You forgot the most important thing which every web3 games have which is the source of income outside the game itself that they can use to fund the rewards to every players.
Team just use the existing token supply as rewards while they continuously drain the liquidity on exchange by dumping team tokens and “marketing/operation” tokens using holders liquidity that result to continuously dumping of the price.
A real web3 games will be sustainable if they have other source of income for the rewards that is not from the token supply.
Thanks for the thoughtful comments — solid points from both of you.
On the “external source of income” — I completely agree. That’s one of the most common gaps we see: projects either overlook it or try to patch it later, when the damage is already done. When the entire rewards model is built around token emissions, it creates a hard ceiling. The more engaged the playerbase, the faster the capital burns. Without any external cashflow — whether fiat-based, partner-driven, NFT services, premium layers, or even off-chain revenue — the token becomes a subsidy, not a functioning part of the economy.
In our work, we try to go deeper: Where exactly is sustainability supposed to come from? What kind of player behavior creates actual value for the ecosystem? Because “external income” doesn’t always mean a separate business. Sometimes it’s about smartly embedded monetization with clear motivation — like paid early access to events, marketplace fees, or clan-based holds with deflationary logic.
And the Premium Bonds example is a great one — especially the idea that only active participants are eligible for the rewards. That’s a core principle of sustainable game economies: rewards tied to action, not just passive holding. We’ve used similar structures in “loot pool” systems — where the prize pool builds up collectively (through activity or staking), but access depends on real-time participation. That adds flexibility and protects the system from “zero-value farming.”
Also, big respect for the way you laid it out — it’s clear you’ve got real perspective and experience. These kinds of discussions are exactly what Web3 game design needs more of — less hype, more systems thinking.
If there’s interest, I’d be happy to share some breakdowns later — how we helped projects stabilize token prices and improve retention through economic loops and external value streams, with real-world data.
Have a great day — enjoyed the exchange 🙌
— Dmitriy | dimtiks.com