With it’s recent surge in popularity, it was only a matter of time before block chain technology started seeping into the world of modern gaming.
While NFTs are yet to see success in modern AAA gaming, it hasn’t stopped developers from trying to tie various aspects of block chain technology into modern day video games.
That said, Backdash recently had the opportunity to speak to Paul Thomas, the founder of Somnia, about gaming, block chain, and the technologies that tie them together.
Somnia’s Impact on the Future of Gaming
Q: Modern gaming hasn’t been receptive of web3 concepts to a great degree, so what’s the key factor that sets Somnia apart as a blockchain which would appeal to most gamers?
Paul: Somnia is one of the only blockchains purpose-built with games and entertainment in mind. Our chain can handle over a million transactions per second with sub-second latency and near-zero fees, which means gameplay can happen fully on-chain without compromising the experience.
This isn’t theoretical. We’ve already seen it in action with Chunked.xyz, a sandbox MMO, where every player’s movement and activity is recorded on-chain. The game processed over 250 million transactions in just one weekend on our testnet and became so popular that we need to reboot a second version with a bigger world and more resources.
That kind of scale is done through Somnia’s architecture. Rather than forking existing code like most chains, we created a new system from the ground up, designed specifically for real-time multiplayer and user-generated content. Our underlying tech enables near-instant processing, so players don’t deal with delays, failed transactions, or the high fees common in crypto gaming.
We’re also EVM-compatible, so developers can build using familiar tools. And because we’re backed by Improbable, which has supported and incubated more than two dozen games, we’re solving the kinds of infrastructure challenges that game studios constantly face: server limits, asset ownership, cross-game portability, and the rising complexity of UGC and AI-driven gameplay.
Q: From a layman’s perspective, real-time multiplayer just needs a working internet connection, so what’s the additional bit that Somnia brings to the table with these real-time multiplayer games?
P: An internet connection gets you into the game. It doesn’t give you control. In traditional multiplayer games, central servers handle the logic, own your items, and decide how systems work. If the platform changes its policies or disappears, everything you’ve earned can vanish with it.
We spent over a decade building tech for massive multiplayer experiences at Improbable. I began exploring blockchain in 2017 because I saw its potential to change digital asset ownership. But at the time, the chains available simply couldn’t handle the speed or scale required by real-time games.
So we built Somnia to support the level of interaction we knew would be needed—millions of players and agents operating simultaneously. What sets Somnia apart in the gaming space is its ability to bring more of the game, logic, assets, and outcomes onto the blockchain.
This makes in-game items and identities persistent, portable, and player-owned, while also enabling new financial mechanics like wagering around gameplay outcomes. Rather than focusing on earning as the main goal, Somnia supports developers in creating engaging, on-chain-native experiences where players can enjoy meaningful gameplay with the added benefit of asset ownership and interoperability across titles.
Q: If we’re talking about asset trading, then Counter-Strike is the first name that comes to mind, which has somewhat of an NFT concept with their skin market. How does Somnia fit into this picture?
P: It might feel like you own your CS skins, but you don’t. They live on Valve’s servers. If the company changes its rules, they can be locked or removed. With Somnia, assets are stored on-chain in your wallet, not in a game studio’s database, which means they’re truly yours.
And, they’re not locked to a single title. We’re already seeing this in practice: holders of Bored Apes, Mutant Apes, and Otherdeeds have used NFTs across events like virtual MLB ballparks and K-pop concerts with TWICE via our partnership with Yuga Labs.
Our Quills Adventure NFTs began as avatars and now appear in an on-chain game, with more integrations on the way. With tools like Dream Builder, creators can turn 3D assets into objects that work across different virtual worlds.
Q: One of the major problems with NFTs is that artists are often accused of anonymously bidding on their works to artificially inflate the price. Does this chain have a failsafe of any sort to prevent such from happening?
P: No system can eliminate manipulation entirely, but transparency makes a huge difference. On Somnia, every transaction happens on-chain, giving marketplaces and analytics platforms the visibility they need to spot abuse and design better safeguards.
