Glance to offer NFTs in games on smartphone lockscreens

Lockscreen content provider Glance, which became a unicorn in December 2020, said it will offer non-fungible token (NFT) based gaming assets and experiences on smartphone lockscreens. Glance also announced that it has acquired Gambit, a gaming company, which will help them launch creator-led NFTs.  

Piyush Shah, co-founder, InMobi Group and president and COO of Glance said that we will launch creator-led NFTs for live gaming, which will generate unique ‘play-to-earn’ and ‘play-to-own’ opportunities for the gaming community.  

Glance is one of the leading service providers of lockscreen content on Android devices and has over 45 million monthly active users across Asia. It’s available on smartphones of several Chinese brands including Xiaomi. In February, Glance entered a business partnership with Mukesh Ambani’s Jio Platforms and will be offering its lockscreen platform on the JioPhone Next smartphones.  

On the other hand, Gambit is known for a skill gaming platform called Nostragamus that has amassed over 10 million registered users. Gambit offers engaging live gaming experiences, game shows, tournaments, and game streaming on lockscreen.  

According to Glance, NFTs on its platform will be provided in live gaming and it willallow creators, streamers, and developers to monetise assets and experiences.  

Also read: Gaming industry gears up for Asian Games but challenges remain

The growing interest in NFTs and the potential to monetise through them has made them immensely popular with content creators and gaming companies across the world including in India. Several established gaming companies including Gameloft and Ubisoft have experimented with NFTs in some of their leading games.  

Glance’s decision to offer NFTs on live games stems from the fact that more Android users are engaging with content on lockscreen now.  

“Giving users live, connected, interactive gaming experiences on the lock screen is key to Glance’s vision of building the world’s largest live internet platform,” Shah added.  

NFTs would give them another reason to explore and spend time on the lockscreen platform. This would further drive up user engagement for Glance and help it onboard gamers interested in NFTs.  

Yashashvi Takallapalli, co-founder and CEO of Gambit points out, we have already started seeing traction for live gaming on Glance. “For instance, over 10 million users watch live game streams on Glance every week now,” he added.  

NFTs are digital assets that can be linked to any digital file such as photos, game assets, or properties in metaverse. They can be minted on Blockchain platforms and have unique identifier codes, which ensures they cannot be copied or sold without the knowledge or consent of owners. When sold on marketplaces they fetch decent revenue and even royalty on future sales.