This number looks quite grim, but it doesn’t mean this category has vanished — rather, the simplistic version of the category has come to an end. The market no longer rewards games that hype first and explain gameplay later, which may be a good thing, as “trust us, the fun will come after the economic model” has never been a good proposal.
This shift is not just about rewards. Games are evolving towards more familiar user experiences, lower friction, better retention rates, more stable economic systems, and supporting ownership of identity, rather than trying to be the entire product. In simple terms, the market is shifting from “come here to earn” to “come here to play, build, belong, and continuously progress.”
Rewards are still important, but they cannot dominate the gaming experience.
The effectiveness of rewards lies in their ability to drive action, increase engagement, and assist early growth. However, the problem arises when rewards define the entire experience, leading to deterioration.
When people primarily play games for small rewards, the system begins to consume itself. Players chase the quickest returns, skipping any activities that do not enhance outcomes, and once the rewards feel disproportionate to the effort, they leave. To maintain the same level of activity, games require stronger incentives, turning the entire experience into a treadmill that demands ever-increasing speeds.
This behavior follows design. If a product looks like a reward machine, players will treat it as a reward machine.
So, the better question for 2026 is not how to add more rewards, but rather, what should rewards support.
51 Games Approach: Get the Game Running First
This studio does not build games around a single loop but combines shared technology, real-time operations, analytics, and scalable game systems to support massive player activities across regions. This is the less obvious part of game development, but it often determines a game’s survival post-launch. This approach is exemplified in their flagship game, Chainers.
Progress is at the center of the system. As players build, unlock, and evolve, their actions accumulate and become part of a world that develops alongside them. This reflects the core idea behind Chainers: progress drives the world.
Web2 Style User Experience, Quiet Infrastructure, and Optional Ownership
One of the most apparent shifts in 2026 is that games can no longer require players to solve technical puzzles before enjoying the fun. Players want to jump straight into the game, understand the loop, and start playing without feeling like they accidentally opened the beginner's manual.
This highlights the importance of browser-first access. It shortens the distance between curiosity and the game. Players do not need to commit before understanding the world, which is a common way for mass-market games to win users.
Chainers does not attempt to make Web3 louder but rather quieter, allowing the game to do its job. This does not mean ownership disappears. On the contrary, ownership shifts to the right place. In more powerful game systems, ownership supports identity, collections, progress, and long-term emotional connections.
