- An unofficial Solana meme coin “Dill Bits” inspired by Fortnite’s pickle criminal rapper Big Dill surged 4,300% after being featured in the game’s storyline about a crypto rug pull.
- Players of the discontinued crypto game Deadrop have begun successfully claiming refunds through their banks after developer Midnight Society failed to deliver promised features before shutting down.
- Sega-licensed trading card game Code of Joker: Evolutions will launch on the Sui Blockchain, though Sega is only licensing the franchise while keeping major IPs like Sonic the Hedgehog away from crypto experiments.
The cryptocurrency gaming sector experienced significant developments this week, with dramatic market movements tied to popular game narratives and several high-profile blockchain gaming projects advancing or faltering. The integration between mainstream gaming properties and cryptocurrency continues to evolve rapidly, creating both opportunities and occasional cautionary tales for investors and players alike.
Fortnite‘s latest season features a pickle criminal rapper character named Big Dill who allegedly executed a cryptocurrency "rug pull" with a token called "Dill Bits." Crypto enthusiasts had already noticed Dill Bits two weeks earlier when it appeared as in-game currency for premium items in Fortnite, promptly creating an unofficial real-world version on Solana through Pump.fun launchpad. Despite having no official connection to the game, the token initially reached a $4.78 million market cap before declining to just $145,000 as interest waned.
When Fortnite’s social media posted about Big Dill’s crypto schemes, the Solana meme coin experienced a remarkable 4,300% price surge, briefly returning to a $4.72 million market cap. However, the token has since fallen again, seemingly validating the in-game news anchor’s warning against "taking financial advice from a pickle."
In a cautionary development for crypto gaming investors, disgruntled players of the discontinued extraction shooter Deadrop have begun successfully obtaining refunds through their banks. Midnight Society, the game’s developer, had sold early access passes including $50 NFTs and non-NFT passes priced between $20-30, but users claim they never received all promised features. Those who purchased the $25 Tower Key for early access say they never received the promised "Season 0 battle pass," while buyers of later Drivers Keys passes report the items were neither usable in-game nor tradable as advertised.
Midnight Society co-founder Quinn DelHoyo had previously told Decrypt that the full game would release in fall 2025. However, the studio faced difficulties following co-founder Dr. Disrespect’s (Guy Beahm) dismissal over alleged inappropriate conversations with a minor. The company laid off many employees in September before completely shutting down in January, leaving its fan base without the promised product.
In more positive news, Parasol, a gaming infrastructure subsidiary of Sui network contributor Mysten Labs, announced that the upcoming trading card game Code of Joker: Evolutions will launch on the Sui blockchain. The Code of Joker franchise, originally created for arcades in 2013 by Sega, was later licensed to Jokers Inc., which is now reviving the series with blockchain integration, allowing players to own in-game cards as NFTs.
It’s worth noting that Sega itself isn’t developing the blockchain version of Code of Joker, merely licensing the intellectual property. While Sega has expressed willingness to license IPs for crypto gaming experiments, the company has stated that major franchises like Sonic the Hedgehog remain off-limits until this experimental phase concludes.
Other significant developments in the crypto gaming space this week include:
A developer who created a flight simulator entirely using AI tools reported earning $87,000 from the game in just 17 days
Battle royale game Off the Grid added solo mode back following a brief testing period
Telegram-based anime soccer game Captain Tsubasa Rivals secured $5 million in funding and confirmed expansion of its mini app marketing
Crypto gaming community WolvesDAO released its WOOF token on Avalanche
Space Nation Online launched its OIK token on Wednesday with airdrop claims opening for eligible users
Metaverse platform Decentraland revealed its line-up for Metaverse Fashion Week, scheduled for April 9-12
Sugartown studio D20 Labs, led by former Zynga employees, teased major ecosystem expansion announcements
SuiPlay0x1 NFT holders received exclusive rewards ahead of the handheld crypto console’s planned release later this year
Ethereum gaming platform Nifty Island shipped a guild wars feature on Monday
Play-to-earn pioneer Axie Infinity launched its eighth competitive season on Monday, adding 66 new cards
Trading card game Gods Unchained migrated from Immutable to Immutable zkEVM
Role-playing game Onchain Heroes added a gacha system for randomized item unlocks
Collectible card game Wildcard launched its WC token on Ethereum and opened signups for playtesting via Steam
- Web3 gaming studio Sugarverse closed a $1 million funding round and announced its first casual mobile game, Sugar Match, will debut on Tezos layer-2 network Etherlink this summer
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