Weekly Digest

Builders continue to build as infrastructure and Partnerships dominate headlines. Once adversaries - ImmutableX and Polygon collaborate for the good of Web3 gaming.

What tech and which teams are you most bullish on?

Also in our weekly digest:

• Aavegotchi will build its own blockchain using Polygon tech

• Land staking could be the best play in Web3 gaming

• A new standard is set for interoperable metaverses that could onboard billions of gamers

Yoda Labs exclusive research report featuring expert insights into Polygon gaming industry trends, investments and growth 👽

Co-authored by BGA & DappRadar

Web3 Gaming News 🎮

• Immutable and Polygon collaborate to provide an Ethereum-focused gaming network for Web3 game developers and their players.

• Aavegotchi is to use Polygon Technology to build a custom blockchain called Gotchichain which is being designed to give gamers lower fees and faster transaction times.

• Moxy the Blockchain Esports Platform launches a $100,000 Beta Challenge to stress test all components of the Moxy ecosystem with real-world specifications.

• Rumble Racing Star will run on the Polygon blockchain and support third-party NFT collections such as Goblintown, y00ts, and Killabears to offer more personalization to its players.

• Space and Time the decentralized data warehouse partners with the Korean game developer Wemade to expand its ecosystem whilst also partnering with Stardust to provide them with scalable analytics for in-game activities and on-chain events.

• Portal Fantasy announces a new roadmap, closed beta, and a partnership with Polygon to expand its reach.

• Raiders Rumble by Bloxmith bridges the gap between Web2 and Web3 gamers in the continued pursuit of onboarding new players to Web3 gaming.

• Shardbound revived as Web3 game as ImmutableX and Bazooka believe fresh funding and NFT elements can bring players back.

The draw of reviving an old IP and repurposing it for Web3

When titans like ImmutableX and Bazooka team up, we have to pay attention. Reviving an old Web2 game that barely has any active users seems like a miscalculated move. However, when looking closer as to why they believe in this resurrection it is clear that they could be onto something.

Originally offered as an indie game on the Steam store, the turn-based tactical collectible card game amassed a massive 76% positive review score. In addition, the game had ‘hundreds of thousands’ accounts created signifying genuine interest in the strategic battle card game genre, offering gameplay similar to Blizzard’s Hearthstone with elements of Riot Games’ Teamfight Tactics.

Buying a ‘dead game’ is akin to buying a distressed business. Shardbound once was building itself up to be an established brand. ImmutableX and Bazooka probably picked it up at a bargain price, greatly reducing their risk. They certainly saw, the huge opportunity for a turnaround using blockchain infrastructure. And the original user statistics backed up their thinking.

Beautifully polished, yet unfinished (due to lack of funding) it is also perfect for a streaming audience with a Web3 twist. The game is poised to be released on the newly announced zkEVM and will sure to give it a certain level of gravitas and exposure.

• MapleStory Universe by game publisher Nexon, one of the largest game publishers across Asia, is launching a private Supernet on Polygon for the new game.

• Hunters On-Chain the Web3 browser version of mobile game Hunt Royale goes live on Polygon testnet and maker BoomLand says it aiming to push mass adoption of Web3 gaming by onboarding Web2 players

• DeshGame, the casual fishing game on the Arbitrum network is looking to entice players with bonus blind boxes, rewards for rare fish, and the basic income of a shared island.

• Game7 and 3XP Gaming Expo have teamed up to highlight Web3 games in a festival that includes esports, creators and brands.

• Dr. Disrespect's upcoming Web3 shooter is to allow pre-alpha access to anyone who can pay $25, the need for NFT to access the game is no longer necessary.

• Planet Mojo and Mojo Melee creator, Mystic Moose is to enable people to convert their NFTs to real-time 3D models for use in games.

Extending utility within games to connect with gamers at a more personal level

Game studio Mystic Moose has created a way for people to convert their NFTs into real-time 3D models. This is significant as it adds a new layer of connecting with gamers.

By allowing gamers to modify and transform their owned digital collections on the blockchain with endless look and creativity, Mystic Moose's 3D 'Mod-able' Mojo NFTs will usher in a new era of user-generated content. This could lead to increased interest and engagement in NFTs and Web3 gaming, and help overcome some of the major objections that game developers and gamers have had about NFT ownership in the past.

Blockchain tech is always evolving and companies continue to push forward the art of what is possible. We feel many project teams will be looking into how this was achieved with a view to bringing it into their own ecosystems and games.

Web3 Gaming Trends 🚀

• Age of Empires Producer proposes insights for improving blockchain games so they can compete with those from established developers.

• Virtual Land Staking could transform how land is bought, sold, and managed in the future.

Is Virtual Land Staking the best play in gaming?

Digital land is real estate niche that's making passive-income owners rich. Smart investors are buying cash-flowing property in NFT ventures like Axie Infinity, Wolf Game, NFT Worlds, and Aavegotchi and making better returns than with traditional real estate.

