’s go 👇
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Google's Game-Changing Move 🕹️
Google Play just rewrote the rules! They now allow developers to build NFTs into their apps and games. This is a massive leap forward for web3 gaming. 🚀
Users can buy, sell, or earn these unique digital assets right within the apps. How cool is that? 😎
However, developers must mention that their app uses blockchain tech. While we think it's a bit odd (do users really care about the underlying tech? 🤔), it's just part of the process. 🤷
One rule stays firm, though. Google isn't having any of the hype about potential earnings from gaming or trading activities. Their gambling policy is still rock solid. 🎲
With this change, web3 apps can now keep users hooked in-app for all things NFT - minting, collecting, you name it. No more hopping around! 🐇
So, why's Google mixing things up?
We think it's down to 3 main reasons:
Policy Arbitrage 📜
The clear uses of NFTs 🖼️
Reddit’s secret sauce 🤫
Let's explore more below. 👇
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Google Using Policy Arbitrage 🧑⚖️
Google has a history of dabbling in web3, where they once prohibited web3 games from their App Store, and another time, they were ranked 1st as the most active investor in blockchain companies. 🤷
Very confusing, but that’s all behind us.
And incorporating NFTs into apps? That's their boldest move yet! 🥇
The goal: to capture more web3 users, by changing their policy to appeal to a certain niche of people (web3 peeps in this case).
This tactic is called policy arbitrage and it is a clever trick where platforms use different rules to offer users more attractive deals.
And this is Google’s play to outsmart Apple. But will Apple now pivot on their NFT standing? 👀
Realistically no! Apple will only switch sides if web3 tech can truly boost their services, especially their games.
So, let’s chat about the magic that NFTs bring to mobile games 🪄👇
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NFTs: Powering Users and Loyalty 💕
According to their spokesperson, Google's NFT integration zeroes in on two cool features: user-owned gaming content and unique NFT rewards to enhance loyalty.
User-Owned Content in Games 👾
A friend of mine spent $20,000 on in-game items in Fortnite. Items he never owned. 😱
When he decided to take his $$$ out, he had to turn to grey markets, rely on intermediaries, and expose himself to risks. 🕵️♂️
He ended up selling his entire account for $500 because the amount of time required to squeeze every penny out of the game was simply not worth it.
His $20k was forever lost inside Fortnite 😥 – and that’s the web2 gaming norm, which we wrote about here.
Web3 & NFTs fix this issue by operating on a globally accessible blockchain. It provides a marketplace for everyone to participate in and that’s a HUGE benefit, one that Google clearly gets. 👏
Unique NFT Rewards 🏆
Here are four game-changing reasons why NFTs transform loyalty programs:
1. Buy, sell, and trade loyalty points: 🔄
Don't want to spend loyalty points on a flight ✈️ or groceries 🥕? Just sell them on an open, peer-to-peer marketplace!
Or imagine this: your loyalty program has a PS5 up for grabs for 1000 points, but you're short by 200.
With NFTs, you can just hop onto a marketplace and pick up the extra points you need.
2. Improved transparency: 🧐
Right now, giveaways or contests seem like a mystery box. 🎁
Brands struggle with tracking entries and users often question the legitimacy of winners.
With NFTs, the process is as clear as a sunny day. ☀️
3. Dynamic and programmable loyalty: 💡
Loyalty points have always been static. They remain the same. Forever.
NFTs add dynamism to this! Future rewards could be modified or programmed for new experiences. 🔄
Curious about the power of user engagement via NFTs? Check out our article about Burn Island.
4. Interoperability: 🔀
With blockchain, you can effortlessly earn and redeem points across multiple platforms, creating a more rewarding and valued experience. 🎉
You’re not stuck to one platform anymore. A relief. 😌
Now that we’ve explored the use cases of NFTs, let’s see what’s next for Google’s web3 plans, and how did Reddit get involved in all this? 👀
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What’s Next? How Can You Capitalize? And What Did Reddit Have To Do With This? 🤔
Reddit recently overhauled their Terms of Service, enabling the trade of virtual goods like avatars and community points within their platform, likely a direct result of their collaboration with Google on its new policy.
This change has already impacted community tokens such as MOON and BRICK, leading to a surge in their value.
Google Play's policy tweak, coupled with Reddit's ToS revision, are signals of big things on the horizon.
Here's our speculation: