deadmau5 and Richie Hawtin’s Gaming Platform PIXELYNX Announces $4.5 Million Seed Investment Round Led By Animoca Brands, Solana Ventures, Alameda Research, Republic Realm, and Sfermion

PIXELYNX, the new gaming venture building a music metaverse, announced today that it has closed a $4.5 million seed investment round which was led by Animoca Brands, the company driving digital property rights via NFTs and gaming to help build the open metaverse. Additional investors in this round include Solana Ventures, Alameda Research, Alumni Ventures’ Blockchain Fund, Hyperedge Capital, Republic Realm, SevenX, and Sfermion.

PIXELYNX was created by musicians and technologists Joel Zimmerman aka deadmau5 and Richie Hawtin and music and gaming industry veterans Ben Turner, Dean Wilson, and Inder Phull. The company recently announced that it will leverage Niantic’s Lightship Platform and the Augmented Reality Developer Kit (ARDK) to develop a mobile app version of PIXELYNX’s new gaming platform

These investments will fuel continued development of the PIXELYNX gaming platform, which is focused on creating a new virtual world ecosystem that makes it easy for music artists to launch their own interactive environment and monetize it through NFTs, playable experiences, and virtual performances. The platform, due to launch in 2022, is being developed by a leading team of gaming veterans previously at Activision, EA Sports, Epic Games, Ubisoft and Microsoft.

“Fueled by the ingenuity and creativity of Richie and Joel, PIXELYNX helps artists create their own immersive worlds that can be used to build community, release music, playable NFTs and launch forward-thinking blockchain strategies,” said Inder Phull, CEO and co-founder of PIXELYNX. “Fans can play and engage with artists in the metaverse and experience a new interactive format that blurs the lines between music and gaming. These investments from Animoca Brands and our other investors will help us continue to develop PIXELYNX and connect the dots between music, blockchain and gaming ecosystems by creating a new way for artists and fans to connect and discover music. We are thrilled at the diversity of investors that came in on this round and their belief in what we are doing at PIXELYNX.

Yat Siu, executive chairman and co-founder of Animoca Brands, commented: "We are pleased to lead this investment round into PIXELYNX, a company we are partnering with to help build the open metaverse. PIXELYNX has a clear vision to create the leading music metaverse, which we believe will impact the way music is consumed and monetized. PIXELYNX’s team of industry veterans from music and gaming is connecting music, gaming, and blockchain to create NFTs that enhance the music experience through ownership and interactivity."

About PIXELYNX
PIXELYNX is a new gaming venture by iconic musicians and technologists Joel Zimmerman aka deadmau5, Richie Hawtin aka Plastikman, and music industry visionaries Ben Turner (Graphite; IMS: International Music Summit; AFEM: Association for Electronic Music), Dean Wilson (Seven20 Entertainment / mau5trap), and Inder Phull. The company, based in London and Los Angeles, is focused on building a music metaverse that will transform the way artists connect and engage with their fans through gaming experiences. Learn more at https://www.pixelynx.io.

Info provided by Global News Wire

Solajump, the first play-to-win NFT game on Solana set to launch soon

Solajump, the world’s first play-to-win short game based on the Solana blockchain, is thrilled to bring back the fun of classic short games. Developed by Kokeshi Academy Nerd 148 Studios, it uses nonfungible tokens (NFTs) to revolutionize the world of short gaming with its play-to-win model.

Short games are fun, easy to play and easy to get into. However, game designers who came up with Pong, Tetris, Arkanoid, Pac-Man and other major hits had to make do with the limited power of computers in the past. Computing power is no longer an issue for players, unlocking the doors to a richer and more engaging experience.

Visually appealing and fun to play, Solajump draws on the key principles of Doodle Jump. The player’s objective is to jump higher and higher by bouncing off platforms randomly placed in the 2D space. The further you progress, the rarer the platforms become, and therefore, the higher the risk of a game over.

With Solajump, the player’s purpose is not only to achieve the highest score but also to win. Players can access the game by owning a Solajumper NFT, which allows them to compete in tournaments that offer significant rewards for winners.

