Based out of an average-sized bedroom, crammed with gadgets in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Victor Ogunshina decided it was time to build for an industry he had long been invested in. From age 8 and 9 respectively, Victor and his co-founder, Charles Adenuoye had played all sorts of games; together and independently and soon decided that it was time to disrupt. “I could relate to the fact that we had spent so much money buying in-game items and there was minimal reward for the countless hours”, Victor said. His vision for blockchain gaming is to create a new kind of gaming experience that is more immersive, engaging and rewarding.

In an exclusive interview, Ogunshina shares his journey and vision for Bitsport, providing insights into the intersection of gaming and blockchain and his views about the future.

Victor’s initial exposure to blockchain came through peer-to-peer trading, the direct buying and selling of cryptocurrencies among users without intermediaries. Inspired by its decentralized nature as well as the concept of ownership and rewards, Victor saw an opportunity to enhance the gaming experience and empower gamers worldwide. Combining his expertise in both domains, Bitsport was born out of the desire to create a platform where gamers could truly own their assets and earn real value from their gaming.

While the traditional gaming industry continues to thrive, it faces a number of challenges: monetisation, lack of ownership and lack of transparency. These concerns are what blockchain games seek to solve. They use elements of the blockchain, particularly tokens, to change the way games are played and virtual goods are owned and traded. By leveraging blockchain technology, Bitsport aims to eliminate the traditional limitations and restrictions imposed on gamers by centralized gaming platforms.

Transforming The Gaming Landscape

By integrating crypto into popular games, Bitsport enables gamers to tap into a new level of excitement and engagement. Players can now create challenges, compete with other gamers and earn crypto as they showcase their skills and expertise in their favorite games. “We use games that people already love playing like FIFA counterstrike and Mortal Kombat. To play these, you can actually go to the Bitsport app, create challenges and earn crypto while leveraging on these games which you already play. However, this time around, you can actually play them and earn crypto.”, he said. “We created an ecosystem whereby traditional gamers don’t just play traditional games for fun only. Now, they create traditional games for fun while earning”, Victor added.

Bitsport’s journey also includes a strategic roadmap that focuses on the development of their own games. Recognizing the potential challenges associated with relying solely on third-party games, Bitsport decided to create their first game, an 8-ball pool billiard game.

“On our road map, we’ve decided to roll out our own games because leveraging on third-party games is not sustainable. For example, FIFA had issues with EA and which has actually made FIFA 23 the last FIFA that is going to be made“, Ogunshina said. “As a result, we decided to roll out our first game as an 8-ball pool billiard game and it’s the world’s first Web3 based 8-ball pool game. 8-ball already has a very huge audience of over a billion people and it’s Guinness World Records’ most downloaded billiard video game. These factors actually fit into our core business model, which is leveraging people’s favourite games and integrating a Web3 element to it. That’s what we did with Bitpool, it incentivizes gamers for playing 8-ball pro – with crypto”, he added.

Getting Started As A Player

Speaking on the process of getting started as a player, Victor emphasizes simplicity and accessibility. “To play the game, you just have to sign up. Once you sign up, you get 3 Quest credits, which is what you need to actually accept a Quest on the platform. Quests are AI based challenges that you just need to click”, he said. Now, here’s the exciting part: if you emerge victorious against the AI opponent, you will be rewarded with crypto automatically. The specific cryptocurrencies you can earn include $BUSD, $USDT and $CAKE. However, there is an exceptional quest called $BITP Quest, which can be accepted for free. By participating in any BITP quest and defeating the AI, you can earn $BITP.

One of the key differentiators of Bitsport lies in its approach to incentivizing and rewarding players. Unlike many other blockchain models or traditional gaming platforms, Bitsport eliminates the need for players to own in-game items or non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to interact with the game. This makes it incredibly accessible and easy for players to jump right into the action. By simply signing up and joining the platform, players can start playing against AI opponents and earn rewards directly, without any prerequisite ownership of NFTs or in-game assets.

Whether you prefer playing on PC, mobile, iPad, or even on your TV, Bitsport allows seamless multiplayer interactions across these devices. “You can play PC against mobile, mobile against iPad, PC against TV, TV against mobile”, Victor said. While the underlying technology is powered by blockchain, Bitsport has simplified the user experience by enabling gamers to join the platform using just their email address. “With just your email, literally anybody can join the platform. On the back end, we do the wallet creation and blockchain interaction. These are some of the exceptional features that make us stand out.”

Essential Qualities For Building

When asked about the qualities and skills that have been essential for building in the ecosystem, Victor highlights product and user centricity. “From my side, two big qualities have been the fact that I’m a very product-driven person as well as the fact that I’m very user centric”, he said. “It’s perfect because they complement each other and when we want to build any product, I usually make sure we consider users first. Once we put users first, we are able to better understand what is supposed to be built”, he added.

The Future Of Blockchain Gaming

Speaking on the future of blockchain gaming, Victor’s excitement is palpable. He believes that the future holds the promise of an open-source game development ecosystem. This means that gamers can now become active participants in the game development process right from the beginning. Through decentralized and community-driven building, gamers can contribute ideas, provide feedback and shape the direction of game development – increasing their sense of ownership and pride in the games they help shape. He expresses his excitement about players becoming integral participants in the ecosystem, not just passive consumers, but active contributors who add value to the gaming experience.

With true ownership of in-game items, effective reward systems and an open-source development ecosystem, blockchain gaming is certainly shaking things up.