Interview with Mantle's Gaming Lead: Catizen is Just the Beginning — We're Committed to 100% Success Across Seven Flagship Games
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Interview with Mantle's Gaming Lead: Catizen is Just the Beginning — We're Committed to 100% Success Across Seven Flagship Games
Follow Grant to explore Mantle's ecosystem gaming landscape.
Navigating Web3 tides with focused insightsWritten by: TechFlow
From TON's "Tap to Earn" games amassing tens of millions of fans, to the widespread buzz around the Chinese 3A blockbuster *Black Myth: Wukong*, Web3 has never lacked attention toward gaming.
And for good reason. According to Newzoo’s Global Games Market Report 2023, the global games market is valued at $184 billion, with over 3.38 billion gamers worldwide. Given this massive user base and industry scale, many believe gaming is the key to bringing a billion users into Web3.
It is precisely for this reason that after racing on technology, the focus has now shifted to applications—and major blockchain ecosystems are increasingly targeting gaming. Among them, modular L2 Mantle stands out due to its string of successful game launches: On one hand, the casual cat-raising game Catizen, integrated with Mantle's infrastructure and native token MNT, registered nearly 20 million users within just two months of launch; on the other, the large-scale Meta-MMO game MetaCene has already attracted over 150,000 players during its testing phase.
What is Mantle’s secret to success in gaming? And what strategic moves lie ahead?
Driven by these questions, we sat down for an in-depth conversation with Grant Zhang (Twitter: @0xGeezee), Head of Gaming Ecosystem at Mantle. As a seasoned veteran in the gaming industry—whose projects have collectively surpassed 500 million downloads—Grant shared profound insights into Web3 gaming and the unique support Mantle, as an L2, can provide:
Beyond standard support such as marketing, user growth, and funding, Mantle’s differentiated advantage lies in the tangible help our team offers in tokenomics design, listing support, talent acquisition, and game publishing.
Looking ahead, Grant remains tight-lipped yet radiates strong confidence:
We have seven flagship games, two of which—Catizen and MetaCene—have already achieved success. Our goal moving forward is to ensure all seven achieve a 100% success rate.
In this article, let’s dive into Mantle’s gaming ecosystem through Grant’s perspective.
Part 1: Exploring the Full Picture of Mantle’s Gaming Ecosystem
TechFlow: We’re thrilled to have this opportunity for a deep-dive interview. To start, could you introduce yourself? (Feel free to share your educational background, professional, or entrepreneurial experiences.)
Geezee:
Hi everyone, I’m Grant Zhang, currently serving as Head of the Gaming Ecosystem at Mantle. I’m also a Chinese-Canadian born in Canada. My real name “Grant” sometimes causes confusion—many people initially think I’m part of a grant committee rather than an actual person—so I often avoid using it. You might know me better as Geezee (Twitter: @0xGeezee). Glad to be here for this discussion.
Professionally, I have extensive experience in the gaming industry. I’ve led publishing teams for titles like *League of Legends*, *Teamfight Tactics*, *Ragnarok Online*, *TapTap*, *Transformers*, and *Game of Thrones*. I’ve also contributed to the development of casual hits like *Ski Safari* and *Crossy Road*. In total, the games I’ve worked on have exceeded 500 million downloads.
Beyond Web2 gaming, I’ve been deeply involved in the Web3 gaming space, providing strategic advisory and support to notable projects such as Catizen, MetaCene, and Ember Sword. My mission is to continue supporting talented developers and sharing these exciting experiences with global players.
TechFlow: Gaming is a key focus area for the Mantle ecosystem. What drives this strategic emphasis? As Mantle’s gaming lead, 2024 has seen several standout game launches. Could you give us an overview of the current state of Mantle’s gaming ecosystem and highlight some key achievements?
Geezee:
We live in a world with diverse nations, ethnicities, languages, and cultural barriers—obstacles that can hinder the adoption of new technologies. But entertainment and games serve as a universal language, capable of transcending these divides.
Likewise, for Web3, gaming is the perfect vehicle for mass adoption. That’s why Mantle places such strong emphasis on gaming—we firmly believe that blockchain technology will eventually reach mainstream users, and games will play a pivotal role in making that happen.
Given the high level of engagement and resource intensity required in game partnerships, we are extremely selective about the games we collaborate with. As a result, while the number of games in the Mantle ecosystem may not be large, we maintain very high standards for quality. Once we choose to partner, we are committed to ensuring their success. Catizen is a prime example—one of our earliest supported games, attracting over 26 million players in just five months.
Part 2: From Catizen to MetaCene – Why Are Mantle Games So Frequently Hitting It Big?
TechFlow: We understand Mantle established a strategic partnership with Catizen in April, after which Catizen achieved remarkable success with tens of millions of users. With so many game-specific blockchains in the market, could you use Catizen’s success to explain why developers should choose Mantle? How does Mantle, as an L2, empower game development?
Geezee:
Actually, our collaboration with Catizen and its publisher Pluto began back in August 2023. From game design and tokenomics to user acquisition and even coordination with TON, Mantle provided comprehensive support throughout.
Our approach to gaming differs significantly from most other ecosystems. The key difference lies in our team composition: while other ecosystems typically rely on top-tier investors to drive gaming initiatives, Mantle’s gaming team consists primarily of experienced professionals from game publishing and operations. This enables us to offer more practical, hands-on support in areas like tokenization, economic modeling, publishing, fundraising, and user growth.