The initial minting of 10,000 algorithmically generated Solajumper NFTs will take place starting from December. To participate, players must get one of the 10,000 Solajumper NFTs, each priced at 1 SOL, during December.

Owning the NFT entitles players to many perks and bonuses such as 10 chances to reach first place in the Genesis tournament. In the end, players with the best scores will win five-figure rewards, with the ultimate winner bagging more than $30,000. After the Genesis tournament, players can choose to trade their NFTs on the secondary market or keep it and participate in the monthly tournaments.

“SOLAJUMP is the result of the partnership between two studios, NERD148 and KOKESHI ACADEMY. The idea is to provide the DeFi ecosystem with emerging tools for NFTs and play-to-earn. Solajump is the beginning of an era for mini arcade games connected with NFTs,” said Jeff Meguir, CEO of SolaJump.

The monthly tournaments will start from January 2022, where the best players will share a prize pool worth 100 SOL. Kokeshi Academy Studios will launch the “Jump Coin” in February 2022 to allow players to bet in private tournaments and the PVP mode, which will launch in March 2022. That will make it possible for players to win NFTs, Jump Coins, and many other prizes by beating the score of their direct opponent.

According to the developers, 20% of the funds raised during the minting will go into the “Genesis tournament” prize pool. The amount will be added to the current initial prize pool of 2000 SOL. Another 20% of the minting amount will be allocated for all the monthly tournaments held throughout the year. Each year, new tournaments and NFT mintings will be held to keep expanding the prize pool.

Kokeshi Academy Studios is also preparing to launch a Solana-based arcade game incubator in the second half of 2022.

About Solajump

Developed by Kokeshi Academy and NERD 148 Studios, Solajump is a fun and simple play-to-win NFT game on the Solana blockchain. It aims to revive the short gaming trend and enable players to not only achieve the highest score but also to win. 

Stay connected:   Website   |   Twitter   |   Discord   |

Original press release via Cointelegraph :Solajump, the first play-to-win NFT game on Solana, sets out to revive short gaming (cointelegraph.com)

RECUR Announces Strategic Partnership with Sanrio Bringing the Hello Kitty Iconic Brand into the Digital Collectible Space

RECUR announced a strategic partnership with iconic brand, Hello Kitty, to create a fan-focused platform that will bring the beloved character to the NFT space for the very first time.

RECUR is eco-friendly and blockchain agnostic, ultimately enabling the Hello Kitty NFTs to be interoperable across chains. The Hello Kitty experience and NFTs will be available beginning in Q1 of 2022.

Silvia Figini, Chief Operating Officer, Sanrio – EMEA, India and Oceania, Mr Men – Worldwide said: “To explore this new and innovative business is for us a big challenge. For Sanrio, stepping into the NFT space adds a new way of being part of contemporary culture and provides our fans a new way to enjoy our brand.”

Additionally, RECUR is announcing its first proprietary NFT that will be available for purchase on December 9th. The NFT, a “Portal Pass,” will offer early access to RECUR’s entire IP library and experiences, among other forms of utility. RECUR has already amassed some of the largest fan bases of IP in the world with Hello Kitty as the latest addition. The RECUR Pass will be available to purchase for 24 hours only, offering a unique and limited opportunity for fans to establish themselves as early RECUR community members.

“Sometimes you may find yourself thinking 'I wish I could have been there when it happened.' Well, we are excited to share with our community that the RECUR Portal Pass is your chance,” say co-founders Zach Bruch and Trevor George. "Through this one day, 24-hour sale, you will receive early access to what will be some of the greatest digital collectibles for generations to come, and that’s only the beginning. We are excited to be able to share our roadmap, one that features unbelievably extensive utility considering who our IP & collectible partners are.”

The RECUR Pass roadmap and details can be found at www.recurforever.com/portal.

ABOUT SANRIO

Sanrio is the global lifestyle brand best known for Hello Kitty who was created in 1974, and home to many other beloved character brands such as My Melody, LittleTwinStars, Cinnamoroll, Pompompurin, Gudetama, Aggretsuko, Chococat, Bad Badtz-Maru, Kerokerokeroppi and the British icons Mr. Men Little Miss.

