Gaming Platform Offers Cash for Player Data

A new platform is offering gamers something they rarely see: compensation for the hours they spend playing video games.

Raijin, which launched in early access last week, rewards players for connecting their Steam accounts and sharing data about their gaming activity. The platform, created by Ex Populus, a small gaming studio, tracks what users play, what achievements they unlock and which games they add to their wish lists.

In exchange, players can enter contests and giveaways. Ex Populus said it has distributed more than $1 million in prizes since March, though the company did not say how many users have signed up or what the average payout has been.

The arrangement reflects a broader tension in the gaming industry, where publishers and developers are hungry for data about player behavior but often collect it without offering anything in return. Raijin's model makes that exchange explicit: Your data has value, and the company is willing to pay for it.

A Data Play Disguised as Rewards

But the rewards may be secondary to Raijin's real business: selling analytics to game developers and publishers and building a cryptocurrency ecosystem.

The platform is powered by the XAI blockchain, a cryptocurrency network developed by Ex Populus in partnership with Offchain Labs. While users don't need to own cryptocurrency or manage digital wallets to use Raijin, the platform is designed to drive adoption of the XAI token and ecosystem. Ex Populus has described Raijin as part of its effort to "onboard 1 billion+ gamers to web3."

The company is also building a data platform that will offer insights into Steam game pricing, player counts and sales trends. That information could be particularly valuable for independent developers trying to navigate an unpredictable market, where a low-budget game can become a runaway hit, like "Lethal Company," which has sold more than 11 million copies.

Still, it is unclear whether enough players will be willing to hand over their data for a chance at prizes, or whether the platform can sustain its payouts over time.

Ex Populus has not disclosed its funding sources or explained how it plans to generate revenue beyond selling data services and building its cryptocurrency network. The company previously developed "Final Form," a blockchain-based card game that received modest attention.

Privacy advocates have long warned about the risks of sharing personal data with third parties, particularly when the terms of use are opaque. Raijin's privacy policy was not immediately available for review, and the platform's connection to cryptocurrency infrastructure may raise additional concerns for users wary of web3 gaming initiatives.

For now, the platform is making a straightforward pitch: If companies are going to profit from your gaming habits, you might as well get a cut.