Alien Worlds has become a hive of metaversal activity in recent years, with numerous games, tournaments, events, and stories competing for players’ attention. Being a decentralized metaverse, it is of course the community that deserves the lion’s share of credit for this outcome – though another entity merits kudos, too. We’re talking about Galactic Hubs.
A grant initiative that has kickstarted or otherwise supported over 90 community-led games and projects, from retro clickers to epic space battles, Galactic Hubs has been a valuable resource since launching in 2022. Indeed, it’s no exaggeration to say it has dramatically increased the scope and impact of projects integrated into the wider Alien Worlds ecosystem.
On the frontlines of the initiative is Dacoco Ecosystem Manager Evan Dean, whose knack for nurturing creators and fine-tuning projects is transforming Alien Worlds into a sandbox for dreamers. We sat down with Evan to discuss his past and present, and to learn more about the role of Galactic Hubs in Alien Worlds. Whether you’re a developer, lore writer, or miner, you’ll want to hear what he has to say.
From RuneScape to Web3
Evan’s journey to Alien Worlds started with a love of systems and strategy, honed on classic games like RuneScape and Total War. “I’ve always loved economies and long-term progression,” he explains, a passion that led him to study International Business and Marketing. Two years before graduating, in 2018, he started working in web3.
Following an internship at a Swiss Layer-1 protocol, Evan switched gears and headed up marketing for an NFT marketplace that onboarded 10 record labels in the early 2020s. When he joined Dacoco three years ago, it was specifically to work on Galactic Hubs – and the rest is history. “I came in from the business development side, helping builders ship market-ready experiences and smooth the UX,” says Evan. His fondness for the aforementioned games, however, convinced him that Alien Worlds could have a similar impact in web3. To achieve this aim, Galactic Hubs would have to identify the projects with the best chance of success and ensure they got all the support they needed.
Galactic Hubs: More Than Just Grants
While it’s natural to think of Galactic Hubs as purely a grant program that bootstraps creators and gaming studios, Evan thinks it has a bigger role to play.
“Ultimately, it’s about supporting projects that expand our universe,” he says, noting his role in setting up the program’s guidelines, compliance, and milestone reviews. These days, Evan also has responsibility for steering strategy, “selecting focus areas (mobile, tournaments, SDKs) and measuring impact.”
So, how does one go about determining the worthiness of a project keen to build on Alien Worlds? “We score them based on ecosystem goals, team capability, technical feasibility, milestone clarity, player impact/retention, sustainability, and openness,” Evan reveals. “The community response to what we do has been positive, as we deliver quarterly public updates and visible outcomes that benefit the ecosystem.”
Thoroughly vetted for fit and feasibility, projects greenlit by Galactic Hubs have gone on to become fan favorites. “I’ve particularly enjoyed the ones that catch a real community tailwind,” says Evan. “Milky Way Miner is a great example where players sponsored tournaments, playtested, and helped squash bugs. Mission Control shipped features the community asked for, like the Mining UI and Tool Loaning, which made adoption feel organic, while Battlefleet Armageddon became truly lore-rich thanks to community lore grants and users writing backstories for the ships.”
Navigating the Web3 Frontier
As Ecosystem Manager, Evan’s days are a whirlwind of setting priorities, reviewing partner roadmaps, and unblocking launches with marketing and legal support. “I meet studios to plan co-marketing and milestones, and of course we’re always looking for ways to reduce Web3 UX friction and balance decentralization with speed and quality.”
Building relationships is key. Through regular check-ins and shared milestone trackers, GHubs makes sure it’s on the same page as the creators it supports. “Clear escalation paths and, when needed, impartial arbitration help to keep partners aligned and shipping.”
Alien Worlds represents a grander vision of blockchain-powered gaming than many of its competitors, some of which favor a pay-to-win model where a kind of lords and serfs system prevails. This was a problem recently highlighted by developer Mythical Games when updating its mobile strategy game NFL Rivals, where gamers assemble NFL teams from collectible cards and participate in PvP matches. “The gap between rookies and vets got way too wide,” read the Mythical blog. “We had monsters with 2,000 more PWR than newbies in the same event. That’s not competition, that’s a buzzsaw.”
Alien Worlds largely eschews the ‘play-to-blank’ label, since players have different motivations for joining the community. Some play-to-earn (mining to accumulate Trilium), others play-to-create (building, writing, seeking grants), and others still play-to-govern via the Syndicates and Union DAOs. Regular tournaments introduce a competitive element with leaderboards and tiered rewards.
“What I love about Alien Worlds is that players become stakeholders,” says Evan. “You see higher engagement and stickiness when communities are involved in sponsoring tournaments or governing resource flows. The game leans hard into decentralization with multiple DAOs, open IP for community games, grants, SDKs, and on-chain tournament infra, so the community truly helps build the metaverse.”
Distinct from the Web2 games that Evan grew up on, where in-game assets were locked in corporate servers, blockchain-powered games grant players true ownership via NFTs. Better still, in an ecosystem like Alien Worlds, tokens can be put to use across a variety of linked games. Nevertheless, challenges remain.
“Real ownership, permissionless building and programmable economies are powerful, but UX friction is real,” he admits. Alien Worlds counters this with SDKs and grants, making it easier for developers to plug into a rich ecosystem and for players to dive in.
The Future of Alien Worlds
Looking ahead, Evan anticipates more mobile games, enhanced tournament systems, and AI-assisted experiences. “Galactic Hubs will keep seeding studios, co-funding with DAOs, and tying support to measurable retention and decentralization,” he vows. Over time, UX will improve, the open IP will attract more creators, and better infrastructure will “lower the time-to-fun.”
For aspiring developers, his advice is practical: “Start small, ship a tight core loop, and join the community channels early.” Playtesting and clear roadmaps enhance grant chances, he adds, urging creators to leverage Alien Worlds’ open SDKs and APIs.
Whether you’re coding, writing lore, battling for rewards, or hellbent on becoming a Syndicate Custodian, Alien Worlds invites you to join the fray. “If you build, we’ll help you ship; if you play, we’ll give you reasons to return,” says Evan. “Apply for a grant, sponsor a tournament, or drop into the community and pitch an idea. We’re listening.”