Sanrio was founded on the small gift, big smile philosophy – that a small gift can bring happiness and friendship to people of all ages. Since 1960, this philosophy has served as the inspiration to offer quality products, services and activities that promote communication and inspire unique consumer experiences across the world. Today, Sanrio’s business extends into the entertainment industry and includes the operation of a number of theme parks. Sanrio boasts an extensive product lineup of around 50,000 products, which are available in over 130 countries and regions around the world. To learn more about Sanrio, please visit www.sanrio.eu and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter

About RECUR

Founded by crypto industry expert Zach Bruch and digital licensing industry pioneer Trevor George, RECUR is a technology company that designs and develops on-chain branded experiences that allow fans to buy, collect, and re-sell digital products and collectibles (NFTs). RECUR will be chain agnostic and is fundamentally changing the NFT market by creating and setting the standard for a decentralized recurring royalty, creating the widest distribution and reach for NFTs minted on their platform.

Concept Art House Partners with Genopets to bring AAA quality artwork to their Solana based Move-to-Earn game.

 Concept Art House (CAH), a leading content developer and publisher for some of the world's most recognizable NFTs and video game art, is honored to be partnering with Genopets, the first Free-to-Play, Move-to-Earn NFT game, in their pursuit of bringing AAA game-quality artwork to the Genopets.

By tackling a game design challenge that has never been executed before, the newly launched interactive and blockchain-based game - built on Solana - is reinventing and reimagining how gamers act, via unique and distinct NFTs that evolve based on the actions of players.

Unlike traditional mobile game artists who have the luxury of designing a finite set of characters, Genopets delivered a spirit animal that is a unique reflection of every player by approaching the design via sophisticated 3D models (as opposed to standard JPEGs) that allow the art to become more beautiful as players interact, in effect allowing Genopet NFT's to accrue value based on distinctive, idiosyncratic personalization.

"Our team has meticulously created an anatomical design system that allows for a massive range of permutations so that each Genopet can be unique to each player," said Benjamin Tse, CPO and Co-Founder of Genopets. "Genopets are designed to be completely modular and are procedurally generated and upgraded to evolve as players interact with the game, essentially allowing users to become virtual graphic artists in their own right."

"We are thrilled to be working alongside the Genopets team and the innovation behind the move-to-earn ecosystem will create more demand in the NFT space and excitement for digital assets," said CAH CEO James Zhang. "This game epitomizes the promise of Web 3.0, and of the thousands of games that we have been involved with this concept is particularly exciting and we can only imagine how enticing it will be to users."

The number of permutations Genopets is building is in the millions highlighting the sheer volume of work required to scale, deliver, and execute the creation of a unique spirit animal with 12 different body parts for every player, 77 levels, and 12 stages of evolution. This system currently consists of a body, head, ears, eyes, horns, manes, tails, wings, antennae, emblems, light lines, and accessories combined to create a nearly infinite number of unique Genopets. This design enables everything in a way that is aesthetically pleasing no matter the combination, and the endless customization is only possible with a powerhouse partner like CAH, who provides high caliber graphics and art at scale to some of the best-known names in the entertainment industry and is working to bring the Genoverse to life through a strong vision and versatile experience in the gaming industry.

About Concept Art House
Since 2007, Concept Art House (CAH) has provided art for some of the most popular and successful game companies in the world. CAH has shipped over 1000 games and collectibles with the most influential brands in gaming, entertainment, and digital assets/NFTs with many reaching top rankings in iTunes, Google Play, Steam, OpenSea, and console marketplaces. CAH is proud of its successful track record and its team of world-class art directors, dedicated producers, and talented artists who bring decades of expertise in digital entertainment, technology, and creative services to our partners. CAH has created art for gaming franchises such as: Call of Duty Mobile, Fortnite, Game of Thrones: Conquest, Hearthstone, League of Legends, Magic: The Gathering, Marvel: Contest of Champions, NBA 2K series, ROBLOX, PUBG and many more. CAH is headquartered in San Francisco with offices in Shanghai and Chengdu. Visit us at www.conceptarthouse.com

