Web gaming comes to The Sandbox
Season 7 of The Sandbox introduces a significant change that could make the platform more accessible to casual players. The Metaverse platform now allows users to access certain games directly from their web browser, without the need to download files or create an account first.
I think this move addresses what CEO Robby Yung called one of their “challenges from the very early days.” The technical infrastructure they built initially required downloads that could deter potential actors. Now, with browser-based access, users can experience experiences faster.
Mixing content and focusing on creators
This season features at least 20 creator-created experiences as well as content from established partners like Atari, “Black Mirror,” Steve Aoki, “The Terminator” and the Bruce Lee Estate. What’s interesting is that more than 50% of content now comes from creators, which Yung described as an “overdue step” for the platform.
The move toward user-generated content mirrors what successful platforms like Minecraft and Roblox have done. While The Sandbox has relied on big brands to generate interest, the goal seems to be to create a space where everyone can create experiences.
Retention as a key metric
Yung emphasized that retention, that is, bringing people back to the game, will be the main focus in measuring the success of Season 7. “It’s really about creating engagement that leads to retention as the North Star metric,” he told Decrypt.
He suggested that if retention improves, revenue could follow, which could potentially impact the price of the SAND token. But he made it clear that everything else is secondary to keeping players engaged and coming back.
Web3 rewards and values
Returning players will have the opportunity to earn rewards, with a prize pool of over 650,000 SAND tokens (around $52,000 at current prices). The platform wants to maintain what Yung calls “Web3 values”: low participation rates, low transaction costs, and low infrastructure costs so that profits accrue to creators and intellectual property owners.
This comes at a difficult time for crypto gaming. The price of the SAND token has fallen by around 78% over the past year and many blockchain-based games have been shut down in 2025 and early 2026 due to funding issues and low player retention.
Look forward to
Yung expressed his excitement for season 7, calling it potentially the best season in terms of content. The browser accessibility change represents a practical tweak rather than a flashy feature, but it may be just what the platform needs to attract and retain more players.
The Sandbox, acquired by Animoca Brands in 2018, has been around for seven years – “kind of an old product by blockchain standards,” as Yung put it. This experience seems to have taught them that sometimes the simplest changes, like removing download requirements, can make the biggest difference in getting people to try to stick with one platform.
