Gabriel "Gabby" Dizon is the co-founder of Yield Guild Games (YGG), a decentralized network of gaming guilds that pioneered the play-to-earn (P2E) scholarship model. With a career in the gaming industry spanning over two decades, Dizon has been instrumental in bridging traditional gaming with blockchain technology. ^{[1] [2]}

Early Life

Dizon grew up in Manila, Philippines, where he developed a passion for PC gaming from a young age. This early interest in game mechanics and interactive storytelling would later form the foundation of his professional career in the video game industry. ^[3]

Education

Gabby Dizon attended Ateneo de Manila University from 1996 to 2000. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Management Information Systems. ^[4]

Career

Dizon began his career in game development in 2003, where he was part of the team that created one of the first commercially released games from the Philippines. Over the next decade, he held several leadership roles, including Managing Partner at Kokoro Works Design Co., CEO of the game outsourcing company FlipSide Games, and Senior Producer at Boomzap Entertainment, where he managed the production of titles for PC, Mac, iOS, and Android. A strong advocate for the local industry, Dizon co-founded the Game Developers Association of the Philippines (GDAP) and served as its president for a two-year term. In 2014, he co-founded and served as CEO of Altitude Games, a mobile game studio focused on free-to-play titles, which was later acquired by an Australian family office, which served as a basis for later work with cryptocurrencies.^{[5] [4] [2]}

His transition into the blockchain space began around 2017 with his interest in Ethereum and the launch of early non-fungible token (NFT) projects like CryptoKitties. In 2018, he became an early and active community member of the blockchain game Axie Infinity. During this period, he also co-founded Alto.io (later Outplay Games), a platform designed to connect traditional games to the blockchain, where he served as Chairman. His experiences within the Axie Infinity community, particularly witnessing its economic impact in the Philippines, directly led to the conceptualization of his most notable venture, Yield Guild Games. ^{[6] [4]}

Yield Guild Games (YGG)

Dizon co-founded Yield Guild Games in October 2020 alongside Beryl Li and a developer known as "Owl of Moistness." The inspiration for YGG came from Dizon's direct observation of the play-to-earn model's real-world impact during the COVID-19 pandemic. He began lending his personal Axie Infinity NFTs to other players in the Philippines, enabling them to earn income at a time of widespread job loss. This informal lending system became the prototype for YGG's "scholarship" model, designed to lower the financial barrier to entry for P2E games. The guild's mission was to onboard millions of players into the emerging digital economy by investing in yield-generating NFTs and lending them to its members. ^{[5] [7]}

Under Dizon's leadership, YGG secured significant venture capital, including a $4.6 million investment from Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) and a $4 million Series A round led by Bitkraft Ventures. The organization expanded globally through a network of regional subDAOs (Decentralized Autonomous Organizations) to provide localized support in areas such as Southeast Asia (YGG SEA, later WeGG), India (IndiGG, later KGen), and Latin America (Ola GG). ^{[8] [9]}

Dizon has guided YGG's evolution from a scholarship-focused guild to a broader "Guild as Protocol" model. This strategic shift focuses on creating an on-chain social layer for gaming communities, emphasizing player reputation through initiatives like the Guild Advancement Program (GAP) and the use of soulbound tokens (SBTs). In 2025, YGG expanded into game publishing with the launch of YGG Play, a division focused on "casual degen" games that integrate crypto-native mechanics. ^{[10] [11]}

Other Ventures and Affiliations

Beyond his primary role at YGG, Dizon is deeply involved in the broader Web3 ecosystem. He is a founding board member of the Blockchain Game Alliance (BGA), a founding member of the Web3 Gaming Collective (W3GC), and a founding member of Oasys, a blockchain designed specifically for gaming. In 2021, he co-founded Narra Gallery, an NFT art gallery in the Decentraland metaverse. Dizon is also an active angel investor, with investments in Web3 startups such as Play AI, Parallel, and Sending Network. In November 2023, his expertise was recognized with an appointment to the governance committee for the blockchain game Illuvium. ^{[12] [4] [9]}

