Etherlink Expands Gaming Ecosystem With Launch Of Pikes Arena And Cricket Champions

In Brief

Etherlink has launched two new games—Pikes Arena and Cricket Champions—strengthening Tezos’ gaming ecosystem with innovative on-chain experiences and growing community engagement.

EVM-compatible Layer 2 blockchain utilizing Tezos Smart Rollups technology, Etherlink, has announced the launch of two widely anticipated games, “Pikes Arena” and “Cricket Champions,” now available on its platform.

“Etherlink makes it easier to build real games on-chain. EVM compatibility lowers the barrier for devs who already know the stack, while Tezos gives you low-cost, high-throughput rails with zero compromise on security,” said Efe Kucuk, Head of Gaming at Trilitech, Tezos R&D Hub in London, to Mpost. “The result is a system that feels invisible to the player, which is exactly the point: cheap interactions, fast finality, and no awkward workarounds. It’s smooth — not because it’s flashy, but because it works,” he added.

These new releases strengthen Tezos’ position as a prominent blockchain platform for gaming innovation, with the network now supporting more than 11 active games and engaging a community of 180,000 wallets over the past month.

Pikes Arena offers competitive and tactical player-versus-player battles where participants outmaneuver rivals, gather resources to enhance their standing, and compete for tangible rewards. The title includes three distinct gameplay modes: Warm-up mode, which is free-to-play and designed for players to refine their combat abilities; Pike mode, where players face live opponents, earn PIKE$ tokens, and gain eligibility for airdrops; and tez (XTZ) mode, where participants can stake tez in immersive PvP matches. The game integrates Sequence’s advanced account abstraction smart contract wallet alongside Sequence Builder technology to facilitate a seamless transition for users moving from Web2 to Web3.

Cricket Champions, described as the first-ever strategy collectible card game dedicated to cricket, has launched on Etherlink. This title adapts the globally popular sport into blockchain gaming through strategic card-based player-versus-player matches, a campaign mode featuring progressively challenging series, esports tournaments for competitive play, and college, city, and national-level championships in India. Players can gather and upgrade cards depicting cricket-related elements to craft winning strategies against their competitors. The game is designed to appeal to cricket’s vast international audience by delivering accessible blockchain integration via Etherlink.

When asked about the potential impact of sports-themed blockchain games like Cricket Champions on the mainstream adoption of Web3 gaming, especially among traditional sports enthusiasts, Efe Kucuk explained to Mpost that sports games operate differently. They do not necessarily have to educate users on the significance of Web3; instead, they focus on rewarding behaviors that fans are already familiar with, such as collecting, competing, and earning bragging rights. By achieving the right pacing and cultural tone, a game like Cricket Champions can serve as an accessible introduction to Web3 for new users.

“It doesn’t feel like a blockchain game. It feels like fantasy sports with real stakes, and that shift matters more than any whitepaper ever will,” he noted.

Tezos Ecosystem Experiences Fast Gaming Growth Fueled By Strategic Partnerships And Developer Support

The announcement follows a period of notable growth in gaming activity within the Tezos ecosystem. This includes Distinct Possibility Studios, led by John Smedley, securing $30.5 million to develop their new AAA shooter, “Reaper Actual,” which is built on Etherlink, Tezos’ Layer 2 solution. TapNation, a major mobile publisher with over one billion downloads, introduced Athletic Rush on the Tezos platform

Additionally, the Etherlink-based game Uranium Miner attracted 180,000 monthly active users during its initial season. Sugarverse, which has a Web2 user base of 60 million, launched the CNDY token last year and is currently preparing to release a Web3 game aimed at onboarding its existing audience. Furthermore, launchpads such as OpenPad and GameFi have integrated with Tezos and Etherlink to provide funding and market support for early-stage gaming projects. Strategic partnerships and developer support continue to be essential factors driving growth within the Tezos and Etherlink gaming ecosystems.

According to Efe Kucuk, “Most projects don’t fail from a lack of ambition. They fail from isolation. Those games grew fast because they weren’t building alone. They had real-time, hands-on support in design, infrastructure, and marketing. That kind of backing changes how fast a team can iterate and how far they can reach.”

“Games on Tezos are built around momentum, not bureaucracy — and that’s exactly what this space needs,” he concluded.