In an exclusive interview with GMGames.gg, João Abrantes, Co-founder and Managing Director, revealed the ambitious vision behind Qudo, a Web3 gaming platform set to launch in Q1 2025. After seven years of development, the Portugal-based team has created a solution that allows Unity developers to integrate Web3 features without dealing with blockchain complexities. With 43 non-studio games already on their testnet, Qudo aims to revolutionize how indie developers approach blockchain gaming through a unified token economy and innovative asset ownership system.
Bridging Web2 Games to Web3
The platform specifically targets Unity developers, acknowledging the engine’s dominant position in the market. João Abrantes explains “We are a tool that’s available for games that are developed with a [gaming] engine called Unity, which is quite well known in China [and across the world]. So I say half market share, if not more, is using Unity.”
Qudo’s approach serves two primary scenarios: “Either the game has already existed for a while, like years, and already had its peak as a Web2, as a normal game, and you want to give it a new life, or if you are just developing a game, and you want it to be Web3 and you don’t want to care about the blockchain part.”
What sets Qudo apart is their stance on tokenomics. Unlike many Web3 gaming platforms that encourage individual game tokens, Qudo provides a unified token economy. João states “You are not creating your own token, we don’t really believe in that. That’s, that’s going to be sustainable in the long run.”
The platform’s development has been methodical, prioritizing stability and actual utility over quick launches. With a small team of eight people, they’ve focused on creating what they describe as “The biggest platform, gaming platform out there, for the industry,” while maintaining their commitment to delivering a working product rather than just promises.
Simplifying Web3 Integration Via Qudo’s Technical Foundation & Infrastructure
Qudo’s technical infrastructure is built around a streamlined integration process that aims to minimize blockchain complexity for developers. The implementation process is straightforward. The Qudo founder emphasizes “You are a developer, you open your game in Unity, you drag and drop our technology, our SDK, you insert the app ID, and you are in Web3 automatically.”
The platform operates on a multi-chain infrastructure. In discussing their approach, Abrantes notes “We are actually multi chain. So most of the utilities I’ve described, they run on a blockchain called Telos, which is based on EOS IO technology.” The choice of Telos was strategic, Abrantes points out, highlighting its benefits: “it’s quite scalable, and fits our requirements as it’s very fast, very scalable, and over the years has had zero downtime [which allowed us to process] account creations and transactions.”
Additionally, Qudo has expanded its blockchain integration: “we are also integrated with Base blockchain. So we run these EVM smart contracts that allow us to communicate from Telos with other EVMS.” The platform plans to launch tokens “through Base to the Base blockchain.”
The platform offers what they call “vanilla features,” which include automatic token minting for active players and developers. Beyond these basic features, developers can implement additional functionality: “if you want to pay for bug bounties… if you want to reward your community for a certain achievement or a high score, then you need to spend a bit more time using the tool.”
To get started, developers must complete a simple registration process: “creating an account on Qudo as a game developer, creating a game in the platform. For that, you need to stake certain amount of Qudo [test] tokens in this phase.” During the testing phase, the platform provides test tokens to developers, ensuring a barrier-free entry point for experimentation.
A “Free-First” Approach Business Model & Monetization
Qudo has adopted a predominantly free platform model with strategic revenue streams from premium features. Abrantes points out “everything I mentioned is for free, even for freelancer to list their services, for a game to list, for a game developer to list his game their games, everything is for free.”
The platform’s core monetization strategy focuses on premium features and transactions. The Qudo team leader elaborates “we collect fees on premium features. If developer has enough purchases and locks in their games, we collect a fee. If the developer hires a service, we collect a fee. If developer is paying for a bug bounty, we collect the fee.” The fee structure is notably modest, “at the moment, the fee is very, very minimum. It’s just 1%.”
The platform implements a staking mechanism for participation: “You just need to get tokens, and stake those tokens, there will be a minimal requirement in terms of tokens in order to list a game or list a service, but this is still for free. Basically, you are just staking the [test] tokens.”
This approach reflects Qudo’s broader vision of creating a sustainable ecosystem. João mentions “we didn’t want to sell promises, and we wanted to create a circular economy.” This focus on sustainability has influenced their development timeline, with the team prioritizing platform stability and a functioning circular economy over rapid deployment.
In terms of user accessibility, Qudo emphasizes ease of entry: “the registration and the logging into Qudo is very, very simple, like web two.” This approach aims to convert traditional gamers to Web3 gradually: “we also want to convert normal players, normal game players that want to play fun games to Qudo without really caring if it’s Web2 or Web3.”
Developer-Centric Approach Focusing on Indie Development
Qudo has positioned itself specifically for indie developers and smaller studios, making a conscious decision about their target market. The platform currently hosts “43 games that are not from your studio,” demonstrating their commitment to supporting independent developers.
Their selection process for games is notably personal and qualitative. In outlining their strategy, Abrantes reveals “We are a small team. We work in an open space… whenever a game comes, we play the game, share the game with one another, and we discuss it in our office.”
The primary criteria for game selection focuses on two key aspects, “The major criteria for us is that the game is fun, is already has a lot of potential.” The platform is open to games at various stages of development. “Some of our games are small in terms of gameplay because the developers were only able to to develop part of the game. And for us, it’s fine, because we, again, our mission is to help those developers get to higher grounds.”