Views and Philosophy

Dizon is a vocal advocate for the sustainable growth of Web3 gaming. He believes that for the industry to achieve mass adoption, it must shift towards a free-to-play model where gameplay is prioritized over tokenomics, and monetization is authentically integrated into the core user experience. He has cited Genshin Impact's gacha system as a successful model of integrated monetization. ^{[13] [11]}

He identifies on-chain reputation as one of Web3's most powerful innovations, where a player's wallet can serve as a "Metaverse résumé" showcasing their assets, achievements, and skills across different games and protocols. Dizon views market downturns as crucial periods for building and innovation, stating that it is the "best time to build and learn." His personal philosophy on NFT collecting reflects a focus on community and artistic support over speculation, as articulated in a 2021 statement: "My NFT portfolio may be 95% worthless 10 years from now, but if I helped launch the career of 100 artists then that's OK." ^{[12] [5] [14]}

Awards and Recognition

Dizon's influence in the blockchain gaming sector has been recognized through various industry accolades.

• In 2024, he was named one of the "Top 31 people in blockchain gaming" for his impact on the industry.
• He served as a jury member for the 2023 GAM3 Awards, an event celebrating excellence in Web3 gaming.

These roles highlight his status as a respected thought leader and expert in the space. ^{[9] [12]}

Interviews

Building LOLand and Web3’s Casual Market #01

On July 11, 2025, Gabby Dizon participated in The Game Talk Show at the Solana Creator House. In the interview, he outlined Yield Guild Games’ (YGG) strategic direction and introduced LOLand, the guild’s first internally developed Web3 game. The project, according to Dizon, was created for a category he referred to as “casual Degen” participants, individuals interested in speculative gameplay but not necessarily engaged as long-term or competitive players.

Dizon described YGG’s 2025 plans as centered on mobile accessibility and the creation of products aligned with clear market demand. He stated that the development process should not be shaped by fluctuations in token prices, but rather by consistent user adoption and sustainable game design.

The discussion also referenced the YGG Play Summit in Manila, which brought together more than 5,000 attendees. Dizon noted that the event reflected interest from active players and communities rather than automated activity, pointing to the role of in-person gatherings in supporting network growth.

Another point addressed was YGG’s regional outlook. Dizon mentioned Latin America as an area of interest, citing the prevalence of mobile gaming and the accessibility of mobile-first platforms compared to console-based alternatives. He concluded by underscoring the importance of long-term development and steady progress in the sector, positioning 2025 as a year of substantial activity for both YGG and the broader Web3 gaming field. ^[16]

Guilds, Gaming, and AI with YGG’s Gabby Dizon #01

On March 27, 2025, Gabby Dizon appeared on Endgame with Amanda Cassatt in an interview titled “Guilds, Gaming, and AI with YGG’s Gabby Dizon.” In the discussion, he reflected on the evolution of gaming guilds, blockchain economies, and the role of artificial intelligence in shaping the future of digital labor.

According to Dizon, play-to-earn models such as those introduced by Axie Infinity created new income streams in countries like the Philippines during the COVID-19 pandemic. He explained that gaming guilds emerged as a way to combine labor and capital, enabling players without initial investment to participate in blockchain games through the lending of digital assets. Yield Guild Games (YGG), as he described, developed as a platform supporting multiple guilds by providing infrastructure for onboarding, training, and lending.

Dizon noted that while the 2021 crypto gaming boom was followed by a downturn, core communities remained active and shifted focus toward sustainability, including educational initiatives and diversified digital activities. He compared this model to traditional business process outsourcing in the Philippines, highlighting that decentralized guild structures can provide participants with equity and ownership opportunities absent in centralized models.

The conversation also touched on the intersection of blockchain gaming and artificial intelligence. Dizon argued that AI systems, particularly in their early development, depend on human labor for data labeling and validation. He suggested that guilds may evolve from pools of digital labor into creative, capital-driven entities that adapt to new technological opportunities.

He emphasized that continuous learning, adaptability, and community ownership are essential for individuals to thrive in a labor market increasingly shaped by automation and decentralization. ^[17]