Join the CAH Community:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/conceptarthouse
Discord: https://discord.com/invite/CcqRzY8xPd
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conceptarthouse/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Conceptarthouse/

About Genopets
Genopets is the first Free-to-Play, Move-to-Earn NFT game that makes it fun and rewarding to live an active lifestyle. Built on Solana, Genopets integrates your daily activity in real life with blockchain Play-to-Earn economics so you can turn your real-life actions into expansive gameplay and earn crypto while doing it. Summon your Genopet and start moving to begin exploring and evolving together.

Join the Genopets Community:
Public Beta Waitlist: https://genopets.me/#connect
Twitter: https://twitter.com/genopets
Discord: https://discord.gg/genopets
Instagram: https://instagram.com/genopets
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/genopets/

Info Via Press Release

Quentin Tarantino Revealed as Iconic Artist Behind First-Ever Secret NFTs, Showcasing Never-Before-Seen Work Revealed Only to NFT Owner

Quentin Tarantino, the award-winning director, screenwriter, producer, author, film critic and actor announced he will auction off 7 uncut Pulp Fiction Scenes as Secret NFTs. The NFTs are built on Secret Network, the first Layer 1 blockchain with privacy-by-default for applications. SCRT Labs, the core development company behind Secret Network, will support this NFT drop, which showcases some of the network’s revolutionary native privacy and access controls. The initial auctions will occur on OpenSea, the world's largest NFT marketplace. 

Each NFT at auction contains “secret” content viewable only by the owner of the NFT, a groundbreaking and unique feature enabled by Secret NFTs. The secret content itself is one-of-a-kind, has never been seen or heard before, and will include: the uncut first handwritten scripts of “Pulp Fiction” and exclusive custom commentary from Tarantino, revealing secrets about the film and its creator. The public metadata of the NFT - the “front cover” of this exclusive content - is rare in its own right: a unique, never-before-seen, public-facing work of art.

Do you think that would be interesting? 👀

A collection with cultural significance prior to the creation of #NFT. Not created to be digitized. Created to preserve history.

Available on $ETH @opensea. Powered by $SCRT. pic.twitter.com/nFfVV7Ppv4

— Tarantino NFTs (@TarantinoNFTs) November 11, 2021

“I’m excited to be presenting these exclusive scenes from PULP FICTION to fans.” Tarantino says. “Secret Network and Secret NFTs provide a whole new world of connecting fans and artists and I’m thrilled to be a part of that.”

Many of Tarantino’s films have garnered a cult following, but Pulp Fiction stands out as a $213.9 million success crafted from a humble $10 million budget. The film is critically acclaimed, having won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and earning seven Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture. Tarantino also took home the Oscar for Best Screenplay. 

More about Secret NFTS

Secret NFTs - unique private-by-default non-fungible tokens issued on Secret Network - are reigniting conversations in the art community around public and private access to content. To date, all NFTs propagated on Ethereum and other popular public-by-default blockchain networks rely on public-facing metadata. In other words, the images featured within the NFT wallet of collectors are visible to all, with no choice available to the creator or owner. Secret NFTs change all this, enabling NFTs to contain both public and private metadata as well as giving the choice to the owner between publicly displaying ownership - or keeping it secret.

Female-Led NFT Project The Tentaverse brings their collection of 6,666 dystopian generative art avatars to your friendly neighborhood Ethereum blockchain

The Tentaverse, a new NFT project on the Ethereum blockchain is slated for minting in late November, aiming to bring something fresh and exciting to the NFT space. The project is delivering a sci-fi-themed NFT collection with a storyline consisting of interactive twists and turns, where holders will have to choose the fate of their tentacled avatars over time.