Notably, Qudo has taken a clear stance on larger studios. Reflecting on their development process, Abrantes remarks “if you are a bigger studio, you will want to create your own token… for the profitability, or short term profitability… and we don’t provide that.” Instead, they focus on developers who “really want to dedicate themselves to create a fun game” and potentially tap into both Web2 and Web3 communities.
The company itself operates with a unique team structure, maintaining an in-office presence in Portugal with eight team members. As João explains “We really believe in team spirit… Because, yeah, a team that’s committed, and that is can can share ideas just by asking the colleague on the other side of the table is a lot more effective. AWe create human bonds and a professional efficiency which is a lot better.”
Reimagining NFTs for Gaming As Qudo Innovates in Gaming Assets
Qudo is developing a distinctive approach to NFTs, which they term “interoperable gaming assets.” Abrantes clarifies that while this feature is already working on testnet, it “won’t be released at the time of the main net,” with plans for a later 2025 release.
Their approach aims to address fundamental issues with current gaming NFTs. Abrantes emphasizes “NFTs are a promising technology. They are a great fit to games, because everything is digital… What happens with the industry still nowadays… is that it was basically for false promise.”
“You have this NFT, which is like just some image or a skin, and then you have the registry on the blockchain saying that this account owned an asset but it wasn’t even on chain.”
The platform criticizes current NFT implementations in gaming: “You have this NFT, which is like just some image or a skin, and then you have the registry on the blockchain saying that this account owned an asset but it wasn’t even on chain.”
Qudo’s solution focuses on true decentralization of gaming assets. In his explanation “The light weight stuff, in terms of file size, lives on the blockchain. The heavyweight part, let’s say that model textures, the audio lives on a decentralized file storage like IPFS.” This approach ensures that “the full asset, everything, when it comes to sound, the VE certain assets, the scheme, the behavior, how it behaves in game, everything is decentralized.”
They’ve already implemented this technology in one of their games: “One of our three games is called NF Tribes. It’s a first person shooter, and you can actually create a weapon.” The system allows for true asset portability. “Whoever is owner of that weapon is able to import it and export it on games that are supported by Qudo.”
This approach differentiates itself from traditional gaming NFTs because, as stated by João “If you have an NFT that lives inside the game, and you cannot do anything else other than just saying that you own it… the utility is no longer interesting for people.”
Future Roadmap 2025 and Beyond
Qudo has outlined several key developments planned for 2025 and beyond, with a phased approach to feature releases. Their immediate focus is on their mainnet launch in Q1 2025, but their roadmap extends well beyond this milestone.
The platform has strategically timed their launch, with Abrantes points out “We believe that right now, with the platform stable as it is, with an interesting user base, the product is stable… and we are still in a positive market. So that’s the time for us to launch now.”
A key post-launch development will be the Qudo app, which aims to enhance user engagement. Through this app “Players on Qudo, they will be invited to some tournaments. There will be more close in relationship with the ecosystem and with the Qudo itself.” The app will also include “Creating a social network, very specific social network… for the developers to have their own specific community of game developers through the Google app where they can partner and do things together.”
The platform also plans to introduce a developer-publisher connection feature, described as “a platform where, let’s call them pro funders” can help developers. This aims to assist developers in two ways:
- “Release your game to other platforms with the help of the publisher”
- “Get funding to finalize your game, because it’s just an incomplete game at the moment”
Regarding partnerships, Qudo is “Favoring a lot the partners that are already operating in the industry.” They specifically seek cross-promotional opportunities “Where we promote projects that we believe are doing something good for the industry” and look for partnerships with “Engines and and other tools that do something in these value chain of helping developers.”
Building a Sustainable Web3 Gaming Ecosystem Final Thoughts
The Qudo platform represents a distinctive approach to Web3 gaming integration, one that prioritizes sustainability and accessibility over quick profits. Their seven-year development journey, though longer than initially anticipated, reflects their commitment to building a stable platform with genuine utility.
This is evidenced when the Qudo team leader outlines, “We didn’t want to sell promises, and we wanted to create a circular economy. In order to create a circular economy and have a product that’s available at the time of the launch… you need to create a lot of features.”
Their focus on indie developers and smaller studios, combined with their unique approach to NFTs and asset ownership, positions them differently in the Web3 gaming space. Rather than encouraging individual game tokens or speculative NFTs, Qudo has created a unified ecosystem where, players can “Play fun games to Qudo without really caring if it’s Web2 or Web3. Then by the end of the day, they will have these credits that they can use doing in our purchases.”
The platform’s ultimate mission extends beyond mere Web3 integration. As emphasized throughout the interview, they aim to help developers “Get to higher grounds, optimizing, getting to a community, having the numbers eventually to ask for support, to publish or to investor and showing the numbers.”
With their mainnet launch approaching in Q1 2025, followed by planned releases of their interoperable gaming assets and social features, Qudo is positioning itself as a comprehensive platform that bridges the gap between traditional gaming and Web3, while maintaining a clear focus on what matters most: creating and supporting fun, engaging games.
