Listen to this articleAlex Tay, is the Founder and CEO of ZeusX. Alex, it’s a pleasure to have you here as ZeusX celebrates its 5-year milestone—a significant achievement for a company that’s become a cornerstone in the gaming marketplace. For those who might not know your story, could you start by telling us how ZeusX began and what your initial goals were?
Alex Tay: Thank you, it’s great to be here reflecting on this journey. ZeusX was first launched in March 2020, born out of my lifelong passion for gaming. I’ve been a gamer since I was nine, growing up with classics like Super Mario Bros. and Contra on the consoles, before eventually geeking it out with PC games. In my younger days, I saw how gamers were trading items and accounts on generic platforms like forums and eBay, often with little security or trust. Whoever “goes first” bears the brunt of a fraudulent trade. It was a fragmented, risky experience.
What I didn’t expect was that after a 17-year career in insurance and banking, that same negative experience had not been resolved! People had just moved on to trading on Facebook groups, Discord servers and non-gaming marketplaces. That realization had made me decided to leave my corporate career behind and chase a dream: to create a safe, global gaming marketplace where gamers could buy, sell, and trade digital assets with ease. My initial goal was simple—empower gamers everywhere to find more joy in their passion by making trading secure, accessible, and personalized, especially for the mobile gaming community, which I saw as the future.
Interviewer: Five years is quite a journey. What have been some of the major milestones and challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Alex Tay: It’s definitely been an incredible ride! One of our first milestones was launching the platform in March 2020—right as the world was grappling with a COVID pandemic. Despite the timing, we attracted users from 85 countries almost immediately, which showed us the global hunger for a platform like ours. Another big moment was when we first considered monetizing our platform and finally felt ready to charge a sales fee to our merchants in 2021. ZeusX had gone through 3 iterations of overhauls by then as part of our constant drive to innovate and improve while being free-to-use. Ironically, it was also the same time we had our 1000th merchant onboarded with us! We are forever thankful to our merchants who appreciate the value we bring to their business, stuck with us, and helped us achieve more than US$ 10 million in gross merchandise sales in 2024.
Challenges? Oh, there were plenty. Early on, building trust was tough—gamers are understandably wary of scams. We had to prove our legitimacy, refine our safeguards, and get those first sellers onboarded and customers assured. The classic chicken-or-egg problem for marketplaces was very real for us. Scaling globally while defending against international payment fraud syndicates was another unexpected hurdle. It took a lot of work, some monetary losses and panic-striken nights before we eventually balance good customer experience with strong defence against fraudulent transactions. But every challenge taught us something, and it’s made us stronger.
Interviewer: The gaming industry has evolved a lot in the past five years. How have you seen it change, and how has ZeusX adapted to those shifts?
Alex Tay: The gaming industry has exploded, especially mobile gaming, which now dominates the market—something I predicted early on. In Southeast Asia alone, the rise in smartphone usage and internet penetration has turned it into the fastest-growing gaming region globally. At the same time, we’ve seen digital assets—like in-game items, skins, and accounts—become more valuable, almost like a virtual economy of their own. Players aren’t just gaming for fun anymore; they’re investing time and money, and they want to monetize that.
ZeusX has adapted by staying hyper-focused on mobile gaming and latest gaming trends. We’ve expanded our offerings beyond just items and accounts to include services, top-ups, gift cards, and collectibles—everything a gamer might need. We’ve also integrated with gaming ecosystems (e.g. Discord) and communities to make the experience feel native, not just transactional. It’s all about meeting gamers where they are and giving them what they need to thrive.
Interviewer: Can you share a memorable story or pivotal moment that stands out in ZeusX’s history?
Alex Tay: One moment that always sticks with me is one of our very first transactions. A gamer from Texas traded with someone in Slovenia—two people on opposite sides of the world, connected through ZeusX. It hit me then: this is what we’re building—a global bridge for gamers. But if I had to pick a pivotal moment, it’d be when we revamped our platform in late 2020, months after launch. Besides adding more product categories, doubling down on security and user experience, we really focused on 1 particular game (Genshin Impact). The response was overwhelming—thousands of users jumped on board with transactions spiking through the roof compared to before, and it validated our vision. That was when I knew our ship had finally left the coast!
Interviewer: Looking ahead, what can customers and fans expect from ZeusX in the next five years?
Alex Tay: The next five years are all about differentiation and expansion. We want to reach even more gamers—millions more—especially in markets like South Korea, and Western Europe where we already made some brand headway. Expect deeper integration with gaming ecosystems, more tools for personalization, and maybe some AI-driven features to help gamers find exactly what they love. We’ll keep refining our platform to make trading effortless and fun, while staying true to our mission of creating a better life for gamers through their passion. And of course, we’ll keep pushing the boundaries of what a gaming marketplace can be—”Play More, Grind Less”, as we always say.
Interviewer: As we wrap up, what’s your message to the ZeusX community and everyone who’s supported you along the way?
Alex Tay: To our community—gamers, merchants, investors, and partners—thank you. You’ve been with us through every level of this journey, and we wouldn’t be here without your trust and support. ZeusX is more than a marketplace; it’s a home for gamers everywhere, and we’re just getting started. My message is this: keep gaming, keep trading, and keep dreaming big—we’re here to help you make it happen. Here’s to five amazing years and many more to come. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart.
