Jedi Spotlight: Cropbytes

Intro

Welcome to another Yoda Labs Spotlight! We are thrilled to have Sheryl Varghese, Co-Founder at CropBytes, as our featured guest.

In this spotlight, we will divide our focus into four sections. Firstly, we'll delve into the game introduction understanding the success behind CropBytes’ +5 years growth journey. Then, we'll proceed with an interview, followed by gameplay review and our own special segment called "spotted."

Without further ado, let's dive right in!

Introducing CropBytes

CropBytes is an innovative farming business game that seamlessly integrates with the real-world economy, offering digital game assets and access to real markets. Developed and refined over a span of 5 years, the game has garnered an impressive following, with over 650,000 signups and a thriving community of 9,000–12,000 daily active users. Available on IOS, Android, and web platforms, CropBytes has received high praise, boasting an average rating of 4.3 in app stores.

CropBytes has been in the market since April 2018, making it one of the most successful and earliest crypto games still alive. The company raised $2.7M in 2021 by AU21, Polygon Studios, Master ventures and more notable ventures.

A quick guide on how to play can be found here.

Lastly, the game assets are available on NFTb, Opensea and Niftyswap created by Sequence.

Interview

Yoda: Hello Sheryl, we’re thrilled to have you here!

Before we start with the juicer questions, can you give us a brief introduction to your team and your project for the very few of our readers who still haven’t heard of you?

CropBytes: First and foremost, thank you so much for having us on Yoda Labs, it's a real pleasure!

CropBytes isn't your average simulation game. We're on a mission to construct a parallel economy that evolves with time. Today, we're putting our energy into farming simulation, but as the economy unfolds, we're planning to incorporate more industries and growth opportunities, just like how we have done in the past.

One feature that we're particularly proud of is our unique service economy extension. We refer to it as 'Get Paid To Play'. It's a fantastic feature where users can step into the world of CropBytes for free and earn CBX by servicing farms owned by our top players, the whales. Can you believe we've already created over 70,000 jobs through just the first phase of the service economy?

And we're not stopping there. With each phase that rolls out, we're eyeing millions of job opportunities for gamers worldwide. The best part? They can play, earn for free, and even build their own businesses using their earnings.

Now, let's talk about gameplay. We've designed three main roles for new players to dive right into.

Farm Owner - This role is all about the long game. As a farm owner, you'll own Animals, Machinery, Land, Trees, Water Bodies, Big Factories, Superheroes, Pro Animals, and so much more. Think of it as a long-term investment. I mean, why wouldn't you? Since 2018, CropBytes assets have grown a staggering 500x in value.

Trader - We're proud pioneers in the use of Fungible Assets. We had our hands on this back in 2018, even before Token Standards like ERC1155, and Game SFTs (semi fungible tokens) became the talk of the town. This opens up a highly liquid marketplace, with over 20 Million Assets traded on average in the CropBytes in-game exchange. Traders are a vital part of our ecosystem, providing liquidity and facilitating easy buying and selling of assets.

Our traders also got CropBytes trending on OpenSea in the simulation genre web3 games.

Farmers/Gamers - These folks are the gaming class tasked with nurturing a farm, which includes feeding animals, growing crops, maintaining machinery, and so much more. They also get to compete in the Free Weekly Fishing Tournament where the top 3 scorers bag 150 CBX every week.

Yoda: This is amazing! How does CropBytes stand out in comparison to other simulation games?

CropBytes: We believe our continuous economy really sets us apart. No seasons, no breaks. We're building a nation here, and in this nation, players are farmers and large business owners.

Over 5 years, we’ve managed to gather a strong community organically, without any large PR campaigns.

The organic acquisition can be attributed to the web2.5 mech of the game, where users did not have to manage wallets, rather could just sign up and get started using traditional email sign up flow.

When users come organically / through word of mouth, they also tend to retain over time. Most of our players have been here for years and see the long term picture with their assets/investments.

Our assets have always been at the core of this economy, and players consider these assets as pure gold. That's because each asset, even our game currency: CBX, has a limited supply and becomes harder to generate as time goes by.

And since the community is old, people know each other really well and have been forming micro groups like CB Army Teams, to help each other and new players grow.

Yoda: It’s indeed an amazing achievement you managed. What are your updated player numbers and how did you sustain this player economy? This is something %99 of similar games failed to do...

CropBytes: We have been successful in retaining our player base because their long term strategy and efforts for growth have paid off.

Check out this video interview by Wouter, a player turned influencer in our community. He interviews Tom, someone who’s been playing since 2018. Tom invested $1500 back in 2018 and has a portfolio upward of $150k today.

In addition, our current numbers are:
Daily Active Users: 10K Avg (2023)

Monthly Active users: 35K Avg (2023)

Monthly Trade Volume: 20 Million+

Current Assets Market Cap: $25 Million+

20 Official and Non Official Global Communities with over 60k membership

Yoda: That's great to hear! We understand that you certainly have a player growth focus in mind considering all your achievements and progress. What new features players should be expecting in 2023 which will drive more earnings and more players?

