How SKALE is Transforming Blockchain with Zero Gas Fees and Unmatched Scalability for the Next Generation of Web3 Applications

by
Victoria d’Este

Revealed: November 26, 2024 at 10:22 am Up to date: November 26, 2024 at 10:22 am

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Edited and fact-checked:
November 26, 2024 at 10:22 am

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With a powerful give attention to decentralization, excessive throughput, and nil gasoline charges, SKALE is shortly turning into a prime platform for builders on the lookout for quick and environment friendly blockchain options.

On this interview, we spoke with Andrew Saunders, the Chief Advertising and marketing and Development Officer at SKALE, who brings over 20 years of promoting expertise from top-tier corporations like Amazon and Inventive Artists Company. Andrew shares his journey from Hollywood to Web3, the improvements driving SKALE’s success, and the thrilling way forward for the platform because it empowers builders, notably within the gaming business. He additionally gives insights into the rising potential of Web3 adoption and what SKALE is doing to be on the forefront of this event.

Are you able to share your journey to Web3?

I’ve been a marketer for about 20 years. I’ve labored with—I’d say—over 250 main manufacturers and possibly over 300 artists.

Simply to present some background: I’m a former Hollywood man. I used to symbolize among the prime 1% of Hollywood expertise at Inventive Artists Company, which was, on the time, the main expertise company on this planet. My function there was to bridge Madison Avenue and Silicon Valley.

For main manufacturers like Nike, Apple, and Amazon, I helped leverage leisure and tradition to achieve youthful shoppers who reside in several channels and eat media in distinctive methods. Many conventional manufacturers don’t perceive this, and my job was to construct that bridge.

When Silicon Valley emerged, very like we see now with crypto, corporations realized they might leverage Hollywood and movie star tradition to achieve the plenty in significant methods. Early on, I labored with Fb and Twitter. For instance, I labored with Zuckerberg to assist deliver celebrities onto Fb.

When it comes to crypto, I’ve at all times been enthusiastic about rising applied sciences. I used to be early in digital and social media, VR, AR, AI, and machine studying. Blockchain is only a pure extension of that.

I obtained the crypto “bug” once I realized how blockchain might affect not simply finance however so many facets of life. I’ve been notably enthusiastic about DeSci for over three years. For instance, Large Pharma develops cures based mostly on profitability, however what if folks might crowdsource scientists to analysis cures for much less prioritized illnesses?

I’m additionally a Web2 VC, investing in female-founded startups and direct-to-consumer companies. In rising industries, infrastructure is often probably the most steady space. That’s why I initially joined corporations like Arbitrum and Chainlink, finally turning into Arbitrum’s first CMO.

After working in varied verticals and DeFi initiatives, I joined SKALE because the Chief Advertising and marketing and Development Officer. I had already been advising SKALE and was impressed by its highly effective expertise, so I made a decision to hitch full-time.

Are you able to elaborate on the particular technical limitations of Ethereum that led to the creation of SKALE’s modular blockchain resolution?

If you happen to have a look at Ethereum, there are well-known limitations, notably round gasoline charges. Throughout bull markets, gasoline charges surge dramatically, and scalability turns into a serious difficulty.

That is the place scalability options are available. For instance, Arbitrum—the place I beforehand labored—is a Layer 2 resolution constructed to resolve Ethereum’s scalability points. However Layer 2 options usually depend on centralized sequencers, which implies they don’t seem to be actually decentralized.

SKALE is deliberately constructed otherwise. It’s not a Layer 2 resolution. As a substitute, it’s a community of Layer 1 chains that leverage Ethereum in distinctive methods. This implies SKALE can supply zero gasoline charges whereas sustaining decentralization.

Our structure gives superior scalability with out compromising the decentralization ethos of blockchain expertise. It’s one of many key differentiators that make SKALE stand out.

How do you see the present state of Layer 1 and Layer 2 options? Who’s successful the market?

Proper now, there’s extra give attention to Layer 1 options, and I feel that’s the fitting method. Layer 2 options are typically centralized, usually working extra like Web2 corporations due to their centralized sequencers.

Decentralization is one in every of blockchain’s core values, and SKALE embraces that with its distinctive Layer 1 structure. Our give attention to decentralization and scalability units us aside on this aggressive market.

SKALE has two kinds of chains—hub and app chains. Are you able to clarify their advantages, notably for gaming?

SKALE’s gas-free mannequin works on a subscription foundation, like software-as-a-service. Builders lease block house on SKALE chains by paying a subscription price, which then rewards validators. In the case of hub chains and app chains, the selection relies on the block house necessities of a decentralized utility.

For gaming, a hub chain like Nebula is good for smaller video games or video games that don’t want a lot block house initially. A number of video games can share the identical chain, renting block house collectively. App chains, alternatively, are devoted chains for purposes that want extra block house. 

Why is SKALE so centered on gaming?

Gaming aligns naturally with SKALE’s high-throughput and gas-free structure. Video games generate monumental transaction volumes, and our expertise ensures no congestion, lag, or crashes—points that plague different blockchains throughout excessive site visitors.

SKALE additionally eliminates conventional blockchain limitations for customers. Players don’t should handle wallets or pay gasoline charges. For instance, you possibly can obtain video games like StrayShot from the Epic Video games Retailer and play with out even realizing you’re interacting with blockchain expertise.

This frictionless expertise has made SKALE a best choice for gaming builders. Actually, SKALE has over 14 video games with 10,000 month-to-month lively customers, making it the primary gaming chain.

How do you assume we will appeal to extra folks to Web3?

