What Game Developers Learned About Blockchain and Mobile Trends at the 2018 Game Tech Salon

Event Overview

On March 30, 2018, iTechClub and 37 Interactive Entertainment co‑hosted the "2018 Game Technology Trend Salon" in Guangzhou, themed "Game Puzzle Chain". The summit brought together leading game‑tech figures from Tencent, 37 Interactive, Giant Interactive, Kaixin, Youzu, Cocos, Layabox, and many other studios, marking the first high‑level game‑technology gathering since the CIGC conference.

Opening Remarks on Industry Hotspots

37 Interactive CTO Zhu Huai‑min opened the salon by reviewing the company’s technical achievements over the past year, highlighting innovations in mobile and H5 games and their market impact, and expressing a desire to explore blockchain gaming together with the industry.

Battle‑Royale Architecture Deep Dive

Senior architect Han Wei from Tencent delivered a keynote titled "Detailed Analysis of PUBG Game Architecture". He explained how massive real‑time information is exchanged across multiple processes, the use of message‑queue services and cluster communication for load balancing, and the application of distributed caching for matchmaking and server synchronization.

WeChat Mini‑Games Insights

Layabox founder Xie Chenghong presented data on WeChat mini‑games, noting that within a month of launch there were tens of thousands of mini‑game projects, with a growing number of high‑quality 3D and SLG titles. He argued that social relationships will replace traditional core gameplay as the primary driver of success, making 2018 the "year of WeChat mini‑games".

Blockchain Gaming Perspectives

The panel then focused on blockchain gaming. Kaixin Network has officially established a blockchain division concentrating on content platforms. 37 Interactive CTO Zhu noted that companies with existing user bases have an advantage in building game‑specific public chains. Cocos founder Wang Zhe observed that blockchain’s hype curve mirrors that of VR/AR, moving from bubble to value, requiring both technical breakthroughs and conceptual innovation.

Youzu CTO Li Zhan imagined a future where smart contracts enable a "forge" model, allowing players and developers to jointly determine equipment drops, potentially extending game lifecycles. Giant Interactive’s Hu Yuaxing highlighted blockchain’s trust mechanism as especially applicable to gambling, reducing fraud and enabling cross‑game asset exchange via public chains.

Some attendees reported building public chains for game asset resources, achieving notable revenue and traffic gains, and warned that traditional pay‑to‑unlock models may be severely challenged under blockchain architectures.