This Week In Gaming | Animoca Acquires SOMO, Axie Infinity Details bAXS Sustainability Plan, Somnia Expands 2026 Roadmap, and Basketball.fun Preps Fantasy App Launch
Web3 Game Development
Somnia Games Expands Ecosystem and Event Programming in Early 2026 Read More
Somnia Games announced a series of ecosystem and community updates at the start of 2026, including the addition of Daemons GameFi as a new partner, further expanding its web3 gaming network. The platform has continued to run regular community activities such as the Weekly Arcade with Intraverse, alongside builder-focused sessions and game exploration events highlighting projects including InsomnusXYZ, Fabled Adventure, SurvivFun, and MaelstromRise. Somnia Games also introduced the Friday Arena, a recurring live competitive event format aimed at increasing community participation and structured gameplay. The next Friday Arena is scheduled to feature DarkTable CCG at 2 PM UTC, as part of the platform’s ongoing efforts to support developer visibility and player engagement across its ecosystem.
Animoca Brands Acquires SOMO, Raising Questions on Project’s Next Phase Read More
SOMO has confirmed its acquisition by Animoca Brands, bringing the crypto-native gaming and collectibles project under one of the most established companies in web3 gaming and digital entertainment. Founded in 2023, SOMO has focused on building a brand-driven ecosystem combining games, NFTs, and digital content, including early releases such as the Monolith NFT collection and SOMO Battleground. The acquisition has drawn attention to the project’s future direction, particularly around game development progress and the status of its token following a public sale in 2024. Animoca Brands stated the deal supports plans to expand SOMO’s ecosystem and global reach, though no specific timelines or product updates have been announced.
Basketball.fun to Launch Fantasy Basketball App on January 19 Read More
Basketball.fun has announced the launch of its fantasy basketball mobile app on January 19, 2026, introducing a new format focused on digital player packs and real-time interaction tied to live games. Unlike traditional season-long fantasy leagues, the platform emphasizes short-term engagement, allowing users to collect players, build portfolios, and respond to on-court performance as games unfold. Player values are influenced by real-time results, linking gameplay more closely to live viewing. The app has attracted early attention from fantasy sports users seeking more flexible and interactive experiences, with growing interest ahead of its release. Basketball.fun positions itself as an alternative approach within the fantasy basketball market, targeting both casual fans and active fantasy players.
Open Beta Season 23 Launches With Patch 0.71.1 “Alpha Remaster” Update Read More
Open Beta Season 23, titled Bloodtrails, launched on January 8, 2026 at 15:00 UTC alongside Patch 0.71.1, introducing the Alpha Remaster update. The patch includes extensive balance changes affecting more than 100 cards, updates to Paragons, and additional adjustments across multiple factions, as well as general bug fixes. Season 23 also brings a new Battle Pass with a refreshed ladder, exclusive cosmetics, and a new playable Universal Rare card, Kane, Elite Headhunter. Players must complete five placement matches following a soft ladder reset. The season further introduces Special Edition and Masterpiece raffles, continuing the game’s focus on competitive progression and collectible rewards during the open beta phase.
Axie Infinity Outlines Role of bAXS in Ecosystem Sustainability Read More
Axie Infinity has detailed the purpose of bAXS as part of its broader ecosystem strategy, describing the token as a mechanism to support active players and reinforce long-term sustainability. According to the team, bAXS is designed to help ensure that value generated within the Axie Infinity ecosystem remains within the community, rather than being extracted externally. The project emphasized that bAXS is intended to function beyond a traditional token model, serving as a foundational component to align incentives between the ecosystem and its player base. Axie Infinity stated that the initiative aims to strengthen the digital economy of the game by prioritizing participation and ongoing engagement from real players.
Airdrop & Free Mints & Launchpad
RealGo Loyalty S1 Live with Points for Pre-TGE Token Rewards Read More
RealGo, a BNB Chain AR mobile game featuring meme IP captures, fusions, and boss fights in an LBS social playground, has its Season 1 Loyalty Points Program live. Over 3,000 players verified and 1,300+ earning points through gameplay and invites, redeemable for RT tokens pre-TGE; current event offers 500,000 points plus $2,000 $FLOKI airdrop to top 500 leaderboard ending January 22.
Moku Opens $50K Guild Grants for Grand Arena S1 $1M Prize Pool Read More
Moku, a Ronin-based competitive gaming platform backed by Sky Mavis and a16z Games, is offering $50,000 in guild grants to communities prepping for Grand Arena Season 1 featuring a $1M prize pool. Applications via Notion form remain open for two weeks post-S1 launch or until allocated, prioritizing retention and activity; card pack openings live now for mXP progression.
Dungeon Cross Pre-Regs Open Jan 19 with Challenge and Milestone Rewards Read More
Dungeon Cross - Relic Hunter, a pixel-art dungeon farming RPG developed by Crazymind Corp on the CROSS gamechain, has opened pre-registration on Google Play starting January 19 at 3:00 UTC. Participants can compete in challenges—first to enter the Parallel World, defeat the Queen, and reach level 100—for exclusive rewards, while hitting 2 million total pre-registrations unlocks six tiers of items for everyone.
Suuuiplash Closed Beta Test Scheduled Jan 29-Feb 1 Read More
Suuuiplash, a PC roguelike Web3 action survival game developed by NHN—a Korean gaming firm with $700 million in 2024 revenue—and launching on the Sui blockchain via PebblePlay with Sui Foundation backing, has set its Closed Beta Test for January 29 to February 1, 2026; access will use invite links, following the Genesis NFT mint on January 22.
