The Format #033
Double Monopoly, Crypto Cars, and the Genius of the Battle Pass
Happy Friday!!
Here’s a rundown of everything we’ll be diving into today:
How to get an onchain car, and why you’d want to.
A world without Google, just imagine…
Why it’s wrong to have a monopoly on one of the biggest markets in the world 👀
How Reddit could become profitable after 20 years in business
McDonald’s Monopoly, spinning wheels and the dark side of ‘gamification’
Anyway, let’s dive in…
Now That Google is a Monopolist, What’s Next?
Google has officially been ruled as having an illegal monopoly over search in the US. While this result is a big deal, it probably won’t have much of an effect. Through a series of Google appeals, a decision around the ‘punishment’ most likely won’t happen till the end of 2026.
You might get a discount or free coffee but you’re also being played by the multi-billion dollar gamification industry
This article is a good gamification 101, it looks at some great examples at how to turn marketing into a game (who doesn’t love McDonald’s Monopoly…), why gamification actually works and then some it’s the darker elements and applications.
Our take: ‘Gamification’ is a popular piece of jargon and in practice is often incredibly superficial. The interesting part is the psychology and business models that have caused the games industry to thrive. These game mechanics with a carefully crafted ‘game economy’ = the models of the future.
Reddit might let users make paid subreddits
With 91 million daily active users and having been in business for 20 years and never turned a profit, Reddit has been exploring more ways to make money. One way they want do this is through paid gated subreddits. They haven’t shared too much about this, but to avoid another set of Reddit protests, they will have to make sure that whatever they do is user-centric. Maybe a system that streams money in real time to the creators and top contributors of these subreddits could be the solution? 👀
Breaking up Google would offer a chance to remodel the web
“On a web dominated by Google’s model of tracking-based advertising it’s extremely hard for pro-user approaches to thrive. That’s the real harm flowing from Google’s monopoly.”
Whilst it may be a slight stretch to say that Google essentially owns the web, they certainly have caused business models that productise the user to become the norm.
Sustainable user-centric models can and do exist though, models where both a company and their community can benefit from a flourishing digital economy. In a world without a Google monopoly, these models could gain even more momentum.
Fortnite will bring Battle Pass rewards back around
Fortnite’s Battle Pass is actually very interesting, and offers a business model that could work outside the world of gaming. Essentially you pay for the opportunity to earn exclusive and limited edition characters, items and rewards within the game.
Battle Passes can be bought every ‘season’ (about 10 weeks) giving the company predictable recurring revenue. Since the player has paid for the pass they want to get all the rewards it offers, this concept of loss aversion drives constant engagement, it’s powerful.
California digitises car titles, putting 42 million vehicles on the blockchain
For quite a few years now there has been (sometimes heated) discussion around the blockchain’s potential for validating ownership of assets like houses and cars. California is testing this in a big way by digitising all of their vehicles in a bid to massively streamline the processes linked to vehicle ownership.
If it’s successful, then soon we might all have onchain cars…
TON wants to bring all of Telegram's 950M users into web3
If you make adoption easy, people will embrace web3. Telegram is doing a great job at showing this right now, with users being able to use a whole range of different onchain apps without ever having to leave Telegram.
That’s all for this week.
Have a great weekend, Dan and the OPENFORMAT team 👋🏽
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Prompt (Generated by DALLE-2): “An ominous scene depicting the masterminds of Google playing a giant game of Monopoly. The Monopoly board is central and clear, with the Google logo prominently displayed. The board features tech-themed properties and game pieces styled as tech gadgets. The figures around the board are shadowy and mysterious, adding an ominous touch. The lighting is darker and more dramatic, casting long shadows. The background is minimal, focusing on the board and logo to create a straightforward composition with a slightly eerie atmosphere, emphasizing the game and Google's presence.”