Layer 3 (L3) is a blockchain architecture tier that follows Layer 1 (L1) and Layer 2 (L2), designed specifically for certain application scenarios such as gaming and social networks. Its aim is to further optimize performance, reduce costs, and enhance scalability. Unlike L2, L3 uniquely focuses on specific domains to improve the blockchain experience while maintaining compatibility with underlying L1 and L2 layers. Particularly in the gaming sector, L3 provides a more flexible development environment and optimized performance for blockchain games, enabling developers to create more interactive gaming experiences while lowering user transaction fees and improving game execution speed.

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In the realm of Layer 3 for blockchain games, B3 and XAI are two prominent platforms. While both aim to enhance on-chain game performance and user experience, they have different focuses in their implementation approaches.

B3’s architecture emphasizes scalability and multi-chain compatibility, making it suitable for cross-chain game development. However, it relies on the Base ecosystem, which may limit its capabilities in non-EVM compatible scenarios. In contrast, XAI is built on Arbitrum’s Layer 3 architecture, focusing on increasing transaction throughput and reducing latency, making it ideal for on-chain games that require fast transaction confirmations. Although XAI is not as flexible as B3 in terms of multi-chain compatibility, it offers higher transaction processing efficiency, suitable for high-performance games.

Regarding market expansion, B3 has shown strong performance in the Asian market, while XAI has gained rapid global attention through its collaboration with Binance Launchpool. However, it may not penetrate some local markets as effectively as B3.

How does Layer 3 (L3) drive innovation and development in blockchain gaming?

The application of Layer 3 (L3) networks in blockchain gaming primarily enhances transaction processing capabilities by optimizing consensus mechanisms and introducing data sharding technology, ensuring rapid transfer and trading of in-game assets. These improvements effectively reduce transaction delays, allowing players to receive more timely feedback and improving the overall gaming experience.

In terms of costs, L3 lowers transaction fees through optimized consensus mechanisms and economic model designs, alleviating burdens for both players and developers. By utilizing more efficient smart contracts and virtual machine technologies, L3 enhances the utilization of computational and storage resources, further reducing operational costs while boosting system performance. Additionally, L3 offers highly customizable features, enabling developers to adjust smart contracts and application logic according to game requirements, supporting complex game mechanics and interactions. This flexibility is also reflected in L3’s support for various digital assets, such as NFTs and tokens, providing more options for asset management and trading within the game economy.

Moreover, L3’s strong compatibility allows for integration with other blockchain networks, facilitating the smooth migration of existing game projects to the L3 platform and achieving interoperability with other blockchain ecosystems. This characteristic enables the expansion of the gaming ecosystem. In practical applications, L3 can be used to build decentralized in-game economic systems that support asset circulation and trading, increasing transparency and security in the gaming economy.

However, the application of L3 in blockchain gaming still faces several challenges. Despite its enhanced scalability, there may still be performance bottlenecks in high-frequency trading game scenarios, leading to prolonged transaction confirmation times and negatively impacting player experience. From a development perspective, L3’s modular and highly customizable architecture, while providing flexibility, also increases complexity. Developers must master multi-layer blockchain architectures, smart contracts, and cryptographic technologies, which can be a barrier for traditional game developers. Additionally, L3’s user experience presents obstacles; reliance on decentralized wallets and gas fees may cause technical difficulties for ordinary players during operations. This complexity limits the widespread adoption of blockchain games.

Overall, L3 offers a new technological path for the development of blockchain gaming, but before large-scale application, issues related to on-chain performance, development complexity, and user experience need to be addressed.

B3 and XAI: The Duel of Game L3 Titans

B3 and XAI are two prominent Layer 3 (L3) projects currently attracting attention in the blockchain gaming sector. Both aim to drive the development of blockchain games by providing high-performance, low-cost, and customizable blockchain infrastructure.

B3: A Layer 3 Gaming Chain Based on Base

B3 is an L3 blockchain ecosystem specifically designed for crypto games, built on Base and developed by NPC Labs, with team members hailing from Coinbase and the Ethereum community. This ecosystem aims to enhance performance and reduce transaction fees through horizontal scaling, providing a smoother experience for game developers and players. B3 has received support from Pantera Capital and successfully raised $18 million for its development and ecosystem expansion.

