Ethereum Game 'Fantasy Top' Pays $1.25M to Twitter Influencers It Turned Into NFT Cards - Decrypt

Fantasy Top: Crypto Twitter's Lucrative Game Awards Influencers with Ethereum Winnings

The burgeoning realm of Fantasy Top, a crypto Twitter phenomenon inspired by the principles of fantasy football, has distributed a staggering $1.25 million worth of Ethereum to its top influencers. These influencers have been immortalized as non-fungible token (NFT) trading cards, adding a novel twist to the immersive gaming experience.

Launched on the Ethereum scaling network Blast a mere week ago, Fantasy Top has rapidly gained prominence within the cryptosphere. Players assemble card lineups featuring their favored Twitter influencers and garner rewards commensurate with the social engagement generated by those influencers.

The in-game "heroes" immortalized as cards encompass a diverse array of crypto luminaries, including Ansem, the enigmatic meme coin trader; Frank, the visionary behind the DeGods project; and Su Zhu, the co-founder of the now-defunct Three Arrows Capital. Farokh Sarmad, co-founder of Rug Radio and president of the parent company of Decrypt, likewise serves as one of Fantasy Top's celebrated "heroes."

Influencers reap the benefits of a 1.5% fee levied on the trading volume of their cards, augmented by a share of 10% of all pack sale revenue. Fantasy Top has now disbursed its maiden payouts, enriching its creators.

The inaugural week's top earners were content creator Jenn Duong, reigning supreme in first place, followed by a tie between the aforementioned Ansem and Pacman, founder of Blast. Duong's triumph yielded a substantial 6.7 ETH ($20,500), while Ansem and Pacman each pocketed a handsome 6.1 ETH ($18,700).

"18k in earnings for the first week, not too shabby," extolled Ansem via Twitter, expressing his enthusiasm for Fantasy Top's potential to attract Web2 creators.

Fantasy Top's scoring mechanism hinges on the real-world social media engagement accrued by players' lineups. However, concerns arose regarding the potential for bots to artificially inflate engagement, impacting in-game performance. Duong publicly denounced such practices, temporarily privatizing her Twitter account to address the issue.

Fantasy Top has asserted that it employs anti-botting measures in its scoring algorithm. Additionally, Duong has witnessed a surge in organic engagement attributable to her video content centered around Fantasy Top and other Blast applications.

Beyond the 409 ETH ($1.25 million) distributed to heroes, consisting of 300 ETH from pack sales and 109 ETH from the card marketplace, players have also received 2,480 Blast Gold. The precise value of Blast Gold remains uncertain, but industry observers posit that it could surpass $10, potentially adding another $25,000 or more to the first week's payouts. "Heroes" also accumulate FAN points, which may serve as a precursor to a future token airdrop, although this remainsunconfirmed.

Fantasy Top has unveiled plans to introduce a feature allowing influencer "heroes" to share their earnings with players holding their in-game cards, thus injecting a SocialFi element into the game. Several influencers have already signaled their intent to distribute rewards to NFT holders.

The meteoric rise of Fantasy Top highlights the burgeoning convergence of gaming, social media, and blockchain technology. As the crypto industry continues to evolve, innovative applications such as Fantasy Top are poised to redefine the boundaries of engagement and incentivization.