Thread by @rapplerdotcom

In this episode of #BusinessSense, Rappler’s @RalfRivas talks to Nexplay president and co-founder Miguel Bernas about esports and the future of Web 3.0, NFTs, and blockchain gaming.

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@RalfRivas Nexplay’s Bernas: We call ourselves an esports ecosystem company. We bring together technology, esports teams, gamer KOLs, brands, and connect them with really passionate audiences. There’s a lot of passion and enthusiasm for gaming.

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@RalfRivas Nexplay’s Bernas: I gotta pay tribute to Gab (co-founder Gabriel Benito) and the team because they have done a marvelous job really growing this company and growing this community to where we are today.

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@RalfRivas Nexplay’s Bernas: We are at the nexus of two extremely fast-growing and very, very exciting industries. One is gaming and esports, and then the other is blockchain technology.

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@RalfRivas Nexplay’s Bernas: For somebody like myself who has been playing games, and being in the digital media industry for a very long time, this is a very interesting point in the industry as it shifts to a completely new business model.

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@RalfRivas Nexplay’s Bernas: We’re in the very early days in terms of blockchain technology, in terms of Web 3.0, and what people are excitedly referring to as the metaverse.

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@RalfRivas Nexplay’s Bernas: Nexplay is extremely well-placed to be one of the companies that will chart the future of that industry.

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@RalfRivas Nexplay’s Bernas: We’ve already established a pretty large network. We have some of the biggest names and biggest teams in the industry. Quite a large, enthusiastic community.

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@RalfRivas Nexplay’s Bernas: We have so far raised already about $2 million and it’s very exciting especially because we’re at a point now where we work with teams and influencers that have a cumulative reach of about 200 million followers.

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@RalfRivas Nexplay’s Bernas: We are about to start our Series A round. We’re going into it with a lot of strengths – a lot of those numbers in terms of audience size, our network.

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@RalfRivas Nexplay’s Bernas: Also we’re going in very strong in the sense that we’re now operationally profitable. We’ve got a comfortable amount of money in the bank but we want to be able to raise this new round so we can go into new areas.

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@RalfRivas Nexplay’s Bernas: In general, the pandemic has accelerated whatever trends were happening beforehand. Whether it’s the e-commerce industry or the way we work, it really accelerated the growth of all of these trends.

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@RalfRivas Nexplay’s Bernas: You can expect the same trend within the gaming industry. If you look at figures in the US, the gaming industry grew in one year, in 2020, the equivalent of four years of growth.

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@RalfRivas Nexplay’s Bernas: If you think about your own digital media consumption, it really makes sense. Most people are picking up their mobile devices, spending more time at their PCs, playing games, discovering new games.

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@RalfRivas Nexplay’s Bernas: You now have play-to-earn, which is an ability for a gamer to be able to actually earn money through playing games. That’s an interesting trend which, especially in the Philippines, has seen quite a bit of growth.

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@RalfRivas Nexplay’s Bernas on how to be a good gamer: You have to be super passionate because it takes literally hours and hours and hours of really, really getting good at the game.

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@RalfRivas Nexplay’s Bernas: If you have aspirations of forming a team or being represented by somebody like Nexplay, the first thing is to specialize.

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@RalfRivas Nexplay’s Bernas: Pick a popular game that you really want to get really good at. Find people like yourself – passionate and interested in the same game, and learn how to get good at it before you spread yourself too thin.

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@RalfRivas Nexplay’s Bernas: For example, in the case of Nexplay, “Mobile Legends” is one of the big ones.

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@RalfRivas Nexplay’s Bernas: Think about your team as a brand in the same way that the big brand names treat themselves. Your team has to be clearly differentiated. Branding, uniforms are a big part. Have a good online presence.

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@RalfRivas Nexplay’s Bernas: Finally, seek representation. That’s where a company like Nexplay comes in. We make superstars out of these teams. We can also act on your behalf in terms of finding sponsors.

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@RalfRivas Nexplay’s Bernas on Web 3.0: In a nutshell, it means you have interoperability between platforms.

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@RalfRivas Nexplay’s Bernas on Web 3.0: There is a stronger ability for individuals to become creators, and allow creators to monetize their own content more directly and have direct relationships with fans.

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@RalfRivas Nexplay’s Bernas on non-fungible tokens: I think we’re only seeing the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how NFTs are being applied. Just because you think that has no value for me, it doesn’t mean it has no value for other people.

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@RalfRivas Nexplay’s Bernas: NFT is a new kind of asset class. You may not understand the asset class today, but that doesn’t completely negate the value of that asset class.

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@RalfRivas Nexplay’s Bernas: I think the gaming industry, in general, is always at the cutting edge of technology. Gamers are usually some of the early adopters.

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@RalfRivas Nexplay’s Bernas on the metaverse: What I’m really looking forward to is less about the 3D or virtual environments and more about the interoperability.

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@RalfRivas Nexplay’s Bernas: I’d like to see a gaming future where all of that time you invested [in a game] can be exported or carried over seamlessly into another game.

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@RalfRivas And that’s a wRap! Watch the full episode here: rappler.com/business/busin…