For me, there are two most important kinds of decentralized purposes which have the potential to onboard the plenty—gaming and social. I’ve labored with practically each main recreation studio, cellular recreation writer, and gaming console through the years.

An excellent instance is Stardew Valley, an indie recreation that turned a breakout hit. It onboarded thousands and thousands of gamers, and that’s precisely the sort of success we will see extra of in Web3.

After I determined which chain to work with, I checked out which one had the perfect setting for driving mass adoption. Gaming and social are the 2 areas most probably to see fast person adoption. After I evaluated the market, SKALE stood out.

The actual differentiator for SKALE is that it’s enabling conventional Web2 recreation studios to experiment with Web3. Many Web2 gaming studios are already constructing for platforms like PC, console, or cellular, and now they’re fascinated with including in-game possession and economies. It is a big think about bringing new customers into Web3.

Are there different methods to deliver folks to Web3 past gaming?

When you concentrate on it, the most important corporations in Web2 may drive huge Web3 adoption. For instance, Amazon’s Prime membership has a large world person base. If Amazon wished to combine blockchain expertise into Prime, they might accomplish that in a method that’s invisible to the patron.

Equally, corporations like Activision have already got huge quantities of first-party knowledge. They know precisely who their gamers are, and so they might use blockchain expertise so as to add in-game economies and possession options with none of the friction sometimes related to Web3. However, as you possibly can think about, they’re ready for regulatory readability earlier than making that transfer.

As soon as that readability is established, there will likely be a large shift from Web2 to Web3, and platforms like SKALE will develop into the optimum resolution for corporations trying to combine blockchain in a seamless, invisible method.

What particular developments or options does SKALE plan to implement to reinforce its scalability and efficiency within the subsequent few years?

SKALE has at all times been about offering a high-throughput, scalable, and honest resolution. One of many issues we give attention to is providing zero gasoline charges, which is a large benefit for customers and builders. However past that, we’re consistently working to enhance our expertise.

For instance, we not too long ago had the Pacifica improve, which considerably improved efficiency. And we’re already planning extra vital enhancements that can make the community even quicker and cheaper.

SKALE has already been independently verified by Dartmouth College because the quickest blockchain when it comes to transactions per second (TPS) and time to finality. Our aim is to make the quickest even quicker, so we’re taking a look at methods to proceed optimizing for velocity.

Moreover, all SKALE chains are MEV-resistant, which ensures equity by stopping miners from manipulating transactions for revenue. We’re additionally engaged on including MEV resistance in ways in which nobody else has accomplished earlier than, making SKALE one of many most secure blockchain options obtainable.

Lastly, we’ve saved customers over $9 billion in gasoline charges in comparison with different chains. As we proceed to develop and scale, we’ll be enhancing the person expertise even additional by offering extra value financial savings and eradicating the friction of gasoline charges altogether.

Are you able to elaborate on how SKALE incentivizes builders?

SKALE makes use of a pooled reward system to incentivize builders. Primarily, validators who safe the community are monitored for his or her efficiency, which relies on uptime and latency. Those that carry out nicely collectively share within the month-to-month pooled rewards.

As well as, we now have penalties for malicious actions, like slashing, which ensures that dangerous actors don’t undermine the community. If somebody doesn’t carry out as much as SKALE’s necessities, their rewards are diminished or eliminated totally.

This method creates a powerful incentive for builders to make sure their efficiency is top-notch. Consequently, SKALE gives an extra income stream for builders on a month-to-month foundation, encouraging them to construct and keep high-quality purposes on the platform.

Do you foresee any traits in Web3 which might be particularly attention-grabbing for SKALE to comply with?

When it comes to driving mass adoption, I feel the important thing development we’re watching intently is the transfer from Web2 to Web3. Corporations which have been in Web2 for years, like Amazon, are beginning to discover blockchain expertise. Nonetheless, the primary issue holding them again is regulatory readability.

For instance, Amazon might simply combine blockchain into its Prime membership, making a frictionless expertise for thousands and thousands of individuals. We’re additionally seeing corporations like Activision, with their massive recreation studios and participant knowledge, discover the probabilities of Web3. As soon as regulatory readability is achieved, I count on a major inflow of Web2 corporations into Web3.

At SKALE, we’re positioned to be the platform that Web2 corporations flip to for his or her Web3 wants. We provide the scalability, safety, and gas-free expertise that’s wanted to onboard thousands and thousands of customers.

Are you able to elaborate on the way forward for SKALE when it comes to partnerships, notably in gaming or different industries?

One of many issues that makes SKALE distinctive is the background of our management crew. Now we have over 60 years of collective expertise in Web2. I’ve labored at Amazon and NBC Common; Jack has constructed and bought two profitable corporations in Silicon Valley, and Stan has a historical past of creating cryptography and the Java Digital Machine.

This in depth community of relationships makes it simpler for us to attach with massive corporations throughout industries. We’ve already seen success with corporations like Hurley, a serious athletic model, and Stars, a media firm, each of which have determined to construct on SKALE.

We’ve additionally partnered with Nolan Bushnell, the founding father of Atari and the godfather of conventional gaming, who’s constructing his recreation on SKALE. As well as, we’re the one chain that has a first-party partnership with Unity, which is a large deal for recreation builders utilizing Unity’s engine.

I count on to see much more partnerships with main corporations, particularly as extra Web2 corporations look to experiment with Web3.

About The Creator

Victoria is a author on quite a lot of expertise matters together with Web3.0, AI and cryptocurrencies. Her in depth expertise permits her to put in writing insightful articles for the broader viewers.

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Victoria d’Este