Yoda Labs Monthly Recap

January has been a long month, but it has been great for Web3 Gaming. Heroes of Mavia is now available worldwide on both iOS and the Play Store. Not to be outdone, Captain Tsubasa Rivals is breaking records and topping the mobile charts. Yuga Labs and Faraway Games have partnered up to create a new mobile game. Diablo III is being recreated within Nifty Island. The rumored $MOCA token is real and will be released this year. EA Sports' CEO hints at creating a metaverse within its gaming ecosystem. 2024 is shaping up nicely for Web3 gaming to become mainstream.

Also in our monthly round up:

• Immutable is set to launch 'Katana Inu’ a next-gen battler

• Shrapnel map was released in Fortnite

• DOOM comes to Doge inscriptions

• SNES emulator recreated on BTC inscriptions

• Ronin grows from strength to strength

• Illuvium launches Creator Rewards Program

• GMME loses 600 million $GMEE tokens in breach

• Fusion of Web3 gaming and esports gathers pace

• January has been a huge month for Web3 gaming investments

Today The Game - Special Look and Interview 

Web3 Gaming News of the Week🎮

• Yuga Labs and Faraway Games are partnering to create a new game in the Web3 gaming world

• Nifty Island features Diablo III, created by pseudonymous AI game developer Dav

• Gala has announced that Champions Arena Mystic Boxes have sold out in less than an hour

• CropBytes has announced CropBytes Conquest, a spin-off featuring Superhero NFTs in PvP battles

• Immutable is set to launch 'Katana Inu', a next-gen battle royale powered by 0xPolygon, on its Web3 platform

• NFT game studio Laguna Games will bring Crypto Unicorns and related titles to the network

• Skrice Studios 'Heroes of Mavia', the Web3 mobile treaty game, is now available on iOS and Android App Stores

• Animoca Brands is improving the Mocaverse ecosystem with Shards and a $MOCA token set to launch in 2024

• Web 3 infrastructure platform QuickNode has launched Immutable zkEVM

• BLOCKSMITH&Co. and Mint Town have released the iOS/Android version of the blockchain game Captain Tsubasa RIVALS

• ERM LABS has launched The Wonder World, its first escape room IP, in association with The Sandbox

• EA Sports CEO Andrew Wilson has hinted at creating a metaverse within its gaming ecosystem

• MARBLEX has announced a strategic partnership with Saga

• Sega has strengthened its web3 presence with Line Next, bringing its game IPs to the recently launched DOSI platform

• Maniac Panda Games is set to launch the multiplayer Trading Card Game "Underground Waifus" on WEMIX PLAY

• Baobab Studios and 9 Story Media Group are partnering to bring the popular gaming series Momoguro

• Tom Sachs' Rocket Factory has launched the Final Frontier, a hand-built galaxy metaverse in partnership with Monaverse

• Binance Labs has criticized SkyArk Chronicles, an NFT game that raised $115 million for its mint

• Darewise Entertainment and Deadfellaz's DFZ Labs have partnered to enhance the Metaverse ecosystem, Life Beyond

• Oasys and Pacific Meta have formed a strategic partnership to promote blockchain gaming in Chinese-speaking communities

• Xsolla has introduced Story3, a platform designed to provide more equitable compensation for creators

• Honda is partnering with Darewise and Animoca Brands Japan to develop a new Web3 automotive gameplay for Life Beyond

• Cool Cats partners with Immutable for, Cool Cats: Match Quest, set to launch in Q2 2024

• GameStop has closed its NFT marketplace, citing regulatory uncertainties in the Web3 crypto space

• Sky Mavis launches the 'Apeiron NFT' on Mavis Hub, initiates Axie Infinity: Origins Season 7 and upgrades its crypto wallet

• DOOM, the 90’s classic, is now on Dogecoin using Ordinals technology

• Mavis store is officially launched and is open for gamers to buy in-game items

• Illuvium is launching a Creator Rewards Program for web3 creators

• GAMEE has experienced a security breach resulting in the theft of 600 million $GMEE tokens

• Aavegotchi announces three major Aavegotchi Battler tournaments featuring a rather large prize pool

• SHRAPNEL support extends beyond game coverage, aiding content creation for other games with subsidies

• Shrapnel map within Fortnite is released

• Yuga Labs' Otherside 'Trip 3' trailer, revealing a 20-second in-engine playtest in February 2024

• Pizza Ninjas PFP Collection Unveils SNES Emulator for Bitcoin Ordinals: A Step Towards Preserving Classic Nintendo Games

Web3 Gaming Trends 🚀

• Web3 gaming developers are focusing on incentivizing NFT ownership

• Web3 gaming developers are being targeted by scammers who use sophisticated tactics to lure them into deceptive schemes

• Gamer Arena is a Web3 gaming platform that aims to democratize competitive gaming by utilizing AI and blockchain technology

• David Amor, CEO of Playmint, believes fully onchain games will revolutionize the gaming industry

• The fusion of gaming and sports has led to the rise of eSports App Development

• Swedish esports organization Ninjas in Pyjamas has partnered with Web3 technology company XBorg

• FaZe Clan has announced a multi-million dollar partnership with cryptocurrency casino and trading platform Rollbit

The Merging of Web3, Crypto, and Gaming/Esports

Recent partnerships between Web3 companies and gaming/esports businesses show how these industries are merging. The ongoing partnerships are exposing crypto and blockchain-based gaming to more gamers.

The integration of Web3 platforms into traditional gaming organisations shows the growing use of blockchain and digital assets in online entertainment. Tokenized in-game asset ownership and decentralised finance solutions for players and fans showcases that mainstream gaming/esports companies are adopting Web3 technology to engage gamers at a rapid pace.

Crypto and Web3 tech are becoming more relevant in consumer technologies and their activities - this convergence is only the begining!

We have previously covered this in our in-depth article co-authored with Dappradar, BGA and Sura Gaming too. Check it out!

• Blockchain brings reliability and security to games, 23% respondents said blockchain has made games more dependable

• Ronin Blockchain Thrives as Top Gaming Chain: Boosted by Axie Infinity Enhancements and New Titles like 'Pixels'

Web3 Funding News 💸

• Vermilion Studios secured $7M funding for the social party game Forgotten Playland, backed by Merit Circle DAO

• AOFverse, a London-based mobile gaming studio, has secured $3 million in a private funding round led by Animoca Ventures

• NuggetRush raised over $2 million in its presale, offering community-owned play-to-earn gaming with rewards

• OKX Ventures Invests $100 Million in Matr1x: A Major Boost for the Web3 Platform Focused on Cyberpunk-Themed Esports Games

• Age of Dino, a next-generation MMO dinosaur-themed game, has secured $8 million in a seed funding round

• ArenaX has secured a $6 million funding round led by Framework Ventures

• UK mobile gaming studio AOFverse secures funding from The Arbitrum Foundation

Follow us on Twitter to stay up to date with the latest news and announcements!

See you same place same time next week!

❤❤❤

Yoda Labs team