B3’s technical architecture addresses performance challenges in blockchain gaming with the following solutions:

• Horizontal Scalability: B3 employs a horizontally scalable architecture that supports multiple game instances running on different chains, improving transaction processing capabilities and throughput to accommodate a large user base.
• Efficient Transactions and Low Costs: As a Layer 2 network based on Base, B3 reduces transaction fees for in-game asset transfers and interactions, lowering operational costs.
• Multi-Chain Compatibility: B3 supports interoperability across multiple EVM chains, allowing game developers to flexibly integrate different blockchain functionalities. It can operate as an independent gaming chain while also connecting with existing blockchain ecosystems to enable functionality and asset interchange.
• Optimized Smart Contract Execution: B3 optimizes its smart contract architecture to reduce latency in executing game logic, supporting complex game mechanics and interactions while ensuring blockchain security and transparency.

In addition, B3 has launched the BSMNT.fun platform, which integrates a game discovery engine and social interaction features, allowing players to participate in game decisions and interactions via blockchain. Currently, over 20 game studios have joined the platform, including Mighty Bear Games and Infinigods. B3 provides development tools and documentation to help game developers easily build and deploy on-chain games, simplifying the use of blockchain infrastructure.

B3 is actively expanding its business in the Asian market, particularly in South Korea and Japan, focusing on the development of casual and hyper-casual games, attracting numerous developers and players. Some on-chain game projects, such as DEAR and Dino Runner 3D, have utilized B3’s high-performance architecture and low transaction costs to provide rich gaming experiences. After the mainnet launch of B3, the number of users and developers has been steadily increasing, demonstrating its expansion potential in the on-chain gaming sector.

XAI: An L3 Gaming Chain Officially Supported by Arbitrum

XAI is a Layer 3 blockchain platform based on Arbitrum, designed specifically for game development, aiming to provide high-performance, low-cost on-chain infrastructure for Web3 games. Powered by its XAI token, the platform seeks to simplify the user experience, particularly by reducing the complexity of interactions between traditional gamers and cryptocurrency wallets. XAI has completed three rounds of funding, raising a total of $10 million, which will be used for infrastructure development, ecosystem expansion, and developer incentive programs. Additionally, XAI has become the 43rd project on Binance Launchpool, gaining increased global attention through this partnership.

XAI’s technical architecture includes:

• Arbitrum technology stack: XAI is built on the Arbitrum Nitro technology and employs Arbitrum’s AnyTrust architecture, ensuring high security and low-latency transaction capabilities.
• Low costs and fast transactions: XAI supports up to 10,000 transactions per second with nearly instant final confirmations, optimized for the high-frequency trading demands of on-chain games while maintaining extremely low transaction costs. This enables XAI to handle asset transfers among a large number of players, particularly suitable for games that require frequent transactions, such as role-playing or PvP battle games.
• Smart contract support: XAI provides SDKs that support Unity and Unreal game engines, allowing developers to easily integrate Web3 functionalities into their games and deploy them directly on the XAI network. The toolkit also offers simplified API interfaces.

The XAI platform supports users in conducting asset transactions within games and simplifies the trading process without requiring a cryptocurrency wallet, thereby streamlining the process of trading and collecting items. To lower the barrier to entry for Web3 games, XAI has introduced account abstraction and social login features, allowing players to log into games using their social accounts without directly using a crypto wallet. This design makes it easier for traditional gamers to participate in blockchain gaming.

XAI has also established a $100 million gaming incentive fund to support the development of innovative gaming projects. Additionally, XAI supports multi-chain interoperability, allowing digital assets to be transferred and traded across chains, creating an open trading market that promotes the development of the on-chain gaming economy.

XAI’s market vision is to establish an open ecosystem for game asset trading, attracting more users by lowering the entry barriers. Currently, several games are being developed or have already launched on the platform, including Crypto Unicorns, Planet X, Final Form, and Valeria, covering genres such as PvP battles and role-playing. The XAI platform has successfully attracted a number of developers and has entered the mainnet operational phase, with plans to further expand its ecosystem in the future to support more Web3 gaming projects and attract mainstream gamers.

Summary

B3 and XAI, as two major Layer 3 projects in the blockchain gaming sector, provide significant support for the development of on-chain games through their unique technical architectures and market strategies. B3 stands out with its multi-chain compatibility and high scalability, particularly excelling in the Asian market while showcasing significant advantages in community interaction and social gameplay. In contrast, XAI leverages the Arbitrum technology stack to deliver a low-latency, high-throughput gaming experience and has achieved global market expansion through its partnership with Binance Launchpool.

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