Daniel Maegaard aka Seedphrase has posted a screenshot of his daily income from investing in land from the Axie Infinity ecosystem, a play-to-earn game backed by Paradigm, AK16, and Mark Cuban. His 91 plots of land generate 149.24 AXS ($1,364) tokens daily and $597,860 in passive money. In a crypto bear market, this is remarkable.

Wolf Game, launched December 2022, has made owners huge profits. Wolf Game has 2,577 buildings on 20,000 Genesis Plots. These buildings can be upgraded to barns or bathhouses and rented out for Wolf Game's local token, WOOL. Bathhouses are in high demand, and the cheapest ones in less popular areas hire for 15,000 WOOL per month. Today, bathhouses cost 2.5 eth (around $4,125) and WOOL 1.5 cents.

15,000 x $0.015 = $225 every 30 days, good for $2,700 per year and a net ROI of 65% in the first year alone.

NFT Worlds and Aavegotchi offer players the same opportunity. These games can be played for years to come and are one-time investments. With Web3 gaming to be the next meta, and the projects staying afloat, these investments could pay insane dividends over multi-year timeframes.

Assuming these projects can stay afloat, and if (when) gaming becomes the next meta in Web3, their tokens could regain any of their price levels from the previous bull cycle.

• PlayMining GameFi platform launches product placement NFTs as a new advertising solution and utility offering that can be sold and distributed to its 2.7 million gamers.

• Ethereum's ERC-4337 update could be massive for onboarding billions of gamers into Web3 by bringing smoother onboarding capabilities to the industry

Is a new trend about to start with the adoption of ERC-4337 and interoperability between virtual worlds?

This new standard for NFT creation on multiple metaverses, Web3 games and platforms will enable interoperability between virtual worlds. The development of the new NFT standard by Metalinq, a project backed by Coinsilium, is a significant contribution towards creating interoperable Web3 infrastructure on the Ethereum blockchain.

This news could potentially have a significant impact on the world of blockchain-based metaverses and Web3 gaming platforms, as the standardization of NFTs could lead to increased adoption and further development of these technologies.

The fact that Metalinq is the author of the ERC-5606 standard could also position the company as a leading tech partner for metaverse and Web3 game developers.

• Javelin Cloud technology integrates with Polygon to address the #1 issue for gaming platforms — latency.

• MMOPRPG games offer fairer rewards among players who contribute to the ecosystem, promoting participation & improving the game experiences.

Web3 Funding News 💸

•  Aavegotchi, creators Pixelcraft Studios, have completed their token sale, raising a total of $30M with no VC or Angel Investors Involved.

• EOS Network Ventures commits $20M to blockchain games and Dapps on EOS.

• Flying Sheep Studios receives $1.2M from the German government to develop a metaverse game to focus on community-driven experiences.

• CCP Games from Iceland raises $40M led by A16z to expand its R&D team so that the new triple-A blockchain game set in the Eve universe is truly more meaningful than real life.

Exploring the Metaverse 🛸

• Oncyber the metaverse platform adds OpenAI’s GPT tool and lets users change 3D spaces by typing out ideas

• The Sandbox underdelivers as a metaverse pub is a solitary experience on St. Patrick’s Day.

• The Nemesis metaverse and DappRadar have teamed to give a unique metaverse experience for Easter, showcasing the latest in metaverse technology through various activities, demonstrating the power and potential of blockchain.

• SmartRetail partners up with Amimoca Japan as it looks to venture into virtual space, whilst Animoca expands its Web3 portfolio.

Animoca diversifies its portfolio but stays true to its vision

The partnership between Animoca Brands Japan and SmartRetail is significant for a few reasons. Firstly, Animoca Brands Japan continues to push and expand its Web3 portfolio. This indicates a continued focus on the development of Web3 technologies.

To include SmartRetail, an Asian service provider specializing in Engagement Out-Of-Home is a shrewd move as it paves the way for retail media to integrate with Web3 and in virtual spaces. Animoca Brands Japan is positioning itself as a key player in the development of EOOH and this new technology.

Secondly, SmartRetail's entry into the virtual space is significant because it shows that even forward-thinking businesses are starting to recognize the importance of virtual and digital spaces. As the world becomes increasingly digitized, businesses that fail to adapt risk being left behind.

By partnering with Animoca Brands Japan, SmartRetail is taking steps to ensure that they remain competitive and relevant in a rapidly changing business landscape.

The partnership between the two reinforces the adoption of Web3 technologies and the increasing importance of virtual and digital spaces in the business world.

• HTC, Dubit, 0.xyz and Neon Media are the first to partner with Lamina1, an open metaverse ecosystem that was started by Neal Stephenson, the person who coined the term ‘metaverse‘.

• The Sandbox and Havas Play, Vivendi's new global comms brand, will collaborate to create new gaming and entertainment experiences to empower the already strong client brands and communities.

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

“It’s not wise to upset a Wookiee.”
-Han Solo

See you same place same time next week!

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Yoda Labs team