Blockchain gaming for the first quarter of 2025 has been a “mixed bag,” seeing a greater number of deals while the amount invested significantly dipped, says blockchain analytics platform DappRadar.

Web3 gaming projects raised $91 million in Q1 2025, marking a 71% decrease from the fourth quarter of 2024 and a 68% drop compared to the same quarter a year ago, DappRadar said in its April 10 State of Blockchain Gaming report.

DappRadar analyst Sara Gherghelas wrote the figures showed “the growing pressure on early-stage startups and hint that 2025 may prove more challenging than previous years — unless broader market conditions improve.”

Another factor for the drop in investments in blockchain games is investors are increasingly shifting toward real-world assets and artificial intelligence, according to Gherghelas.

Over the same time, the number of blockchain gaming-related deals that closed increased by 35% quarter-over-quarter.

Web3 gaming projects raised $91 million for the quarter, marking a 71% decrease from Q4 2024. Source: DappRadar

Gherghelas said the jump in deals shows that “while investors are writing smaller checks, they’re still actively engaging with a broader range of projects — indicating continued interest, albeit with more cautious allocation.”

Web3 gaming investors go big in infrastructure

The lion’s share of funding for Web3 gaming in the first quarter went to infrastructure-focused projects, with most focused on scalable gaming infrastructure, according to the report.

Gherghelas said the focus on infrastructure funding signaled that “investor confidence in the long-term potential of Web3 gaming remains intact,” with a few stand-out projects in the quarter, such as those from MARBLEX and The Game Company.

MARBLEX, the blockchain gaming division of South Korean game developer Netmarble, has plans for a Semi-Publishing Model to support a wider variety of Web3 games, backed by a joint fund exceeding $20 million with Immutable. 

Most of the funding for Web3 gaming last quarter went to infrastructure-focused projects. Source: DappRadar

Meanwhile, Dubai-based startup The Game Company, a firm focused on blockchain-based cloud gaming, received $10 million in funding on Feb. 6 to help develop a platform that allows users to play any game on any device.

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Gherghelas said that as the Web gaming industry matures, there is “a clear push toward quality, innovation, and interoperability — whether through upgraded gameplay, new identity layers, or AI-enhanced mechanics.”

Magazine: Illegal arcade disguised as … a fake Bitcoin mine? Soldier scams in China: Asia Express

US Bitcoin mining firms will try to capitalize on the Trump administration’s recent tariff pause by stocking up on mining rigs, but the baseline 10% tariffs will still leave the industry at a disadvantage, industry executives say.

President Donald Trump paused his administration’s hefty reciprocal tariffs until July 8, but kept a minimum 10% tariff on most countries bar China, which had its rate hiked to 145%.

Hashlabs CEO Jaran Mellerud told Cointelegraph that while the 10% levy is much lighter than the initial tariffs, US miners are still at a “clear disadvantage” when it comes to purchasing mining machines, compared to competitors abroad.

He said the baseline US tariffs aren’t enough “to make mining in the US unprofitable, but it definitely raises capital expenditure and will impact the long-term viability of new investments.”

“We expect to see a short-term spike in machine imports as miners rush to get ahead of potential future tariff hikes,” Mellerud added.

Source: Jaran Mellerud

A price hike on crypto mining rigs is already happening, Luxor Technology’s chief operating officer Ethan Vera told Cointelegraph.

“US miners are still looking to purchase machines ahead of the potential further increase in 90 days. In addition, US-landed machines have run up in price, as have contracts with onshore assembly.”

On April 2, Trump’s hiked tariffs placed levies on Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia — countries home to three of the largest mining rig manufactures — at respective rates of 36%, 32% and 24%.

Tariff instability will stunt US Bitcoin mining growth

Mellerud said in an April 8 report, before the pause on the hiked tariffs, that Trump’s levies could collapse US demand for mining rigs, to the benefit of non- US mining operations, as manufacturers will look outside the US to sell their surplus inventory for cheaper.

