Luke and Heidi have brought news to the Pixels ecosystem again, this time talking about what awaits players with the arrival of Chapter 3, which is already in progress. They also mentioned the goals for 2025, with the intention of repositioning Pixels as a benchmark in the play-to-earn industry. Here is a summary of the most relevant:

Organization and main objectives

Planning for 2025 has begun with internal efforts to structure the work. The main objectives are:

• Make the game as fun as possible.
• Expand the ecosystem to the maximum.
• Solve the challenges related to the "play-to-earn" model.

The game has solid fundamentals and consistent monthly progress, but challenges remain related to the return on reward spending, so many players are no longer attracted to it. It's a lot of time investment for little return.

One of the highlighted areas this month has been Pixels Dungeons, which has been performing remarkably recently. Some of the key points on the roadmap include gameplay improvements, infrastructure optimization, and ecosystem expansion.

Game balance adjustments are also planned with a planned release in January, a promise that only has one more week to go to reach Terra Villa.

The team is working on various improvements such as badges and achievements, merchant ships as a new type of task board, and the introduction of a system that allows spending Pixels to speed up processes (beyond coins). These updates are designed to increase the utility of land and token, while improving the overall player experience.

New mechanics and Chapter 3

Additionally, there are plans to increase scarcity in t3/t4 industries and increase time limits, that is, take a step back and bring back some game mechanics that Chapter 1 had. This is because a list of feedback from landowners has been collected that the team is looking to implement in future updates.

Another initiative includes the possibility of involving the community in improving the user experience and the discussion about opening the frontend code, which users are concerned about because it will lead to the creation of more bots and automatic systems that hinder the experience of real players.

A highlight of the AMA was the introduction of Chapter 3, which will bring a new exploration mechanic. This chapter will allow players to venture into the wilds outside of Terra Villa, exploring a large, procedurally generated map that will include resource nodes, animals, monsters, and mysteries.

Additionally, players will be able to find special caves with valuable resources and face bosses that will require appropriate equipment.

Ecosystem

In terms of the game's ecosystem and economy, a staking system is being developed to motivate players to hold on to their Pixels, as there are still no in-game mechanisms to incentivize holding or spending them in-game.

A smart task board is also in the works (again) to further reward engaged players. However, it's unknown what the parameters are, whether it will depend on higher skill levels or owning some NFTs, or the like.

Q&A Highlights

During the Q&A session, a number of topics of interest to the community were addressed. As for onboarding new players, a significant effort is planned in the coming months that will include creator codes, improvements to the new user experience and tutorials, as well as incentives to use other games in the ecosystem.

Regarding Pixel Pets, it was confirmed that the app is in good progress and is expected to launch in the second quarter of 2025. On the nature of the game, the team reaffirmed its intention to maintain a relaxed and less “grindy” approach, although balancing the needs of different types of players remains a challenge.

In addition, the usefulness of Pixelchain, if any, is still being evaluated in order to give the green light or not to the construction of it.

Finally, it was emphasized that Web3 revenue is tied to US dollars and not to the token price, since the demand for in-game assets is what drives revenue. The team also stressed the importance of improving the game, expanding the ecosystem, and communicating the progress made in the "play-to-earn" model.

Although Pixels is a casual game, it remains focused on being the benchmark for play-to-earn models, to the point of seeking to become a meeting point, with its reputation and login system for other games in the ecosystem, initially for Ronin, and then expanding.

See you in Terra Villa!