We always love receiving your feedback and questions, and we want to make sure we're keeping you updated on the latest developments. To that end, Matchday co-founders co-founders Derrick Ko (CEO) and Sebastien de Halleux (Chief Gaming Officer) took part in an AMA session on Discord recently

Following on from our recent squad experience announcement, they gave more info on a wide range of topics from user questions, from gameplay to cards, communities to partnerships, cryptocurrencies to NFTs, and more.

You can listen to the podcast in full below, and also check out a summary of the key points raised.

Answering your questions

When will the Matchday games be released?

The Matchday Challenge prediction game will be back for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023, in July. More creative glimpses of the other games will be revealed in the near future, and a group of users will be given early access by the end of March. If you'd like to take part in this, please let us know!

Will the games be based on real-life player performance?

We are building various experiences, and all the base stats used will be based on real-life performance, such as form, injuries, and suspensions, and pulled from multiple data sources. We want to be mindful of how we can introduce these elements in a way that still makes the experience very accessible to all our users.

Will the name of our team in the squad experience be the same as our username, or will we be able to pick other names?

In short, yes, although to begin with you will be competing under your username.

Will the teams have captains and, if so, will the captain receive any kind of bonus to gameplay?

We don't want to give too much away but yes, captains are part of the plan. Keep an eye out for future AMAs in which we will discuss features like this further.

Will the results of the 1v1 squad matches be random, or do the players have stats on which those results will be determined?

Again, we don't want to reveal too many spoilers, but in short, no, it's not random. Players will have ratings and the match engine, currently being designed, will take those into account.

When will the women's player cards be available?

Very soon. There will be something very exciting to play with by the time the FIFA Women's World Cup starts in July.

What happens when a player retires? Does their card lose utility?

In terms of gameplay, we are still working on this, but it is connected to licensing and will depend on the individual player. However, you will never lose your cards. Once you receive a card, you own the rights, just like buying a poster or another physical object. A retired player card may even become more desirable, as the player has now become a 'legend', so to speak.

Will the games use their own Matchday cryptocurrency for purchases, or an existing one?

Users will be able to complete transactions via fiat or any popular cryptocurrencies. USDC is currently supported and we will aim other currencies to this list.

When will the cards be made into NFTs?

We will allow exports later this year. The first chain we will be allowing for exports is Solana, but if you have a favorite chain or one you think we should definitely support, then please let us know. We will have multi-chain support by the end of the year.

What determines the value of the cards?

You, the player. There is no centralized entity determining the card prices. The value assigned to a card by both seller and buyer can be determined by a wide range of factors, including player popularity, current interest in the player, or even personal perception. The cards will take on a life of their own over time, and this is something we will discuss further at a later date.

Can you explain the reasons for the recent issues with users having their accounts blocked, the reasons for needing KYC when wanting to withdraw money from the marketplace, and the delay in payouts being received?

We want our marketplace to be as compliant, trustworthy, and accessible as possible. We have allowed both payments and withdrawals via both fiat and cryptocurrencies, which does unfortunately highly increase the risk of fraud and scams. Our fraud detection systems can sometimes result in the delay of withdrawals, and will very occasionally (less than 0.5 percent of the time) flag some false positives. We are always working to lower this figure further. The need for KYC is to ensure we comply with the various different financial regulations around the world.

Can you tell us about the partnership with Chiliz, an investor in Matchday?

Nothing official to announce currently. We took some baby steps with them during the World Cup and we are figuring out how we can link up with them on something important to all of us, so feel free to send us any ideas you may have.

How does Matchday plan to cater to and expand its reach in international markets, particularly in Asia?

We will be working on large-scale localization efforts, such as creating content in different languages, creating groups based on regional interests or languages, making sure fraud prevention and payment systems are reflective of a user's location, and bringing access to athletes or experiences to those who may not usually have physical or geographical access, among other initiatives.

What will the function of the Challenge Pass be in future?

Again, nothing official to announce yet, but we do want to give different experiences to those who utilise the Challenge Pass. For example, they could be connected to access with early use of the games, or AMAs with athletes, and we are discussing all of the potential options.

Join the conversation

As Derrick and Sebastien mentioned, we'd love to get your feedback on all aspects of what we're doing, including what you'd like to see in our products and if you'd like to be part of the team with early access to our games.

You can get in touch via [email protected], on Discord or across social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or TikTok. Let us know what you think and help shape the Matchday experience!

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