CropBytes: We’re parallelly building on some important verticals, here are some of them.

1. Service Economy: As i mentioned earlier, over 70K jobs were created with just phase 1 of ‘Get Paid To Play’. We’re adding service economy to many more game loops providing the first ever sustainable ‘Play To Earn’ model for gamers around the world.

2. Game Visuals: Although we have a superstrong economy, which we have focussed on over the years, the gaming experience itself can be improved a lot. We are working with professionals to take the gaming experience at par with traditional games as that's one of the biggest turns offs for traditional gamers.

3. Transparency: Although we never took a ride in the Hype Train around blockchain and NFTs, we understand that transparency is one of the most important factors in web3 games for building trust. For this reason, we’re building a portal where anyone can track the numbers of various moving parts in the game so as to make informed decisions since money is involved.

4. Community: We work very closely with the active members in our community and play a huge role in the development of the game. There are several programs in place to incentivize members who wish to contribute to the development of the game and the community. We wish to further create and improve programs to leverage the support of the community and also help them grow as contributors.

Yoda: Exciting stuff! We'll keep track of your progress and cheer you on every step of the way!

Do you have any final thoughts to share with our readers?

CropBytes: As Web3 gaming continues to evolve, it will present challenges and exciting opportunities for game sustainability. The focus of developers should be on designing game environments that are not just immersive, but also provide an alternative existence, allowing players to lead a parallel life within the game world. Imagine going for work, but in a game world.

GamePlay

CropBytes is a unique simulation game that allows players to own and operate their own farms while also participating in a virtual economy. What sets this game apart from others is that it is powered by crypto. The game is designed to be as real as possible, taking inspiration from real-world farming economies. Players use their assets to provide goods and services to other players in the economy, making it a truly collaborative effort.

To empower players, CropBytes has designed a method framework and algorithm that rewards players for completing minigames. This feature is revolutionary because it compensates the player in CBX, c and creating a source of instantaneous revenue generation. The Asset Mining Work feature has been developed with the aim of keeping it as real as possible in the virtual world, ensuring players have an authentic experience.

Step 1: Cultivate Crops, Raise Animals and Mine

In CropBytes, players embark on the journey of cultivating their farms and producing food. This involves growing various crops on their land and tending to animals to obtain valuable extracts such as milk. The game encourages players to engage in both crop farming and animal husbandry to maximize their resources and earnings. The Improved UI Design makes it easier for players to view the progression of stages, crops, and the status of their mining. Players can also check their miner's history and availability.

Step 2: Collect and Sell Utilities

As players progress in CropBytes, they have the opportunity to collect different utilities that hold value in the game's virtual economy. These utilities can be sold to generate income and contribute to the player's overall wealth. The game emphasizes the importance of diversifying one's assets by acquiring a range of valuable items, lands and buildings.

Step 3: Exchange for CBX

In CropBytes, all the extracts obtained from animals and crops can be exchanged for CBX, the in-game currency. CBX serves as a vital medium of exchange within the game, allowing players to trade their resources and assets. The ability to convert extracts to CBX provides players with a flexible means of accumulating wealth and expanding their virtual fortunes.

Step 4: Engage in Job Opportunities within the CropBytes Metaverse

The all-new Job Board makes it possible for players to scroll through available jobs and pick the ones that appeal to them. The service economy integrated into the game will create more jobs for players, allowing them to get paid-to-play. Aspects of farming such as seeding, harvesting, feeding, and more will be added to the game, keeping it fresh and engaging. Players may use different types of Croplands to grow crops, which require seeds and water. Grind Feed, which requires mills owned by other players, is used to grind harvested crops and fruits.

Step 5: Grow Wealth and Expand

By leveraging the gains in CBX, players can further enhance their gameplay experience in CropBytes. The accumulated CBX can be utilized to purchase additional digital assets, unlocking new opportunities for growth and wealth accumulation. As players continue to expand their virtual holdings, their presence within the game's economy becomes increasingly robust, allowing for more diverse strategies and pathways to success

Overall, CropBytes is a fun and engaging game that combines the excitement of farming with the innovation of crypto-powered gameplay. The reward system ensures that the player feels motivated to complete mini-games while also allowing them to earn cryptocurrency. The Improved UI Design makes it easier for players to navigate the game, while the Job Board opens up new possibilities for players looking for more jobs. The game represents a fascinating step forward in the world of virtual economies, making it a must-try for anyone looking for a unique gameplay experience.

Spotted (more?)

CropBytes has been actively spreading the word about how cool the game is for years. Their hard work is evident in the growing player numbers, and with their continued PR efforts, it's only expected to rise even further. Some of the most recent ones are below 👇️