EA founder and former Apple executive Trip Hawkins joins Web3 startup Games for a Living (GFAL) as a co-founder

Former Apple executive Trip Hawkins and founder of Electronic Arts (EA) is joining Barcelona-based startup Web3 startup Games for a Living (GFAL) as co-founder and security chief of Games, Reuters reported.

Hawkins, who founded the company behind the best-selling sports videogame franchise “FIFA,” is best known for his contributions to the video game industry. He is the founder of several successful companies, including Electronic Arts (EA), 3DO, and Digital Chocolate.

The Web3 ecosystem has grown rapidly in the last three years as developers and innovators continue to explore new possibilities and use cases for decentralized technologies. As the Web3 race heats up, Hawkins will help Games for a Living (GFAL) take on some of the top blockchain games like Axie Infinity.

GFAL publishes titles compatible with blockchain technology across consoles, personal computers, and smartphones – commonly called Web3. Interest in Web3 gaming has grown over the past year as the space attracts more cryptocurrency users with incentives that make it possible for players to own, sell, and trade in-game goods in such games.

In a statement on Thursday, Hawkins told Reuters: “Web3 is the bridge to the metaverse, and if we’re going to make a metaverse, the economy of the metaverse has to be more like the real world.”

Hawkins founded Electronic Arts (EA) in 1982, a video game development company that quickly became one of the most successful in the industry. During his time at EA, Hawkins oversaw the development of several classic video game franchises, including Madden NFL, FIFA Soccer, and The Sims.

After leaving EA in 1991, Hawkins founded 3DO, a video game console company that attempted to create a standardized platform for game development. Despite early success, 3DO eventually struggled and went bankrupt in 2003.

In 2003, Hawkins founded Digital Chocolate, a mobile game development company that was known for creating innovative and engaging games for smartphones and other mobile devices. Digital Chocolate was acquired by another mobile game company, RockYou, in 2014.

Hawkins was inducted into the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame in 2005 and has received numerous other awards and honors for his work.

Founded in 2021 by former King executive Manel Sort, the Barcelona-based GFAL is a Web3 platform for developers and publishers to build blockchain-based play-to-earn economies into their games. The startup had a post-money valuation of 13.2 million euros ($13.96 million) after its latest funding round last year.