We’re also supporting new models of trust. The Nomis Protocol, for example, is developing wallet-based reputation scores that help applications personalise experiences and reward real users.
ForU is taking another approach with NFTs that represent on-chain identity and participation, but they’re soulbound NFTs, which means that they aren’t tradable. NFTs don’t always need to be about speculation. Its very useful technology that helps developers create trusted systems, backed by verifiable data.
Q: From a studio POV, a lot of major AAA studios have introduced NFTs only to abandon the idea. Ubisoft did it with Digits for Ghost Recon. Since blockchain and web3 in gaming have had so many setbacks, how does Somnia intend to bring these studios back on board and make it into a viable, consumer-friendly product?
P: The idea wasn’t flawed, but the way it was implemented was. Many studios focused on showcasing blockchain, when what’s needed is for it to operate as transparent infrastructure. Players don’t need to know their assets are on-chain—they just need to know they’re tradable, portable, and can carry value.
We built Somnia to support that kind of invisible, high-performance backbone. It’s fast, cost-effective, EVM-compatible, and plugs directly into widely used engines like Unity and Unreal.
I’ve been advocating for blockchain in gaming for the best part of a decade, but no platform at the time could support the complexity of AAA development. That’s why we started from scratch. Today, the performance is here, and studios are taking another look.
We’ve launched a $10 million ecosystem grant program backed by Mirana Ventures, Spartan Capital, and CMT Digital to support new projects. Our Dream Builder tools let teams convert assets for use across different games and platforms quickly.
And we’re not new to this world—through The Multiplayer Group (which was part of Improbable until late 2023), we contributed to titles like Call of Duty and Fall Guys. We know what game studios need, and Somnia delivers that without forcing crypto into the player experience.
Q: Video game licensing vs ownership is a huge ongoing debate. At a time when the developers are constantly moving towards a scenario where we don’t even own the copies of the video games we’ve paid for. Could blockchains in some way provide a solution to this debate once and for all?
P: Absolutely, and it needs to. Right now, if a platform shuts down or changes its rules, players can lose years of progress, purchases, and digital identity. With Somnia, assets are stored in the player’s wallet, not inside a company’s ecosystem. That’s true digital ownership.
And we’ve made it seamless. Our custom database is built for speed, so players get the benefits of blockchain without noticing any slowdown or friction. Instead of “blockchain gaming” being clunky or slow, it finally feels smooth and natural.
Assets on Somnia aren’t locked to one game. You can transfer them, sell them, or bring them into new experiences. That level of portability could’ve saved players from losing everything when platforms like Stadia shut down. As subscriptions and cloud-based gaming become the norm, having a way to truly own your items matters more than ever.
Q: Any notable studios that are building a live-service title on Somnia right now?
P: Yes, more than two dozen projects are currently in development, many supported or incubated by Improbable. These include collaborations with both indie developers and more established studios.
Uprising Labs, for example, has partnered with Somnia to launch Dream Catalyst – a $10 million accelerator supporting Web3 game studios through funding, mentorship, tooling, and post-launch support.
One of the first fruits of this partnership is Gamers L.A.B., an infrastructure project now live on Somnia. It enables developers to record and use gameplay metadata fully on-chain, using open standards like Battle Records.
This unlocks use cases such as composable game systems, interoperable logic, and real-time prediction markets based on in-game events, marking a shift from data storage to active gameplay intelligence.
We’re also seeing strong infrastructure adoption. QuickSwap migrated its full DeFi platform to Somnia due to its EVM compatibility. Haifu.fun is building AI trading experiences, and partners like Privy, Glacis Labs, and Hyperlane are helping construct the connective layer between Somnia and the broader ecosystem.
The standout is Chunked, an MMO developed by Msquared. With 250 million transactions in a single weekend, it proves that real-time, on-chain gameplay at scale is viable today. From social simulations to strategy titles, studios building on Somnia are pushing boundaries that traditional chains can’t handle.
