Yat Siu, president and co-founder of Animoca Brands, has recently shared his predictions for the year 2025, specifically focusing on the resurgence of opportunities within the metaverse sector. Siu’s forecast includes the roles that Play-to-Earn games, the NFT market, and crypto will play in this industry resurgence.
Back in 2021, the blockchain-based metaverse experienced a significant boost, particularly in sectors such as Play-to-Earn games, NFTs, and crypto. This was when the concept of profit from ownership in blockchain games gained significant traction. Axie Infinity, Decentraland, and Sandbox were among the key players in the blockchain-based metaverse scene.
However, by 2023, these “open metaverses” encountered several hurdles. Still, Siu asserts that since the crypto winter of 2024, the current status of Web3 and the metaverse has made substantial improvements, despite the challenging economic conditions of the preceding year.
According to Siu, the Web3 and metaverse industry has solidified and is more focused. He believes that 2025 may be the year to attract significant institutional support for digital assets from major companies such as BlackRock and VanEck.
When it comes to crypto, Siu perceives fungible tokens as the “money of the metaverse,” serving as a store of value and a medium of exchange that stimulates economic growth. He reveals that as of January 13, 2025, the open metaverse crypto has a daily trading volume over eight times the average daily trading value of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange for December 2024.
On the topic of NFTs, Siu considers these non-fungible tokens as the “ownership and culture of the metaverse.” NFTs can represent anything unique within the metaverse, from digital identifiers, avatars, and personal profile pictures to virtual real estate properties, artworks, and collectibles. Creators selling their works through NFTs receive almost all the proceeds from the sale, minus a small marketplace commission and any gas fees.
Siu’s 2025 metaverse outlook also includes the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI). He anticipates a stronger connection between AI and the crypto realm, believing that as AI agents become more autonomous, they will increasingly rely on blockchain for verification and cryptocurrencies as a medium of exchange.
Siu’s overall optimism for the metaverse sector in 2025 and Web3 is evident: “I predict that 2025 will be a crucial growth year for Web3 and the open metaverse, with an acceleration of the paradigm shift towards property rights for our online lives.”
On the topic of crypto adoption, Siu believes that 2025 will be the year when it becomes mainstream, especially if cryptocurrencies become primarily useful for companies. He also predicts growth for memecoins, defining them as the “crypto for the community.”
While he acknowledges that the gaming and Web3 sector may not be ready for a breakthrough like other categories, Siu maintains his optimism, forecasting a promising future for the metaverse industry.
