YGG Play Summit 2025 elevates Web3 creators, emphasizes digital upskilling

By Jomarc Angelo M. Corpuz, Special Features and Content Writer

The Yield Guild Games (YGG) Play Summit 2025 drew more than 5,600 local and international in-person attendees from Nov. 19-22 to the SMX Convention Center at SM Aura in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.

This year’s “City of Play” theme was a celebration of the trailblazing content creators whose impact and influence are moving Web3 gaming from niche to mainstream. To achieve this, the YGG Play Summit provided a platform for rising Web3 content creators to network with potential new partners and improve their business acumen through interactive sessions, while refining their craft in front of a global audience.

“We’ve seen very talented people come [into our community], who started as volunteers and scholars, and now they’re project founders leading companies, now they’re e-sports players and top creators,” said Gabby Dizon, co-founder of YGG.

“This kind of opportunity is the reason why YGG exists, and this is why we do what we do. We’d like people to remember the experiences and the opportunities here, so we’d have something to look forward to again next year,” he added.

To kick off the YGG Play Summit, a live recording of LOL Lounge, YGG Play’s podcast on the business of Web3 game publishing, delved into strategies for building successful, sustainable careers in content creation.

The special episode featured GamingGrid Co-Founder YellowPanther and Gaming Daily Founder Iceyyy, two leading content creators and ambassadors for YGG Play who built their brands throughout the pandemic, in conversation with YGG Co-Founder Gabby Dizon and host Leah Callon-Butler of Emfarsis.

They explored what makes brand-creator partnerships work in Web3, underscoring that long-term success comes from authentic alignment over short-term profit, real enthusiasm for the games they review, and a commitment to a more professional approach.

The summit placed equal emphasis on upskilling through their initiative, Metaversity Interactive, recognizing that creators, students, and builders all need access to practical education to thrive in an industry defined by rapid technological change.

The program brought together industry, government, and academic leaders to work with students to identify in-demand Web3 and AI skills, and assess candidate readiness. Insights gathered from the forum will inform future Metaversity programs to meet real-world market needs.

“We took gaming beyond just games to learning skills as we were playing together. We started to learn together and saw how gaming can be a point of entry for Filipino talent. Today, it has become a pathway, really, into digital careers, creative industries, and global economic participation,” YGG Co-Founder Mench Dizon said during the third day of the summit.

The session was attended by more than 50 participants, including representatives from YGG, YGG Pilipinas, Mysten Labs, Earnscape, The9Bit, CCP Games, Gunzilla Games, OP Games, Coins.ph, and the DICT, as well as graduates of the Sui Builder Program.

The GAM3 Awards by GAM3S.GG brought its in-person ceremony back to Manila for a second year in a row as well. The awards body honors the best in Web3 gaming with one of the most prestigious titles awarded being Creator of the Year, previously won by YellowPanther (2024), Sam Steffanina (2023), and Brycent (2022).

This year, it went to Cagyjan, co-founder of the Silly Kitties IP and one of the earliest content creators in Web3, starting with Axie Infinity in 2020.