This unique structure is exactly why Catizen chose to partner with Mantle. We provide specialized, actionable support that directly contributes to project success—something other ecosystems simply cannot match.
TechFlow: Over the past few months, TON has seen a surge of hit mini-games. What do you believe is the fundamental reason behind this trend? How long can this momentum last? Does Mantle have additional plans or moves in this space?
Geezee:
I believe the Telegram gaming ecosystem will continue to grow. Given the close relationship between Telegram and TON, we’ll likely see more games launching on TON, evolving in a way quite similar to how WeChat Mini Games developed.
For Mantle, hyper-casual games like Catizen and Tap to Earn are just the beginning. These types of games are excellent for user acquisition and ideal for tapping into Telegram’s massive user base. Going forward, we plan to gradually introduce players to deeper, more engaging gameplay mechanics.
Mantle intends to grow alongside the Telegram mini-game ecosystem, continuously releasing well-suited games at every stage of its evolution.
TechFlow: With *Black Myth: Wukong* going viral, community discussions have intensified around when Web3 will produce its own 3A masterpiece. What are your thoughts on this? What conditions are necessary for a Web3 3A title to emerge, and when might that happen?
Geezee:
I believe *Black Myth: Wukong* will go down in history as one of the greatest games ever made. As someone of Chinese heritage, I feel immense pride—it showcases rich Chinese culture to the world.
That said, we must acknowledge that 3A single-player games face significant limitations in user growth, engagement, and monetization. They are extremely costly to develop and, compared to mobile hits like *Genshin Impact* or *Candy Crush*, tend to capture player attention for shorter durations, limiting revenue potential.
As a result, we’re unlikely to see a flood of developers rushing into this space—which explains why the community doubts whether Web3 can produce its own "Black Myth." Instead, most developers will likely continue focusing on mid-core mobile games, and I expect this trend to persist. Web3 gaming will follow suit.
TechFlow: Another major title in the Mantle ecosystem, MetaCene, has gained strong traction during testing. As a large-scale MMORPG, MetaCene demands complex design in cost, rules, and economic models. Building on the previous question about 3A games, what differentiated support can Mantle offer for such ambitious projects?
Geezee:
Large-scale games come with complex requirements in cost, mechanics, and economy design—precisely where our team excels.
Beyond the standard support—marketing, user growth, funding—that other ecosystems also offer, our key differentiator is our team’s proven track record in game operations and publishing. This allows us to provide concrete, hands-on support to MetaCene: advising on tokenomics, assisting with listings, helping recruit talent for development and launch, and even contributing to certain aspects of game design.
Another critical advantage is the infrastructure we’ve built around gaming. Teams like Game7, Hyperplay, Yeeha, and Community Gaming provide comprehensive support across user acquisition, engagement, wallet infrastructure, onboarding, and security—essential components for any Web3 game aiming for success.
TechFlow: Mantle holds the largest treasury in the crypto industry, enabling powerful developer incentives. Can you share how game developers can best leverage this advantage to accelerate their growth?
Geezee:
Let me emphasize again: despite having the largest treasury in Web3, we remain highly selective in choosing which games to support.
Unlike ecosystems that try to flood their networks with hundreds of games via a “spray and pray” approach, Mantle has entered deep collaborations with only about 7–8 games, offering them genuine, substantial support. As a result, the level of funding and assistance these selected games receive far exceeds what’s available elsewhere.
Another major benefit of our large treasury is our ability to empower both projects and players. The treasury generates returns through various investments, and those returns are then distributed through our game partners to better incentivize player participation.
Part 3: Differentiated Strategies in the L2 Race – Mantle Doubles Down on Gaming
TechFlow: Gaming is widely seen as the ideal gateway to bring massive new users into Web3, but progress has been uneven. A core issue is that most gamers prioritize earnings over experience. Recently, Yale University’s paper introducing ServerFi sparked wide interest, suggesting a conceptual path to pull gaming out of Ponzi-like dynamics. What’s your take on ServerFi? How should the balance between 'Play' and 'Earn' be managed in games?
Geezee:
“Play-to-Earn” isn’t actually a new concept born from Web3. Although the term has recently been associated with various Ponzi-scheme-style Web3 games, long before blockchain existed, many traditional games experimented with earning mechanics. For instance, I know users who made significant profits from arbitrage on *Dream Westward Journey*’s treasure vault system. As a kid, I sold hats worth hundreds of dollars in *MapleStory*. Many players also earn money through coaching or boosting services in games like *League of Legends*. These are all forms of earning through gameplay.
The key point to emphasize is this: developers must recognize that “Earn” should be viewed as a tool to enhance player engagement—not as a sustainable business model.
Understanding this means placing higher demands on in-game economic design. Developers must carefully calculate how many distinct actions players can take to support the game, and then make crucial decisions about how much income players can earn from those actions. This is a pivotal challenge.
TechFlow: Final question—could you share Mantle’s key strategic priorities and upcoming roadmap/milestones for the gaming sector over the next year?
Geezee:
Ha, unfortunately I can’t reveal too much—the details are mostly under wraps.
But I can say this: Mantle’s gaming ecosystem currently has seven flagship titles. Two of them—Catizen and MetaCene—are already public and have achieved success in their respective niches.
Our goal is to roll out all seven games over the coming quarters and strive for a 100% success rate across the board.
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