Episode 67
#66 - Arbitrum Gaming Ventures Meets Wildcard: Dan Peng and Blake Waddington on Scaling Web3 Gaming, Blockchain Infrastructure, and Community-Led Esports
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🎙️ In this episode of The Web3 Gamer, I sit down with Dan Peng — Founding Partner of Arbitrum Gaming Ventures — and Blake Waddington — Community Lead at Wildcard — to explore how blockchain, Web3 gaming, and community-driven ecosystems are converging to shape the future of play.
As one of the builders behind Arbitrum Gaming Ventures (AGV), Dan is helping lead a $200M initiative dedicated to accelerating gaming and entertainment adoption on the Arbitrum platform. With a background spanning strategy consulting at BCG, co-founding roles in protocols like Vela, and nearly a decade in tech and SaaS, Dan brings sharp insight into how capital, infrastructure, and ecosystem design can unlock breakthrough Web3 games.
Blake joins from Wildcard, a 2v2 collectible card action game (CCAG) built by the creators of Words With Friends and Age of Empires. As Community Lead, he’s focused on growing Wildcard’s player base and bridging the gap between traditional esports audiences and blockchain-powered interactive entertainment.
In this episode, we dig into:
🔹 Dan’s Journey Into Web3 Gaming & Venture Building
From consulting to co-founding Web3 protocols and now leading Arbitrum Gaming Ventures, Dan shares how his career evolved into reshaping blockchain gaming ecosystems.
🔹 The Arbitrum Gaming Ventures Mission
We explore how AGV is connecting founders with capital, tools, and support to launch breakout Web3 projects — and why a long-term strategy matters for sustainable adoption.
🔹 Inside Wildcard: A Next-Gen Web3 Esports Game
Blake breaks down how Wildcard blends action, strategy, and community into a blockchain-powered competitive game, and how players are responding to the shift toward ownership and interactivity.
🔹 Why Community Is the Real Moat in Web3 Gaming
We discuss why community-led growth is essential for Web3 titles, and how Wildcard is experimenting with new models for engagement, fan participation, and esports culture.
🔹 Player Experience vs. Play-to-Earn Hype
Dan and Blake share perspectives on why Web3’s success depends on creating engaging, retentive gameplay — not just token incentives — and what lessons have been learned from early failures.
🔹 What’s Next for AGV and Wildcard
From ecosystem investments to Wildcard’s roadmap, we dive into what’s coming next and how both teams are building for mass adoption of blockchain gaming.
As forward-thinking leaders in the Web3 entertainment space, Dan Peng and Blake Waddington are helping pioneer a future where blockchain, esports, and community-powered economies converge to unlock entirely new categories of digital play.
📢 Tune in now to hear how Arbitrum Gaming Ventures and Wildcard are reinventing Web3 gaming with community-driven ecosystems, breakthrough gameplay, and the infrastructure to scale globally.
Links to Arbitrum's Socials:
Links to Wildcard's Socials:
Stay tuned for more episodes as we continue our deep dive into the latest trends and innovations in Web3 gaming. The future is now—let's jump in together! 🎮
Shoutout to my good friend Cheeky Face for making the intro to my podcast. Give him a like, listen and stream.
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