9 January 2026 | Weekly news roundup

[0:29] BoomLand has announced it's shutting down.

[2:35] It never raised much money but it was always very good at building product.

[6:50] It's another example of how hard it is to operate in the blockchain game sector.

[7:48] But its game Hunters On Chain will remain live during 2026.

[11:18] Due to botting, SLP is no longer a token players can earn in Axie Infinity: Origins.

[14:58] This reminds us that extractive value always has been balanced by similar input costs.

[20:37] Mythical Games is one of the most credible mass market blockchain game companies.

[21:34] It's launching a new stablecoin-based market called Pulse Market.

[22:36] Paid tournament Pulse Arena platform is also live for the Pudgy Party game.

[24:02] One tournament example is paying $3 entry for the chance to win $90, all in PENGU token.

[25:58] The only thing that's onchain is the fee payment system and the reward payouts.

[30:53] It's difficult to balance blockchain benefits and easy UX, which is what Mythical is trying to do.