He told Cointelegraph the now-lowered tariffs will offer some relief for US miners, but imposing the tariffs and then suddenly pausing them only added uncertainty to US Bitcoin mining firms looking to plan and scale.

“What miners need is predictability and stable rules — not policy whiplash every few months.”

Luxor’s Vera said that the policy changes “will certainly hurt growth” in the US.

Related: Bitcoin hashrate tops 1 Zetahash in historic first, trackers show

Vera said Luxor has even been forced to rethink its strategy and consider expanding into international markets for future expansion.

Trump pledged during his presidential campaign that he wanted all the remaining Bitcoin (BTC) to be “made in the USA.”

Several members of Trump’s family have also partnered with Bitcoin mining firm Hut 8 to lead Bitcoin mining venture “American Bitcoin” late last month. The venture aims to build the world’s largest Bitcoin mining firm with strategic reserves. 

While the tariffs are broad in nature, the crypto mining industry simply isn’t a “high priority” for the Trump administration, Vera said.

Trump’s tariffs have shaken up almost every market, including the crypto markets and Bitcoin, which is down 1.2% over the last 24 hours to $80,555, CoinGecko data shows.

Bitcoin is now 26% off the $108,786 all-time high it set on Jan. 20 — the same day that Trump returned to the White House.

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Solana-based memecoin Fartcoin (FARTCOIN) has outperformed the broader crypto market so far in April, rising over 104% versus SOL being down 2% for the week. As of April 10, it was trading for as high as $0.87.

FARTCOIN/USD vs. TOTAL crypto market cap 30-day performance. Source: TradingView

The cryptocurrency’s outperformance appears despite US President Donald Trump’s seesaw tariff announcements that have wiped nearly $160 billion from the crypto market capitalization in April.

FARTCOIN has outperformed even other memecoins inside the Solana ecosystem, the primary being Official Trump (TRUMP), which has dropped by approximately 25% in April.

As it seems, the third-largest Solana memecoin could rise another 30% in April due to a classic bullish continuation setup.

FARTCOIN bull flag hints a new highs

FARTCOIN’s bullish technical outlook arises from its prevailing bull flag setup.

On April 10, FARTCOIN was breaking out of the channel range to the upside.

FARTCOIN/USDT four-hour price chart. Source: TradingView

This trend projects a potential move toward $0.95—just under the psychologically significant $1 mark—by April.

The relative strength index (RSI) is hovering in bullish territory above 66, suggesting there’s still room for further gains before entering overbought conditions above the 70 mark.

Additionally, FARTCOIN’s price is gaining support from its 50-4H (red) and 200-4H (blue) exponential moving averages (EMA). As long as Fartcoin stays above them, the bull flag breakout may play out in full, potentially resulting in a rally to $0.95.

FARTCOIN mimicks Pepe’s path to a $3 billion market cap

Fartcoin is showing the same signs that preceded Pepe’s (PEPE) explosive run from around $300 million to over $3 billion in market cap in the 2023-2024 period, according to market analyst @theunipcs.

“I’m talking $300m to $500m in daily [spot] volume,” the analyst wrote about Fartcoin while mentioning its absence at Binance, Coinbase, Bybit, Upbit, and OKX exchanges.

In the past 24 hours, FARTCOIN’s volume has been over $446.84 million versus Bonk’s (BONK) $129.85 million and Shiba Inu’s (SHIB) $319.43 million, according to data resource CoinMarketCap.

Top memecoins and their price and volume performances. Source: CoinMarketCap

Meanwhile, Fartcoin is going head-to-head with TRUMP, which posted approximately $661.78 million in trading volume over the past 24 hours.

However, onchain data reveals that Fartcoin is processing nearly double the value in actual transfers, suggesting deeper engagement and utility despite TRUMP’s headline volume figures.

FARTCOIN vs. TRUMP daily transfer value chart. Source: SOLSCAN

As a result, FARTCOIN appears to be in the middle of a powerful hype-driven rally, which improves its interim bullish outlook.

This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.