The video game industry is massive. Every year, consumers spend upwards of $180 billion globally, with much of this growth coming after the proliferation of microtransactions and free-to-play games a little over a decade ago. The gaming industry is also one that undergoes constant and rapid change. Third Time Entertainment CEO Ian Cummings believes that the Web3 transition is the newest and potentially the most impactful change the industry has seen in quite some time. “We see lots of opportunities for popular game genres to expand and evolve as ownership of in-game assets and economies transition from publishers to investors and players,” Cummings explained.

Cummings’ company, Third Time Entertainment, is an independent video game developer currently building two complementary projects on the Solana blockchain. The first, Photo Finish Live, is a horse racing simulator and wagering platform offering players true ownership of their digital stables including care, racing, and breeding. The next, a web-native social experience called The Suites, enables sports fans to own and operate their own luxury Suite in the metaverse.

New Games on the Solana Blockchain

Photo Finish Live is a horse racing simulator and a spiritual successor to two games Third Time has been running on mobile phones for over five years. The game has been in development since August of 2021 and will be live sometime in the first half of 2022. The game’s main differentiator is a well-tuned economy design that simulates the actual horse racing industry – where the goal isn’t necessarily owning the best horse, but more so breeding and racing a stable of horses that get better and more lucrative over time. 

The Suites was originally conceived as a 3D environment to watch and wager on Photo Finish Live horse races. Soon after, Third Time expanded the scope materially, effectively combining the two products into a sports-focused metaverse where people can meet and make new friends while taking advantage of high-end tools and services to create and share content inside The Suites. 

The Suites sold out 5,000 NFTs in a few seconds, quickly becoming one of the most successful and highest volume collections in the Solana ecosystem. Over the last year, Third Time has successfully minted over 15,000 NFTs.

Building a Bright Future

The company has faced its fair share of challenges in getting off the ground: “There have been a lot of hills and valleys!” Cummings remarked. However, Third Time is no stranger to success either. Their mobile games have amassed over 14 million downloads since their release. Recently, the company successfully raised $3.5M in seed funding in January 2022. The round was led by London Venture Partners and included several other strong strategic partners, such as Coinbase Ventures, 6th Man Ventures, Big Brain Holdings, Reciprocal Ventures, Folius Ventures, Maven Capital, and more. 

For Cummings, though, success is all about earning the respect of his peers and creating experiences that delight players all over the world. Solving problems and developing experiences that provide entertainment for others is what gets him out of bed in the morning.

Over the next few years, Third Time aims to become a leader at the nexus of sports, gaming, wagering, and crypto. Under Cummings’ leadership, the team is passionate about accomplishing this goal and want to do their part in taking the Web3 gaming space to the next level.

Meet Ian Cummings

Ian Cummings is the CEO and Founder of Third Time Entertainment. He brings over 20 years of experience in game development across console, PC, and mobile ecosystems. He spent over a decade at EA Sports, starting as a QA tester and working his way up to Creative Director of the Madden NFL franchise, managing a team of 150. Cummings has made significant contributions to dozens of important gaming franchises at companies such as Zynga, Fan Duel, Row Sham Bow, and Glu Mobile. In 2015, he got the entrepreneurial bug and decided to start Third Time Entertainment, where he now focuses most of his time.
Follow Third Time’s blog on Medium. Visit The Suites’ official website, view the trailer, or follow them on Twitter. Learn more about Photo Finish on the official website or on Twitter.