How a Bold Free-to-Play Shift and a Listing on Base Are Powering Its Comeback

In May 2025, Splinterlands quietly hit a massive milestone - its seventh anniversary. If you’ve been in the Web3 gaming space long enough, you’ll remember when this game was just a scrappy startup called Steem Monsters running on the STEEM blockchain back in 2018. Fast forward seven years, and it’s now one of the longest-running trading card games (TCGs) in Web3 history.

But here’s the real story:
For a while, Splinterlands had hit a plateau. The same formulas were running, the player base was steady, but growth felt sluggish. Then - almost out of nowhere - the last few months have been a whirlwind of new ideas, fresh features, and momentum we haven’t seen in years.

The Game Is Thriving Again - Here’s Why

The dev team didn’t just talk about change - they executed on it. In the last few months:

• They’ve rolled out features players had debated for years.
• They’ve actually followed through on big ideas that once seemed impossible.
• The results? More players, more activity, and more reasons to believe Splinterlands is entering a new growth phase.

And while multiple updates have hit, two stand out as game-changing:

The Free-to-Play Revolution

This might be the boldest pivot in Splinterlands’ history - a fully free-to-play mode where anyone can jump in and play with zero cost, zero setup, and zero commitment.

Yes, free.
Yes, for everyone with a Splinterlands account.

I am sure that this wasn’t a decision made lightly. But now that it’s live? It’s working - big time.

The numbers from the official Splinterlands Discord announcement show it:

The free-to-play format is drawing more attention than all other game modes combined.

Here’s why it matters:

• Lower barrier to entry → New players try without risk.

• More trial players → More potential card buyers.

• More buyers → Healthier in-game economy.

• Healthier economy → Long-term stability.

This single move could be the bridge that finally pulls in gamers from outside Hive and even outside Web3 - people who’ve never touched blockchain gaming but are curious enough to try a fun, competitive TCG for free.

SPS Launches on Coinbase’s Base Blockchain

Around a month ago, SPS (Splintershards) - the game’s governance and reward token launched on Base, Coinbase’s Layer 2 blockchain.

Why is this such a game-changer?

• Ultra-low fees - Base transactions cost just pennies the fee to swap USDC to SPS on Base is just 0.3%!

• Coinbase integration - Millions of mainstream users can now bridge into SPS directly from one of the largest crypto exchanges.

• Faster onboarding - Fiat → Coinbase → Base → SPS is now a streamlined process, eliminating complex multi-chain swaps.

This isn’t just a tech upgrade - it’s an onboarding revolution. Now, a gamer who’s never touched Hive or DeFi can buy USDC on Coinbase, move it to Base, swap for SPS, and bridge into Splinterlands in minutes. That means faster growth, smoother entry for new investors, and a stronger link between the Web3 gaming and mainstream crypto communities. There is also an integration right in the game coming for this mechanism.

How to Buy SPS on Base using Base Wallet:

1. Get some fiat for example USD into Coinbase

2. Buy USDC with USD

3. In the Base App click the third icon on the bottom (it is arrow up and arrow down)

4. Click "Receive" button

5. Select the top option "Receive from Coinbase"

6. Make sure that network Base is selected and enter the amount of USDC you would like to transfer from Coinbase into the Base wallet then click "Continue to payment"
   

7. On the next screen click "Confirm" button.

8. Wait for funds to arrive then click on the wallet icon on the bottom right

9. Click on the "Swap" button on the top

10. On the next screen enter the amount of USDC you would like to spend on SPS. At this time SPS token can be found only by its ID, like I had to enter 0x578661 before it would show the correct token.

There are other fake Splinterlands tokens on Base blockchain so make sure you verify the ID for the real Splinterlands: 0x578661e9a09eee6b2cd97d4ded1ccbae7b8516b9

1. At this point you can click continue and buy the token.

Please note that there is no UI in the game to bring back the tokens into the game so you can hold these on Base chain as a speculative bet or wait until August 26th for the user interface to be added to Splinterlands game for transferring SPS from Base chain.

Why This Momentum Matters

These two moves - a free-to-play gateway and SPS on Base - create a perfect synergy:

• New players try the game for free.

• Some get hooked and decide to invest in cards or stake SPS.

• The Coinbase + Base integration makes buying SPS easy and cheap.

• More SPS holders mean a healthier economy and more governance participation.

This is the kind of growth loop Splinterlands hasn’t had in years - and it’s coming at a time when Web3 gaming is ripe for its next big breakout.

My End of Season

The season just ended and I did pretty good on Glint in Wild, though not as good as I did last season in Modern:

Regardless of the result, I believe it is important to stick with it as Splinterlands is a very incremental progress kind of game. And when the new players show up, this incremental progress will end up making a big difference as we are also incrementally accumulating SPS tokens and not just Glint.

The Road Ahead

Splinterlands has weathered market cycles, blockchain migrations, and the challenges of building a sustainable play-to-earn model. Now, with bold innovation and smarter onboarding, it’s positioning itself not just to survive, but to lead the next era of Web3 gaming.

The free-to-play launch removes friction.
The SPS on Base launch removes complexity.

Together, they could open the floodgates to a wave of new players and investors.

If you have some staked SPS please vote for my SPS Validator Node HERE

I am also a Hive Witness and would really appreciate your vote for me as a witness: https://vote.hive.uno/@seattlea

If you wonder what is the best way to get involved you can use my link to begin your Splinterlands and HIVE journey.