Top 3 Things You Need to Know About Initial Game Offerings (IGOs)

Initial Coin Offerings (ICO) have been a popular way to fundraise projects in the crypto market, but that changed with the advent of regulations. Since then, Initial Exchange Offering (IEO) and Initial DEX Offering (IDO) have entered the market. But with the rise of blockchain games or GameFi, the latest buzz in the town is Initial Game Offering (IGO). We will look at the top 3 things you need to know about Initial Game Offerings in this article. So, without further ado, let's dive straight into it.

What is IGO?

Much like ICOs and IEOs, IGO is also a fundraising event for crypto gaming projects where participants get assets needed to play the game. Some IGOs also offer in-game rewards. However, it depends on a participant's investment.

Simply put, IGO is a crowdfunding approach for crypto games that allows investors to invest in a gaming project at its early development stage. What this fundraising method does is that it lowers the barrier to entry for retail investors by enabling them to get their hands on the in-game assets and tokens before they are made available to the public.

While the crypto game project gets the funding directly from its audience, investors get lucrative in-game assets and tokens at a considerable discount before the public sale. A significant benefit of IGOs is that it is open to all investors.

The growing interest and popularity of this fundraising type have encouraged tremendous growth in the blockchain gaming space. For instance, Binance's centralized fundraising platform Binance Launchpad was the one behind the launch of the most notable gaming project Axie Infinity.

A Look into Launchpads

IGOs are organized through specialized platforms known as launchpad platforms. The platform you chose is crucial for the success of an IGO. This means that the platform history, success rate, amount of money raised, and time taken to achieve the funding target must be analyzed.

Currently, we are at Listing.Help work with several launchpads that are hosting IGOs:

1 — GameFi was one of the first launchpads to introduce the concept of IGOs. It has four investment tiers, but only one offers guaranteed allocation. One needs a minimum of one lottery ticket, which is equivalent to 20 GAFI tokens. KABY Pool and Deathroad IGO are two popular offerings on the platform.

2 — Binance NFT is another one where IGOs grant access to exclusive in-game assets. The platform uses a subscription system to give all users an equal opportunity to participate. To ensure fairness, NFTs are allocated via public and verifiable algorithmic selection.

3 — A popular IGO launchpad Seedify Fund is governed by a DAO. As for participating in Seedify IGOs, you need between 250 and 100,000 Seedify (SFUND) tokens. The platform has nine tiers. The first one is a lottery tier, while guaranteed allocation starts from tier 2. So far, Seedify has crowdfunded Cyber Trade, Heros Chained, MetaStrike, Penguin Karts, Space, Misfits, Supernova, and other gaming projects.

4 — Enjinstarter is another popular one that has a unique approach to IGO. The ecosystem reserves 75% of IGO tokens for guaranteed allocations, which are then split into three tiers. It operates on a first-come, first-served basis, and investors can participate even with a small holding of at least 1,250 EJS tokens. Age of Tanks, Attack Wagon, Ecia, Gaia Everworld, and PathDAO, among other games, have been crowdfunded on Enjinstarter.

5 — Gamestarter, which has crowdfunded BitHotel, Crypto Fight Club, Dark Frontiers, Demole, and others, allow gaming projects to sell their NFTs or tokens to raise funds. It also has plans to expand beyond the crypto gaming space, as, in the future, Gamestarter will also support INO (Initial NFT Offering).

Mechanics of IGO

Buying an IGO is a chance to invest in a gaming project early. To participate in such an event, you must purchase the launchpad's native coin and lock it for a certain period of time.

These tokens are locked in a pool, and based on the algorithm, the investors would receive either the project tokens or the NFTs required to play the game. In some cases, these tokens and NFTs can be traded outside of the gaming ecosystem on DEXs and NFT marketplaces.

Different launchpads have different setups for an IGO, but the typical process involves:

• Connect your wallet to the launchpad.
• Select a tier that reflects the value of the investment.
• Identifying an IGO you want to invest in.

It is also better to check whether the launchpad provides guaranteed allocation or not.

To qualify for these IGOs, you can apply for Whitelist by going to relevant Launchpad's website, connecting your wallet, and staking the native token. Some platforms also require you to complete KYC. Once you have joined the pool, you can apply for the Whitelist.

Raffles are another way launchpads assign assets to investors. To apply for the lottery, go to the launchpad website and ensure you're accessing the correct URL address. Connect your wallet and then join the Lottery by clicking on the button. On selecting the IGO, you'll be all set to participate in the raffle for the upcoming projects.

The Crucial Ingredient: Community

For an IGO to be successful, the crypto game needs to have a vibrant and strong community rooting for them. A community is usually formed and maintained via popular social media platforms such as Discord, Telegram, and Twitter.

In the crypto industry, communities are instrumental in shaping how projects develop and operate.

To build a thriving community, a project needs to start with potential members who identify with its envision. The project's focus needs to be on its purpose and members. Members should be involved in every step of the project and empowered through acknowledgment, feedback, and rewards.

The beauty of crypto communities is that they are spread worldwide and united by the same idea and purpose. The support of a community ensures the long-term success of a project.

Conclusion

Crypto gaming projects are already experiencing tremendous growth and a rise in revenue. And IGO is an important part of this success. Although, GameFi help crypto adoption a lot. The recent Chainplay research showed that 75% of respondents came to crypto through GameFI. And I think, as crypto goes mainstream and decentralized gaming combined with NFTs gain traction, some established blockchain games have received multimillion-dollar valuations.

The blockchain gaming industry is relatively new but fast-growing. Ultimately, with GameFi on the rise, IGOs can emerge as a viable solution for crypto gaming projects, which are already becoming a mainstay in the industry.