This Week in Crypto Games: Solana Game Pass, ‘Ponzi’ Games Pop, SEC and CyberKongz

The crypto gaming space is ever expanding, and with prominent games releasing, token airdrops piling up, and the constant shifting of the markets around them all, it’s a lot to take in.

Luckily, we’re all over it here at Decrypt‘s GG. And if you’re looking to keep tabs on the latest happenings around crypto video games, this weekly roundup gives you a quick overview of the biggest stories we covered over the past week, along with a smattering of other interesting tidbits from around the space.

Top stories

Solana Game Pass: A free Solana Game Pass NFT mint launched on Magic Eden last week, designed to help boost the Solana gaming ecosystem via rewards, collaborations, and early access to upcoming games. The program’s initial “Season 0” spans four weeks with 30 partnered games, including Star Atlas, Nyan Heroes, Stepn, and BR1: Infinite.

Pass holders can complete quests on GAM3S.GG to win raffle tickets toward a $10,000+ prize pool of SOL, NFTs, and other assets. Over 33,000 passes have been minted as of this writing, with the mint remaining open throughout the four-week campaign. Future seasons promise enhanced features including in-game quests and an improved progression system.

“Ponzi” games pop: Crypto game Bigcoin recently surged in popularity before its token crashed 83%, creating a surprising reaction: players embraced its purported “Ponzinomics” and actively sought similar experiences. Bigcoin’s simple mining simulation lets players earn BIG tokens on Ethereum‘s Abstract network, with transparent reward calculations that many found refreshing compared to vague and oft-disappointing play-to-airdrop models.

The phenomenon appeared to attract crypto traders beyond typical gamers, with some seeing these self-described “Ponzi games” as more transparent alternatives to insider-dominated projects. Since BIG crashed, similar games like Minereum and Dungeons of Fortune have briefly gained attention… with similar results.

SEC drops CyberKongz case: The SEC has concluded its investigation into Ethereum NFT and gaming project CyberKongz without findings or enforcement, the project’s team said last week, adding to the list of numerous recent closed crypto investigations under the Trump administration. CyberKongz had received a Wells notice in December after two years of SEC scrutiny regarding its BANANA token, game elements, and Genesis Kongz contract migration.

Project leaders celebrated the decision as a victory after facing “unjust allegations” and “crippling legal fees,” noting that they “elected to fight this battle for the betterment of Web3.” CyberKongz joins other NFT-related companies like Bored Ape Yacht Club creator Yuga Labs and marketplace OpenSea that recently saw their SEC investigations closed.

ICYMI

GG spotlight

Here are a few of our original stories from this past week that we think are well worth a weekend read: