“Having the right to own your in-game assets and making real-world currency from them is the future of gaming”: João Borges and Matt Rutledge of BAYZ

There are still a lot of misconceptions around NFT games and titles that champion the play-to-earn mode. With debates surrounding them often leading to a great deal of controversy, industry leaders who see promise in the model wish to set the record straight and cement NFT titles as the future of the video game market.

In a conversation with Abhishek Mallick of Sportskeeda Esports, João Borges and Matt Rutledge, founders of the leading blockchain gaming guild BAYZ, talked in-depth about some of the misconceptions that the gaming community has towards play-to-earn titles.

They opened up about the vision that went behind the founding of their guild, their recent partnership with League of Legends superstars, Tockers and Revolta, and Free Fire legends, Nobru and Cerol, and what that means for the future of the organization.

Here is an excerpt of the conversation.

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BAYZ's João Borges and Matt Rutledge on NFT Games and how it provides a lifeline for those in a disadvantaged economic position

Q. João and Matt, over the recent years, there has been a lot of conversation around cryptocurrency and video games that champion the “play-to-earn” model. What are some of your thoughts on NFT gaming and where they stand today with respect to the global esports and video games industry?

João and Matt: We believe that NFT gaming and play-to-earn will only continue to grow as the public interest in blockchain technology continues to expand. We find that games like Axie Infinity and The Sandbox are growing at astronomical rates, especially in regions that have a history in mobile esports like Brazil, Latin America, Southeast Asia, and others.

Founded by us, BAYZ is aiming to remove potential barriers to entry and introduce play-to-earn gaming to more people worldwide, starting with Brazil. In terms of competition, BAYZ has invested in leading teams in both Axie Infinity and Thetan Arena, and we expect to invest in more leading titles moving forward.

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Q. Talk to us about BAYZ, some of the initiatives and vision that went behind its foundation, and what made you decide to create a crypto gaming guild to help players recognize the economic opportunities that NFT games can provide.

João and Matt: BAYZ is a DAO focused on bringing people into the metaverse through blockchain gaming and play-to-earn engagement. We are two of the leading faces in the mobile esports ecosystem, especially in mobile-first nations like Brazil, where we quickly saw that NFT games provided a lifeline and opportunities for those in a disadvantaged economic position. That spurred our decision to found BAYZ.

We worked closely with Gabby Dizon of Yield Guild Gaming, who helped us really jumpstart our operations and get involved in the space. We’re already seeing the impact that our guild has had on thousands of Brazilians, and we’re looking forward to expanding globally to serve people all around the world.

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Q. Recently, there has been a fair bit of conversation around major publishing houses and blockchain adoption, and how there can be a AAA title in the future based on the “play-to-earn” model. While there are titles like Blankos Block Party and Axie Infinity that have enjoyed a thriving ecosystem, we are yet to see any major publishing house take up the model. What do you feel about this? Are you of the opinion that NFT games are a necessary milestone for the future of the video game industry?

João and Matt: We believe that it’s only a matter of time before major publishers and developers engage with the play-to-earn ecosystem. We’ve seen this trend in the larger blockchain ecosystem with the adoption of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum as well as the widespread adoption of NFTs. People are beginning to see the value in digital ownership and it’s becoming something that is only growing in demand.

We already see this spilling over into the gaming industry with the rise of the titles you’ve mentioned. We think that once enough gamers engage with play-to-earn opportunities, we’ll reach a tipping point where publishers and developers will need to invest in the space and develop play-to-earn games in order to compete.

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Q. BAYZ recently signed League of Legends superstars, Tockers and Revolta, and Free Fire legends, Nobru and Cerol. Talk to us about this partnership, some of the thoughts that went behind it, and the expectations that you guys have, going into it.

João and Matt: We are incredibly excited to invite these four legendary esports competitors to the BAYZ community. As we looked to sign content creators, it was incredibly important to find influencers who are actively involved in the crypto community and who share our belief in education.

Tockers and Revolta are two of Brazil’s most decorated League of Legends athletes and share our belief that there are gaps in understanding when it comes to NFT gaming and blockchain technology, and like us, they’re looking to leverage their influence to educate gamers.

On a similar note, Nobru and Cerol are active participants in the crypto economy. As two of the largest influencers in Brazil, they have seen firsthand the impact that play-to-earn gaming has had on their communities. We look forward to working with them on content that will reach a wide audience and help them realize the opportunities in front of them.

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Q. NFT games have always been a controversial topic for industry leads. While some are for it, there are many like Valve president Gabe Newell who feel that it’s “sketchy” at best, and will not be allowing them on the Steam Deck. What are your thoughts regarding this, along with some of the misconceptions that people have towards NFT games in general?

João and Matt: These types of misconceptions regarding NFT games are the driving force behind BAYZ’s mission of education. In fact, we believe that NFT integrations allow for more transparency and more power at the hands of the players.

We find players spending hundreds and thousands of dollars on in-game assets. In actuality, the marketplace is still controlled by the game publishers and the ones reaping the economic benefits are the game publishers.

Having the right to actually own your in-game assets and utilize them to make real-world currency is the future of gaming. For us, it’s really about addressing those misconceptions and creating content that helps people understand this distinction.

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Q. Can you share some of your thoughts on the economic impact that blockchain gaming can have in third-world nations beyond just their gaming communities? Keeping in mind the amount of success that Axie Infinity has had in the Philippines.

João and Matt: The gaming communities that participate in blockchain gaming are just like everyone else. They participate in their local communities, spend money at the grocery store, go out to restaurants, and travel. Blockchain gaming simply provides them with an alternative or supplementary form of income that will ultimately flow to wherever they choose to spend their money.

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Q. Tell us a bit about BAYZ's lower barrier of entry and how it has been offering members exclusive access to its assets under management?

João and Matt: At its core, BAYZ is a blockchain gaming guild and we operate with a scholarship model in place which essentially allows us to provide our assets under management so NFTs and blockchain game assets to individuals who are looking to engage with play-to-earn opportunities but lack the resources to invest and purchase the needed resources.

As our players play the game and earn money, BAYZ receives a portion of the revenue for onboarding and providing the assets needed to succeed. Additionally, BAYZ places a heavy emphasis on education and creating content that helps those curious about blockchain and play-to-earn gaming understand the platform before they choose to engage.

In recent weeks, they’ve launched BAYZ.gg, an all-in-one hub and content platform that provides everything an individual needs to know about the blockchain gaming ecosystem. Additionally, you’ll see that in our content creator strategy.

BAYZ has indexed heavily into content creators who share a passion for the crypto community by signing League of Legends superstars, Tockers and Revolta, and Free Fire legends, Nobru and Cerol, within the last few weeks.

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Q. What’s next for BAYZ? What other partnerships or endeavors can members look forward to in the near future?

João and Matt: For BAYZ, we’re focused on learning from the successes of our Brazilian launch and leveraging them as we expand globally into other regions, including Southeast Asia and the Americas. We recognize the economic impact of blockchain gaming and are focused on building awareness and opportunities in underserved regions with large gaming communities.

To facilitate our growth, we’re hiring top executives with a skillset to scale regional success into new markets and expand globally, such as Gui Barbosa, who joins us from TikTok and ByteDance. We’re constantly evaluating our talent, looking to fill in the gaps, and strengthening our core capabilities so we can effectively enter new markets.

Lastly, we’re working to help grow the play-to-earn space as a whole by partnering with leading game developers and publishers to bring their concepts to the community.

As experts in the space, we work with their teams to ensure the game has a robust player base at launch and invest in assets that we can share with our communities to help them earn money immediately.