A Daily Reminder from your Tentacle Overlords: Never Mention the Tentacles. 🐙
SOUND ON 🔊 pic.twitter.com/kBJLcpAtUq

— ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴇɴᴛΔᴠᴇʀꜱᴇ (@tentaverseNFT) November 11, 2021

The Tentaverse is comprised of 6,666 unique generative art pieces, featuring almost 300 hand-drawn traits. To round out the collection the art team has also decided to add 10 hand-drawn, ultra-rare female 1/1's, which wield the most power - and rarity. The artistic talent behind the projects' versatile and feature-rich aesthetic is lead female artist, Kat Stoic. Kat, who is part of the Stoic Digital collective, brings a unique perspective to the project via the lens of a professionally trained contemporary digital art style. Throughout her blossoming career, Kat has had the pleasure and distinction of working with Garth Brooks, Miranda Lambert, & other iconic celebs in the music and fashion industry. As a breakthrough artist in a predominantly male-centric space, Kat had the following insights: "It has been such an enlightening experience to grow as an artist while leading the aesthetic vision of the Tentaverse. Being a female in a male-dominated niche, I feel lucky to have been welcomed very warmly and to receive equal treatment thus far. I hope to inspire other artists like myself to be fearless when entering a space where they might be a minority."

A good project creates good art, but a great project looks beyond the jpeg and aims to captivate their community through a journey the creators and the holders embark on together. This was the founding of thought when co-founders Tentakrat and Tentacle Papi conceptualized the idea on a camping trip they took to West Virginia to decompress and escape the chaos of startup life in Washington, D.C. Tentakrat, a venture-backed startup founder, and Tentacle Papi, a digital marketer, collaborated to create a Sci-Fi-themed NFT project with an evolving storyline that carries the project forward. It's based on a society of human-octopus hybrids and their collective experiences as they evolve in a dystopian future on their home planet (and beyond). A home planet that is ruled by a malicious one-world entity known as the Evil Overlords. In this world, water levels are rising at an alarming rate. In an attempt to prepare the human race, the Evil Overlords proceed to concoct a plan wherein they release an untested synthetic elixir into the global water supply for consumption, intended to prepare society for survival in a subaquatic environment. This led to some unforeseen consequences, known as "The After Time'', where, most notably, the citizens experienced painful sprouting of what were seemingly tentacles, writhing from their backs. As the plot continues to unfold, the team plans to publish a series of short stories on their medium account that will run in parallel with the events on their roadmap.

Through the team's own experiences with investing in NFT’s and witnessing firsthand the successes and pitfalls of other projects, Tentakrat and Tentacle Papi quickly realized that with NFTs becoming more commonplace in the mainstream, the importance of delivering a project that provides consistency and transparency to the community was vital. With that in mind, and to ensure continual value for their community through quality art and meaningful utility, they began to assemble a team that could help bring this to fruition. They reached out to friends and colleagues in the NFT and software development space and amassed a team of 7 additional people, consisting of 2 artists and 5 devs, all of which are experts in their respective fields. In fact, the first words uttered by Lead Dev, Squeebo, during their initial conversation was "I like it, let's push the envelope."

A central focus for the dev team is figuring out how to reduce Ethereum gas prices for their future minters. Unfortunately, Ethereum fees (known as gas) compounded by high project demand can lead to what's known as "gas wars". These escalating costs often become financial barriers to entry, preventing potential buyers from participating in projects they deem desirable. This is something The Tentaverse dev team is vehemently working to address, using a two-pronged approach. First, they plan on taking a page from one of their favorite projects, Sneaky Vampire Syndicate, and creating a web registration process, which in turn allot the buyer an 8-hr window to mint their NFT, circumventing the possibility of thousands of people attempting to mint their NFT all at once. This is what typically results in spiking gas prices. Secondly, their lead dev Squeebo is working on proof of concept to reduce gas costs by 30–70%. This is accomplished by carefully optimizing the process that mints each token on a smart contract. With less data and resource utilization, gas fees will be significantly cheaper.

