A look at where Pixelcraft Studios’ energy is going in the year ahead.
Over the past few months, the Aavegotchi ecosystem has gone through a quieter period along with the rest of the gaming sector of crypto. That has naturally led to uncertainty and renewed discussion around direction and priorities. This post is meant to clearly outline where Pixelcraft Studios is focusing its energy in 2026 as we build Aavegotchi alongside the DAO and broader community.
The following is a (non-exhaustive!) list of our priorities in the first half of 2026.
Quick Summary
- We’re prioritizing mobile-first, crypto-native games on Base in 2026
- DeFi Dungeon expands from alpha into a live experiment with faster iteration
- Rektless launches on mobile in Q1
- Gotchiverse gets incremental upgrades and collaborations
- Guardians gets maintenance + events, not major content
- Dapp stays stable, secure, and mobile-optimized
- Open-source revival starts with Gotchi Miner
Our 2026 Strategy: Accessible, Onchain Crypto Gaming
We believe the next phase of crypto gaming is about earning attention, improving distribution, and delivering experiences that are native to crypto.
That means focusing on:
- Games that are fast to understand and easy to play, with built-in shareability
- Onchain and DeFi mechanics that add real value and lean into crypto-native behavior
- Tight feedback loops between gameplay, ownership, and game economies
In 2026, we’re emphasizing rapid experimentation, supported by new AI-first workflows that allow us to iterate faster and test ideas more efficiently - particularly on mobile and on Base, where we see the strongest opportunity for growth.
What We’re Shipping First
Expanding DeFi Dungeon’s Reach
DeFi Dungeon has shown promising early traction with alpha testers. The next step is to bring it to a wider Aavegotchi audience - and beyond - to better understand how players engage with its mechanics over time.
Our focus here is on:
- Lowering barriers to entry and improving retention
- Improving mobile accessibility
- Continuing to experiment with degen-friendly mechanics that reflect where crypto gaming is heading
True to the year’s focus, we are intentionally treating DeFi Dungeon as a live experiment - iterating quickly and letting player behavior guide what comes next.
👉 Visit https://dungeons.aavegotchi.com to enter the Dungeon.
Your feedback is appreciated and will help determine how the game develops!
Rektless: Mobile Launch
Q1 will see the mobile release of Rektless, a fast-paced competitive side-scroller.
Rektless is a focused effort to ship a complete, polished game loop centered on skill-based gameplay. Non-holders and Aavegotchi holders can play on equal footing, while holders benefit from deeper customization - rendering their own Gotchis using our new, open-sourced sprite collection.
Rektless will ship with four Alchemica themed courses in addition to the Base themed map seen in the image above.
👉 A desktop preview is available now at https://rektless.gg
Gotchiverse: A Maturing Homeworld
Late last year, we introduced the ability for any ERC-20 token to spawn, be gathered, and be lost in battle within the Gotchiverse. These bespoke mechanics remain live and active.
Our 3D homeworld continues to host REALM farming and ad-hoc P2E events, particularly during Discord Community Calls (Saturdays, 2–3pm UTC).
Rather than rushing major expansions, our focus is on thoughtful iteration on the existing stack.
Look forward to incremental updates throughout 2026 that focus on expanding the world's capabilities as well as collaborating with other crypto-native communities.
👉 Jump in at https://gv3d.gotchiverse.io
Gotchi Guardians: Live on Steam
Gotchi Guardians remains live on Steam and will continue to be supported throughout 2026. Players can expect:
- Bug fixes and general upkeep
- Ongoing playability and stability improvements
- Occasional tournaments and events, including DAO-led or partner collaborations
That said, we want to set clear expectations: major new content updates for Gotchi Guardians are unlikely in 2026. As a studio, we’re choosing to focus our development energy on titles earlier in their lifecycle and more closely aligned with our mobile-first, onchain strategy.
We remain proud of Gotchi Guardians and deeply grateful to everyone who continues to play and support it.
👉 Play Guardians now at https://www.gotchiguardians.com
The Aavegotchi Dapp & Marketplace
Pixelcraft continues to maintain and improve aavegotchi.com and the Baazaar NFT marketplace with an emphasis on reliability, security, and open-source development.
This includes:
- Ongoing maintenance and performance improvements
- Select UX and feature upgrades where they provide clear value
- Ensuring the Dapp remains a stable foundation for games and assets built on top
The Aavegotchi Dapp is now live on Base App and we continue to explore ways to optimize for the mobile platform. If you haven’t already, consider joining Base App today.
Reviving Open-Source Development (Powered by AI)
Aavegotchi has a long history of community-built, open-source games. Some of those experiences have fallen out of maintenance over time, and in 2026 we’re taking steps to bring key classics back online - starting with Gotchi Miner.
In parallel, we’re working to better support builders by:
- Exploring AI-centric tools (Agents, MCPs) to lower entry barriers for developers
- Updating documentation so it serves as a reliable source-of-truth for AI and SDK integration
- Continuing support for the Unity SDK and open sprite libraries
Our goal is to enable building and experimentation across the Aavegotchi ecosystem easier and more accessible.
Expanding GHST Awareness and Utility
GHST, the fully liquid eco-governance token of Aavegotchi, remains a crucial marker by which the wider crypto community values the Aavegotchi project.
With our migration from Polygon to Base fully completed in 2025, Pixelcraft is now exploring new ways of expanding GHST utility beyond governance and unit of account for the Aavegotchi ecosystem. In-game consumption, staking and staker-aligned perks are some areas we are very interested in pursuing.
This area of research is open for all in AavegotchiDAO to contribute, so as always, if you have an idea on how to expand GHST utility or awareness, make a thread in the DAO forum.
A Year of Focused Execution
2026 is about focus, shipping, and rapid iteration.
But Aavegotchi isn't just one company. It's a whole community, and we're building together. We welcome your active participation, whether it's playtesting games and giving feedback, creating tools to expand the ecosystem, discussing ideas in the DAO forum, or attending the weekly hangouts and making your voice heard.
If we all work hard together, Aavegotchi can and will have a bright future in 2026.
Here's to a productive year ahead, frens.
What Pixelcraft Accomplished in 2025 (Highlights)
- Launched Gotchi Guardians on Steam
- Shipped DeFi Dungeon and hosted playtesting and balance experiments
- Maintained and improved the Aavegotchi Dapp, Baazaar, and GBM Auction House
- Continued Gotchiverse operations and broke new ground with major updates
- Supported community tournaments, events, and DAO-led initiatives
- Maintained open-source tooling, including sprites, SDKs, and developer resources
- Continued stewardship of Aavegotchi’s onchain infrastructure across Base
- Networked and repped Aavegotchi at IRL events alongside Gotchigang