GameFi Tokens Revive After Gala Games and White House Collaboration

Gaming tokens have appeared to take a backseat since the cryptocurrency surge in 2021. Data indicates that they performed the worst among crypto baskets over the past year, experiencing a notable 62% decline, as opposed to the impressive 174% increase seen in PayFi tokens.

Nevertheless, the situation may be shifting under a pro-crypto administration’s influence.

Gala Games, a platform utilizing blockchain technology for gaming, claims it is the first crypto gaming entity to collaborate with the White House, introducing a Web3 game titled “Easter Egg Hunt” for the 2025 Easter celebrations. A White House account also highlighted this partnership on social media amid numerous alliances with prominent tech companies.

Following this announcement, the GALA token experienced an approximately 18% increase, while GameFi tokens rose by about 13%. The overall cryptocurrency market also reflected positive movement, with the CoinDesk 20 index witnessing an 8% uptick.

The initiative aimed to make blockchain accessible to families without overwhelming them.

Hosted at easter.gala.games, the game provided a straightforward and free experience for participants, allowing them to collect virtual eggs in exchange for distinctive non-fungible tokens (NFTs) recorded on GalaChain, Gala’s unique Layer 1 blockchain, as stated in a release shared with stakeholders.

Players could join and gather eggs effortlessly, without requiring prior crypto wallet knowledge, according to Gala Games. All NFT rewards were kept on GalaChain, indicating potential future integration across Gala’s various entertainment platforms, including Gala Music and Gala Film.

The company reported that over 300,000 games were played since the launch, resulting in around 100,000 new user accounts. About 17% of those who participated went on to explore additional Gala projects, demonstrating tangible user engagement beyond the Easter activity.

Founded in 2019 by Eric Schiermeyer, co-founder of Zynga, Gala Games has been laying the groundwork for wider acceptance through partnerships with companies like DreamWorks Animation and NBCUniversal, as well as collaborations with artists such as Snoop Dogg. Earlier this month, Gala Film announced a partnership with an electronics company to integrate Web3 entertainment into television, and the company hinted at ongoing work with a government agency to promote transparency.

The Easter game served as a practical evaluation for both the project and the larger GameFi industry.

In discussing the preparation for the event, Schiermeyer indicated that the focus has been on high-level collaboration. “We have a dedicated team for outreach to government,” he remarked. “I also spent time engaging with the President at Mar-a-Lago. Ultimately, we aimed to enhance the event’s enjoyment, and that sentiment seemed positively received.”

Reactions from the industry have varied. While some individuals lauded the increased visibility, others stressed that more initiatives are necessary for mainstream acceptance of GameFi.

Jack O’Holleran, CEO of SKALE Labs, remarked that while GameFi has been expanding consistently, the primary challenge it faces is visibility. He noted that technological advancements have occurred, eliminating some obstacles. “In the past, managing crypto wallets and incurring high gas fees were prerequisites for participation,” he explained. “Today, gas-free blockchains and smooth onboarding processes have considerably reduced these barriers.”

He added, “The functional advantages that blockchain technology brings to gaming cannot remain underappreciated for too long.”

Nevertheless, achieving broader acceptance in the GameFi sector will necessitate further substantive collaborations with mainstream gaming platforms, which could potentially unlock attraction from a much larger player base compared to cryptocurrency users, according to O’Holleran.

Mitja Goroshevsky, co-founder of Gosh, praised Gala Games and the GameFi sector’s visibility through the collaboration with the White House but cautioned that the industry still needs to navigate its identity crisis.

He noted, “It’s currently positioned between gaming and trading.”

He further commented, “Until blockchain gaming introduces fundamentally new experiences, partnerships with the government alone will not catalyze widespread acceptance.”