How HyperPlay Is Building a Web3 Game Store with the MetaMask Developer Suite

HyperPlay, a gaming infrastructure company, has built a web3 native game store that distributes web2 and web3 games. Their mission is to enhance the web3 gaming user experience by integrating interoperability of digital assets, on-chain reputation, and seamless wallet integration into web3 gaming. Currently, HyperPlay has a collection of 67 games in their store, featuring titles from renowned gaming studios such as Square Enix, Animoca, and others. HyperPlay’s store also includes the entire games library from Epic Games and GOG.

The platform is cross-chain and supports games built on Ethereum and every EVM chain, Cosmos, Solana, Starkware, and Sui, with plans to expand support to additional blockchains. Additionally, HyperPlay is cross-platform compatible, offering support for operating systems including Windows, Steam Deck, MacOS, and Linux. Native Windows games can also be launched on MacOS, Linux, or SteamDeck using HyperPlay’s integration of gaming compatibility libraries.

This case study explores how the MetaMask Developer suite empowers HyperPlay to achieve its mission of bringing immersive gaming experience to web3 players.

The challenge: Enable seamless web3 wallet support for game developers and immersive gameplay for users

To meet their objective of immersive gameplay and interoperability in web3 gaming, HyperPlay recognizes the necessity for players to use the same wallets across different games and not be forced to create a new wallet for each game that they play. Moreover, to streamline new player onboarding, wallets must be configured so that players aren't forced to exit the game to a separate website to access the web3 aspects of the game.

A common approach in the current web3 gaming landscape to address this issue involves the use of embedded proprietary wallets. Here, game developers are tasked with creating their own single-game siloed wallets to provide a seamless in-game experience. However, this poses a significant challenge for developers and players, as these wallets increase the friction for playing the game for players who already have a wallet, and they also undermine the interoperability between games because it is difficult to use the assets in these wallets outside of the game.

Furthermore, game developers prefer to spend time designing games rather than developing custom wallets and infrastructure with multiple SDK and wallet integrations to ensure cross-chain support for their games.

The solution: Improved UX and interoperability with the MetaMask Wallet API and SDK

By integrating with the MetaMask Wallet API and SDK, HyperPlay is building a seamless onboarding experience for players. When players encounter their first on-chain transaction without a wallet, they will be able to sign up and onboard a MetaMask wallet in-game. An overlay is displayed on top of the game, and the MetaMask onboarding flow is streamed to the user using graphical libraries like OpenGL, DirectX, or Vulkan. User interactions are streamed back, leading to calls to the HyperPlay wallet API, which are then directed to the MetaMask Wallet API.

Developers don’t need to embed an SDK or include any sort of code or package inside their game either. All they need to do is call the HyperPlay API, which then routes these calls to the MetaMask Wallet API, serving as a communication library for MetaMask.

HyperPlay was also able to leverage MetaMask Wallet API for authentication and sign-in processes, facilitating transactions in games’ marketplaces for buying and selling gaming items, and offering game developers access to a vast user base with significant liquidity—all without the burden of game developers having to manage the wallet integration on their own.

Building new onboarding experiences for web3 users with MetaMask Snaps

HyperPlay recently introduced Snaps to their game store, with the next step focused on Snaps adoption by game developers. The Snaps integration aims to further enhance the user and developer experience on HyperPlay as the games can prompt users to use specific Snaps beneficial to their gameplay.

The first use of Snaps on HyperPlay involves non-EVM Snaps that enable players to interact with games on non-EVM blockchains through MetaMask. This feature helps developers of games on non-EVM blockchains to access MetaMask’s vast user base of web3 natives and the liquidity in their wallets. It is also beneficial for players who want to play games available on non-EVM chains but lack knowledge of those blockchains. If the player does not have the required Snap installed, the game can prompt the Snap installation and allow the player to continue the game.

Another area HyperPlay is investigating is Account Abstraction and Contract Account Allowances. This focus is especially relevant for games generating a high volume of transaction requests daily. Implementing Contract Account Allowances can be beneficial as conducting numerous transactions in-game can negatively impact user experience and security.

An Account Abstraction Snap can offer a solution by allowing players to deposit a specific amount into a contract account, this account can then use session keys to grant and revoke auto-spendable allowances to particular games, up to a user-defined threshold.

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