The Sandbox Raises $93M in Round Led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2 to Grow Its Open NFT Metaverse

 The Sandbox, a subsidiary of Animoca Brands and the leading open NFT metaverse platform, announced today it has secured US$93M in its Series B fundraising round led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2, representing the fund’s first investment in crypto assets. The investment will enable The Sandbox team to scale the platform’s growth as a prime entertainment destination where brands, IPs, and celebrities can engage with their fans through virtual experiences including games, live performances, and social experiences.  

Other investors in the round included Animoca Brands, True Global Ventures, Liberty City Ventures, Galaxy Interactive, Kingsway Capital, Blue Pool Capital, LG Technology Ventures, Alpaca VC, Graticule Asset Management Asia, Com2uS, executives at GoldenTree Asset Management, Nokota, Sun Hung Kai & Co, Sound Ventures, Red Beard Ventures, SCB 10X, Polygon Studios, Samsung Next, Double Down Partners, StakeFish, SterlingVC, and HodlCo. Wedbush Securities acted as exclusive placement agent and financial advisor for The Sandbox, and Rubicon Law provided legal counsel to The Sandbox. 

Additionally, The Sandbox has added the following luminaries to its advisory team: Guy Oseary, founder of the management firm Maverick, whose clients include Madonna, U2, and Bored Ape Yacht Club; Nicholas Adler, manager and brand curator of entertainment icon, Snoop Dogg; Thomas Vu, former Executive Producer and Head of Franchise and Creative at Riot Games; and Mathieu Nouzareth, co-founder of FreshPlanet and creator of SongPop.

The Sandbox experienced tremendous growth in 2021. The Sandbox has generated over US$144M in GMV to date and over 500,000 users now have a connected wallet. Over 165 brands—including Snoop Dogg, The Walking Dead, The Smurfs, Care Bears, Atari, and CryptoKitties—have already formed IP partnerships to create voxelized versions of their worlds and characters in the metaverse. High profile LAND owners in The Sandbox include Zed Run, Republic Realm, Binance, Bored Ape Yacht Club, CyberKongz, CoinMarketCap, Metakovan, Pranksy, GrowYourBase, MetaKey, South China Morning Post, Zepeto, Socios, the Winklevoss twins, Bill Lee of Craft Ventures, and more.

“This investment round led by Softbank Vision Fund 2 will help scale up our growth strategy, operations, and player acquisition in The Sandbox ecosystem while sending a clear statement that the world’s most innovative fund believes in Web3 and decentralization as the next major trend,” said Sebastien BORGET, COO and Co-Founder of The Sandbox. “Adding new strategic partners such as Liberty City Ventures and Galaxy Interactive will also benefit The Sandbox’s global reach and expand the network of brands, IPs, and gaming studios interested in entering an open metaverse focused on a player-owned economy and user-generated content.”

“This investment will help fuel the growth of The Sandbox creators’ economy as we expand beyond gaming into fashion, architecture, virtual concerts and shows, art galleries, museums, and more,” said Arthur Madrid, CEO and Co-Founder of The Sandbox. “We are developing an entire ecosystem that opens new digital job opportunities for players and creators in our open NFT metaverse.”

NFTs are changing the way we live, work, create, play, and earn in virtual worlds, empowering players and creating value—and new jobs—in the metaverse. In this era of new possibilities, The Sandbox is emerging as the main NFT-based, open metaverse, where the content, economy, and even governance will be in the hands of the players, creators, and users who contribute to this virtual world.

In The Sandbox, players will be able to use the play-to-earn model to monetize time spent in the metaverse. Play-to-earn creates a circular economy with supply and demand where the resources collected by one category of the players are sold and purchased by another category of player or creator, rewarding participants for their time.

“We believe The Sandbox is constructing an open metaverse, unlocking new economic opportunities by empowering people to build and monetize their creations, from avatars and buildings to games and collectibles,” said Aaron Wong, Investor at SoftBank Investment Advisers. “Leveraging blockchain technology and decentralized governance, the company is putting the power and control in the hands of its users, resulting in a thriving global community. We’re excited to partner with Arthur, Sebastien, and team as they continue to transform what it means to have true digital ownership.”

