GameFi Tokens Revitalize Following Gala Games Partnership with the White House
Gaming tokens have seemingly been on the sidelines since the 2021 crypto boom. In fact, data from SoSoValue shows they were the worst-performing crypto basket over the last 12 months, experiencing a 62% drop during this period, compared to a 174% rise in PayFi tokens. However, with a more crypto-friendly approach from the current administration, changes may be on the horizon.
Gala Games—a blockchain-based gaming platform—has emerged as the first crypto gaming company to partner with the White House, launching a Web3 game Easter Egg Hunt at the 2025 Easter Egg Roll. A government official’s social media account highlighted this collaboration, alongside various other partnerships with tech companies. Since this announcement, the GALA token has increased by roughly 18%, GameFi tokens rose by 13%, and the broader crypto market, as reflected by the CoinDesk 20 (CD20) index, climbed 8%.
User engagement has been a primary focus. The game, available at easter.gala.games, offered a “free and simple” experience where players collected virtual eggs to earn unique non-fungible tokens (NFTs) on GalaChain, Gala’s proprietary Layer 1 blockchain. Players could log in, explore, and collect eggs without needing prior experience with crypto wallets, according to Gala Games. Every NFT reward was stored on GalaChain, indicating potential future use across Gala’s entertainment projects, including Gala Music and Gala Film.
Since the event’s launch, over 300,000 games have been played, with approximately 100,000 new accounts created. Notably, around 17% of participants explored Gala’s other projects, indicating meaningful user engagement beyond the Easter event.
Founded in 2019 by Zynga co-founder Eric Schiermeyer, the project has pursued broader adoption through partnerships with major entities and collaborations with artists. Recently, Gala Film announced a partnership with LG Electronics to deliver Web3 entertainment to televisions, and the company suggested it is also working with a government agency on transparency initiatives.
The Easter game represents a real-world test for the project and the GameFi sector. In discussions about the lead-up to the event, Schiermeyer noted a strong focus on high-level partnerships. “We have a team dedicated to government outreach,” he shared. “I also spent time in key locations to connect with leadership. Our main goal was to enhance the fun of the event, and that sentiment seemed well-received.”
Responses from the industry have varied. Some have commended the visibility this event brought to the sector, while others emphasized the need for continued work toward mass adoption of GameFi. Jack O’Holleran, CEO of SKALE Labs, stated that while GameFi has never ceased to grow, visibility has been a central challenge. The technology has matured significantly, reducing barriers that previously deterred players. “Gas-free blockchains and seamless onboarding are now removing those hurdles,” he explained. “The intrinsic values and utilities that blockchain offers to gaming will soon gain more traction.”
However, broader adoption of the GameFi sector will necessitate genuine collaboration with mainstream gaming platforms. This could potentially unlock substantial player bases, far exceeding the current user count in the crypto sector. As such, the “floodgates will be open,” O’Holleran predicted. Conversely, Mitja Goroshevsky, co-founder of Gosh, acknowledged the increased visibility of Gala Games and the GameFi sector through this partnership but cautioned that the industry must resolve its identity crisis. “It’s caught between gaming and trading,” he remarked. “Without fundamentally new experiences introduced in blockchain games, partnerships alone won’t ensure mass adoption.”
