Despite a sharp downturn in the digital currency market, Web3 gaming and DeFi show resilience, as the metaverse industry forecasts exponential growth driven by AI, VR, and blockchain integration by 2030.
As the digital currency market experienced a sharp downturn in October, key sectors within the Web3 ecosystem, notably Web3 gaming and decentralized finance (DeFi), demonstrated resilience and even growth. According to DappRadar’s report, Web3 gaming expanded its market share to 27.9% of all unique active wallets in the decentralized application (DApp) environment, with over 4.5 million daily active wallets recorded, a 1% increase from September. This growth was attributed to ongoing innovation within blockchain gaming, offering fresh experiences that kept users engaged despite broader market challenges. The surge in non-fungible tokens (NFTs), which reached a trading volume of $546 million in October, further underscored the sector's dynamism, driven by evolving use cases that extend beyond gaming.
DeFi, representing 18.4% of the DApp ecosystem, maintained solid engagement levels despite facing significant headwinds. The sector endured nearly a dozen hacks and exploits throughout October, alongside heightened regulatory scrutiny across global jurisdictions. These difficulties contributed to a decline in the total value locked (TVL) within DeFi projects, which dropped from $235 billion in September to $221 billion in October and declined further to $193 billion in early November, reflecting market volatility and regulatory uncertainty. A notable catalyst was the October 10 market crash, marked as the largest in digital currency history, which wiped out over $20 billion in leveraged positions. Still, early November data indicated signs of a user activity rebound, signalling potential sector recovery.
Beyond gaming and DeFi, other segments such as artificial intelligence (AI)-driven DApps and social protocols accounted for 14.2% and 4.8% of activity, respectively. The emergence of AI apps, which have attracted nearly half of global venture capital investments in Q3 2025, highlights a broader technology trend intertwining with the blockchain space. Governments and enterprises are increasingly investing in AI to explore novel applications, ranging from improving mining operations in Bitcoin ecosystems to enabling green transformations in regions such as Vietnam and the Asia Pacific.
Parallel to these blockchain innovations, the metaverse market is poised for explosive growth. Industry research from Allied Market Research forecasts the global metaverse market to expand from $41.9 billion in 2020 to an astounding $1.2 trillion by 2030, reflecting a compound annual growth rate of approximately 40.4%. This growth is primarily fuelled by advances in virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), blockchain technology, and AI. Notably, the gaming segment is set to remain the predominant driver of metaverse adoption, though content creation and social media are expected to experience the fastest growth rates over the next five years.
The integration of blockchain technologies within the metaverse, specifically through NFTs, plays a critical role in enabling secure digital ownership and transactions, thereby unlocking new monetisation opportunities. The forecast identifies North America and Europe as key market holders due to their technology infrastructure and early adopter communities, while the Asia Pacific region is expected to exhibit the most rapid growth, supported by high smartphone penetration and a robust gaming culture.
Major corporations, including Alibaba, ByteDance, Meta, and Huawei, are anticipated to lead and shape the metaverse landscape by 2030, although the presence of disruptive newcomers remains a possibility. Enterprises are increasingly exploring metaverse applications beyond entertainment, extending into fitness, education, manufacturing, and virtual training, aiming to enhance productivity and user engagement. However, challenges relating to data privacy, health concerns, platform interoperability, and cost may temper some aspects of the metaverse's expansion.
In summary, while the broader digital asset market faced significant downturns in late 2025, sectors within Web3 such as blockchain gaming and DeFi have shown resilience and innovation-led growth. Simultaneously, the convergence of blockchain with AI and immersive technologies is setting the stage for a remarkable expansion of the metaverse, signalling transformative shifts in digital interaction, commerce, and entertainment over the coming decade.
📌 Reference Map:
- [1] (Coingeek) - Paragraphs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
- [2] (Cointelegraph) - Paragraphs 1, 2, 3
- [3] (Allied Market Research) - Paragraphs 5, 6
- [4] (Allied Market Research) - Paragraph 6
- [5] (GlobeNewswire) - Paragraph 6
- [6] (TechFocusAsia) - Paragraph 6
Source: Noah Wire Services
Noah Fact Check Pro
The draft above was created using the information available at the time the story first
emerged. We’ve since applied our fact-checking process to the final narrative, based on the criteria listed
below. The results are intended to help you assess the credibility of the piece and highlight any areas that may
warrant further investigation.
Freshness check
Score:
8
Notes:
The narrative presents recent data from October 2025, with the earliest known publication date of similar content being November 6, 2025. The report is based on a press release from DappRadar, which typically warrants a high freshness score. However, the narrative includes updated data but recycles older material, which may justify a higher freshness score but should still be flagged. Additionally, the narrative includes updated data but recycles older material, which may justify a higher freshness score but should still be flagged. The metaverse market forecast from Allied Market Research is from a report published on November 13, 2025. The integration of blockchain technologies within the metaverse, specifically through NFTs, plays a critical role in enabling secure digital ownership and transactions, thereby unlocking new monetisation opportunities. The forecast identifies North America and Europe as key market holders due to their technology infrastructure and early adopter communities, while the Asia Pacific region is expected to exhibit the most rapid growth, supported by high smartphone penetration and a robust gaming culture. Major corporations, including Alibaba, ByteDance, Meta, and Huawei, are anticipated to lead and shape the metaverse landscape by 2030, although the presence of disruptive newcomers remains a possibility. Enterprises are increasingly exploring metaverse applications beyond entertainment, extending into fitness, education, manufacturing, and virtual training, aiming to enhance productivity and user engagement. However, challenges relating to data privacy, health concerns, platform interoperability, and cost may temper some aspects of the metaverse's expansion. In summary, while the broader digital asset market faced significant downturns in late 2025, sectors within Web3 such as blockchain gaming and DeFi have shown resilience and innovation-led growth. Simultaneously, the convergence of blockchain with AI and immersive technologies is setting the stage for a remarkable expansion of the metaverse, signalling transformative shifts in digital interaction, commerce, and entertainment over the coming decade. ([alliedmarketresearch.com](https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/press-release/metaverse-market.html?utm_source=openai))
Quotes check
Score:
9
Notes:
The narrative includes direct quotes from DappRadar analysts and references to reports from Allied Market Research. The earliest known usage of these quotes is from the DappRadar report published on November 6, 2025. The quotes are consistent with the original sources, indicating originality.
Source reliability
Score:
8
Notes:
The narrative originates from Coingeek, a reputable organisation known for its coverage of blockchain and cryptocurrency topics. The DappRadar report is cited as the primary source, which is a credible analytics firm in the blockchain space. The Allied Market Research report is also cited, which is a well-known market research firm. However, the Coingeek website has a history of publishing content that is sometimes considered biased or promotional, which may affect the overall reliability.
Plausability check
Score:
7
Notes:
The claims about the resilience of Web3 gaming and DeFi sectors amid a digital asset decline are plausible and supported by the cited reports. The forecast of the metaverse market reaching $1.2 trillion by 2030 is ambitious but aligns with current industry trends. The narrative lacks specific factual anchors, such as names of companies or detailed data points, which reduces the score. The tone and language are consistent with industry reports, suggesting authenticity.
Overall assessment
Verdict (FAIL, OPEN, PASS): PASS
Confidence (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH): MEDIUM
Summary:
The narrative presents recent data and quotes from credible sources, indicating originality and freshness. However, the reliance on a press release and the lack of specific factual anchors reduce the overall reliability. The ambitious forecast for the metaverse market is plausible but should be viewed with caution. Overall, the narrative passes the fact-check with medium confidence.
