Zebedee, a fintech and payments processor, has partnered with Bitnob to allow African gamers to earn Bitcoin while playing classic games such as Counter-Strike. The partnership will provide African users with a new way to earn Bitcoin through Zebedee-powered apps and games. The offering serves as a second layer in games that allows developers to replace vague in-game points rewards with satoshis, the smallest denomination of Bitcoin. These, in turn, can be converted to a local currency like the Nigerian nairas.
The partnership was driven by game developers who had Bitcoin in mind for tournaments and other gaming rewards. Zebedee’s chief strategy officer, Ben Cousens, explained that the Bitcoin Lightning Network will allow game developers to offer rewards to African gamers without the high costs associated with fiat rails.
“If I’m Activision Blizzard or EA Games and I have 30 million players of my games in Africa, and I run tournaments or giveaways, I cannot pay those players on fiat rails — it is too expensive. I am limited to the U.S., and I lose money from loss of engagement. Try sending $0.01 to these territories on another rail,” Cousens said.
Africa benefits from a young demographic and a digitally native population. Cousens continued, “We’ve seen consistent evidence of high demand for our platform across the African continent, where the purchasing power of Bitcoin is considerably higher than markets like the U.S. and Europe.”
The partnership between Zebedee and Bitnob highlights the growing trend of using the Bitcoin Lightning Network in gaming. Cousens stated that it is a natural evolution of the interactive entertainment landscape, where “Rewarded Play” provides meaningful performance uplift for game developers against a backdrop of slowing growth in mobile gaming revenue while engaging players in a fun and creative way.
In addition to its partnership with Bitnob, Zebedee has also launched its own mobile game, Infuse Challenge. The game allows players to earn Bitcoin by completing simple challenges and is powered by the Bitcoin Lightning Network. The company is also working on a gaming platform that will allow game developers to integrate Bitcoin Lightning Network payments into their games.
Zebedee’s innovative use of the Bitcoin Lightning Network in gaming has the potential to revolutionize the way gamers earn rewards and interact with their favorite games. With the growing popularity of Bitcoin in Africa, it is likely that more African gamers will be eager to take advantage of this new way to earn Bitcoin while playing their favorite games.
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