TezDev 2025: A Personal Recap

A couple of weeks back, I wrote about how TezDev isn’t just a developer conference anymore, it’s where the Tezos ecosystem shows what it’s made of. At the time, I said this year felt like it’s gonna be different. Bigger. More connected.

Now that I’m back and mostly recovered, here’s the personal recap I promised, not a full rundown of everything (you can catch the recordings for that), but the stuff that stuck with me, the vibe, and what made this year’s TezDev feel like a real turning point.

Talks, Tech, and a Whole Lot of Shipping #

Let’s start with the meat and potatoes, the talks and panels.

There was a lot of ground covered, and it wasn’t just fluff. We got serious updates on scaling Etherlink, the new RISC‑V engine (very cool stuff happening there), and some sharp insights from the RWA and DeFi panels that made it clear people aren’t just theory-crafting, they’re building products that are live and being used by people already.

The Etherlink hackathon with Encode also got its moment, with details on the format, themes, and how developers can get involved. It felt like that classic builder energy is finally syncing up.

Arthur’s Keynote: Calm, Collected, Confident #

You know Arthur’s keynotes are never loud, they’re thoughtful. And honestly, when you’ve got real progress to show, you don’t need to fake hype. This keynote wasn’t any different. What hit hardest for me was seeing that same Tezos X proposed roadmap slide from last year, but this time, most of the “to-do” items had checkmarks next to them.

It was one of those quiet but powerful moments that made it clear: a lot of serious work has been done, and fast. It’s easy to forget how much is moving when you’re in the day-to-day, but seeing that visual reminder of just how much has been delivered? Super satisfying.

You can’t help but feel optimistic, and yeah, hyped as well about what’s coming next. The roadmap isn’t a pitch anymore. It’s becoming real.

Tezos has always moved differently, and this keynote made it clear why that approach has paid off. Things like smart rollups, data availability, and dev tools aren’t just concepts anymore, they’re shipped, they’re connecting, and they’re ready to be built on.

Reaper Actual: This Wasn’t a Game Reveal, This Was a Statement #

We all knew there was going to be a big announcement for the gaming vertical, the agenda hinted at it, but no one expected this.

It all kicked off with Efe Kucuk taking the stage to talk about gaming on Tezos. Standard stuff, right? And then, out of nowhere, he casually reveals his special guest. Enter: John Smedley. Yeah, that John Smedley, the guy behind EverQuest, Planetside, H1Z1. A literal legend in the gaming world.

At that point, the room was already going crazy, but we were still nowhere near the peak. John comes up, talks about how his team has been quietly building a game for a while now, and why they chose Tezos and Etherlink as their home. Then he drops the big one: the game is called Reaper Actual, and we’re about to see the trailer.

Cue the lights, cue the sound, cue the crowd losing its mind.

The trailer hits, and it’s not “Web3 game” vibes, it’s full-on AAA quality. Great mechanics, killer visuals, and legit atmosphere. The kind of thing you show a non-crypto gamer and don’t need to explain or apologize for.

And then? They had a live demo. Computers set up in the room. People (including me) playing a pre-alpha build that, honestly, felt smoother and more fun than most betas I’ve tried. It was fast. It was polished. It felt like a real game, because it is one.

This wasn’t a pitch deck. This wasn’t “soon.” This was now. And you could feel the shift in the room, that collective moment where people started looking at each other like, “Dude… this is for real?”

For me, this was the emotional high point of the day. Not just because the game looked great, but because it proved that Tezos and Etherlink aren’t just for devs or DeFi folks. They’re a platform you can build big, ambitious, mainstream-ready things on right now.

Art, Stories, and That Tezos Feeling #

I said in my pre-TezDev post that this year wasn’t going to be just a developer conference, and the “Art on Tezos” panel proved exactly that.

Art has always been one of the most important and unique aspects of the Tezos ecosystem. It’s not a side dish, it’s part of the main course. So it was really nice to see it get the space and love it deserves, even at a developer-focused summit.

The panel featured Ganbrood, Zancan, and the objkt founders, who shared their journeys through the Tezos art scene, how they got started, what drew them in, and why they’ve stayed. You could feel how real it was for them. This wasn’t just another panel, it was artists talking about finding a home. It reminded everyone in the room why Tezos feels different.

And just when you thought things were winding down, they hit us with one last thing, an immersive art experience in the next room. Think projection-mapped visuals, curated pieces, ambient sound, and a room full of people just… taking it in. You can find a bunch of videos online, but really, it’s one of those “you had to be there” moments.

Placing that experience at the end of the event was honestly kind of perfect. After a full day of panels, announcements, and big ideas, it brought things back to something simple and powerful: emotion, creativity, connection. A quiet reminder that behind all the tech, Tezos is still a place for people to make and share things that matter.

Swag & Vibes #

No TezDev is complete without the merch table, and this year’s haul was a standout. Custom Tezos beach towels (yes, beach towels), Baking hats, Uranium socks, Etherlink-branded Rubik’s cubes, and some of the best t-shirts I’ve seen at any blockchain event. TezDev continues its tradition of tasteful, creative swag that people actually want to wear and use.

More than that, the vibe throughout the day was just… amazing. You could feel it in the hallway chats, the laughs at lunch, and of course, at the late-night drinks at the TezDev afterparty, which is a whole other story on its own. These aren’t just avatars or Twitter handles anymore, they’re collaborators. Co-conspirators. Friends.

So was it the defining moment I hoped for in my preview?
Yeah, it really was. I could even say it was the best TezDev event I have been to so far.

TezDev 2025 didn’t just show that Tezos is still building, it proved we’re entering a new phase. Less explaining. More shipping. Less isolation. More connection. The pieces are on the board now, and they’re starting to move fast.

Excited for what’s next. See you all next year!