One of the unique aspects of The Sandbox is that it is not just a gallery of games. Instead, it is a virtual world with a topographical layout that you can explore using your 3D avatar. As you walk to the border of one LAND, you can walk into an adjoining LAND. This makes the location of a game experience very similar to real-world real estate: your location and who your neighbors are become nearly as important as the quality of the entertainment experience. 

Coinbase becomes the exclusive cryptocurrency platform partner of the NBA, WNBA NBA G League, NBA 2K League and USA Basketball

Coinbase Global, Inc. (Coinbase) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) today announced a multiyear partnership that makes Coinbase the exclusive cryptocurrency platform partner of the NBA, Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), NBA G League, NBA 2K League and USA Basketball.

The deal, which marks the first cryptocurrency platform partnership for each league, will consist of unique content, innovations, activations and experiences from Coinbase to educate fans on the increasing advancements happening across the cryptoeconomy.  Beginning with tonight’s tip off of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary season, Coinbase will have a brand presence featured during nationally televised games.  The company will also become the presenting partner of the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup and the USA Basketball men’s and women’s national team exhibition tours, as well as a partner of NBA G League Ignite.

“The freedom to participate and benefit from the things you believe in is at the heart of Coinbase’s mission.  Nobody believes this more than NBA and WNBA fans.  We’re proud to become the Leagues’ official cryptocurrency partner,” said Kate Rouch, Chief Marketing Officer of Coinbase.  “As part of the partnership, we will create interactive experiences to engage with the NBA and WNBA’s incredible community and athletes around the world.”

“As a trusted cryptocurrency platform used by millions, Coinbase is a natural fit as the NBA’s first-ever partner in this thriving category,” said Kerry Tatlock, Senior Vice President, Global Marketing Partnerships and Media, NBA.  “We look forward to collaborating with Coinbase to provide fans with new ways to engage with the league and each other, while also enhancing the experience for fans who are already Coinbase users.”

“Our partnership with Coinbase is representative of the WNBA’s emphasis on innovation as we continue to find opportunities to meet our fans where they are,” said Phil Cook, WNBA Chief Marketing Officer.  “As we build off the success of the WNBA’s first 25 seasons, innovating alongside Coinbase will help us explore the future of fan engagement.”

Concept Art House Raises $25 Million From Leading NFT Platforms & Investors

 Concept Art House (CAH), a leading content developer and publisher for some of the world's most recognizable NFTs and video game art, today announced a $25 million Series A raise from leading NFT platforms and digital asset investors.

The capital was raised from existing and new investors and blends venture capital funds, leading NFT platforms, and angel investors including prominent CEOs and tech founders.The investor base highlights the appetite for CAH's diverse offerings and its push into the NFT realm, under its fast growing Crypto Art House division. One of its more notable NFT drops in partnership with Gala Games was the highly successful NFT drop celebrating the 30th anniversary of Sin City by Frank Miller. This led to record breaking sales.

"We are ecstatic with this raise and to receive such confidence from top-tier and diverse industry leaders and investors," said CAH CEO James Zhang.  "For years, Concept Art House has been known for producing best-in-class art for gaming and the greater entertainment industry. We now find ourselves at the intersection of NFT and gaming, two of the fastest growth areas in the blockchain ecosystem and digital entertainment. With the new funding and tremendous wind in our sails, we are relentlessly focused on being a dominant force in NFT creation and blockchain gaming."

Dapper Labs' Co-founder and Chief Business Officer Mik Naayem to Join Board

The firm announced that lead investor, and partner in multiple upcoming projects, Dapper Labs, original builders of Flow blockchain, will be nominating Mik Naayem to the board to join CEO James Zhang, Chairman Matthew Le Merle, and Jenny Chen. CAH will also nominate an additional board member whose skill set marries NFT, blockchain and digital entertainment domain knowledge.

Dapper Labs CEO Roham Gharegozlou said: "We're psyched to be extending our relationship with James and the talented team at CAH and excited to be both leading this round and joining the Board, which is a first for us. We believe that CAH will continue to be a creative powerhouse in the digital content and NFT arena, which we know first hand from our working relationship and collaboration on many exciting projects including our upcoming UFC digital collectibles experience launching on Flow."        

"I'm very happy to be joining the Board and look forward to working closely with James and the team to build on CAH's outstanding success for years to come," added Naayem.

Zhang added that the new capital will be allocated to the continued build-out of the team, which has grown 30% year-to-date, looking at opportunistic acquisitions, building a vast NFT vault and securing and adding a new dimension to larger licensing deals across top blockchain protocols and marketplaces.

"As blockchain and digital content investors we pay close attention to the valuation creation in this arena and CAH sits in front of some of the fastest growing and most exciting tailwinds that this space has to offer," said Matthew Le Merle, CAH Chairman and Managing Partner at Blockchain Coinvestors, a leading blockchain venture fund-of-funds and co-investment program.

A sampling of investors and advisors include Dapper Labs, Animoca Brands, Anthos, Appworks, Blockchain Coinvestors, Fabric VC, Hashkey, Liberty City Ventures, One Football, PKO Investments, Polymorphic Capital, Protocol Labs, Redbeard Ventures, Spartan Group, Steve Aoki, Jeff 'Jiho' Zirlin (Axie-Infinity), Gabby Dizon (Yield Guild Games), Vinny Lingham (Civic), and Kevin Lin (Twitch).

About Concept Art House
Since its founding in 2007, Concept Art House (CAH) has provided art for some of the most popular and successful game companies in the world. In its storied history, CAH has helped ship over 1000 games, many of which became smash hits and achieved top ratings in iTunes, Google Play, Steam, and console marketplaces alike. CAH has created art for such notable gaming franchises such as: Call of Duty Mobile, Fortnite, Game of Thrones: Conquest, Hearthstone, League of Legends, Magic: The Gathering, Marvel: Contest of Champions, NBA 2K series, ROBLOX, PUBG and many more. CAH is headquartered in San Francisco, CA with offices in Shanghai and Chengdu, China. Visit us at www.conceptarthouse.com.

Vulcan Forged Launches First-Ever DEX for Gaming Tokens

Blockchain gaming platform, Vulcan Forged, is announcing the launch of the first-ever decentralized exchange (DEX) purpose-built for gaming tokens, VulcanDEX. The DEX will allow users of the gaming platform to trade any gaming token without the need to register. Players will then be able to use their newly acquired tokens in their respective game.

Users will also be able to stake gaming tokens to facilitate exchanges in VulcanDEX, with users earning rewards in proportion to their share of specific liquidity pools. The DEX currently has 4 active pools for this purpose, with several more, including $YGG, $SAND $AXS and $VNLA coming soon. Moreover, in-game assets can be farmed in VulcanDEX in the form of non-fungible tokens (NFTs), creating an active economy that involve several popular blockchain-based gaming ecosystems.

VulcanDEX is also powered by $PYR, the utility token that is the backbone of the VulcanForged gaming ecosystem. Players can stake PYR in the DEX as well as earn their rewards in it and stake it in pools in addition to other gaming tokens.

Pioneering the Decentralized Play-to-Earn Model

With the addition of VulcanDEX to its portfolio of games and products, Vulcan Forged has become a veritable pioneer in the "Play-to-Earn" (P2E) space. P2E is a gaming business model that creates open economies within gaming ecosystems and rewards those who add value to games by contributing to their development. This can be in the form of contributions such as game design and development, and even beta testing new games. The idea is to give access to potential players who would otherwise pay a premium to play popular games.

Vulcan Forged has merged this emerging concept with the principles of decentralized finance (DeFi), allowing participants in VulcanForged's gaming platform to contribute gaming tokens and other crypto assets to facilitate their exchange between decentralized gamers. Moreover, the P2E industry is relatively new, with players such as Axie Infinity and Decentraland only gaining significant popularity this year. This puts Vulcan Forged at the cutting edge of this new emerging industry.

Building on Success

That Vulcan Forged is in this pioneering position is no surprise given its recent success. Combined, the Vulcan Forged games are set to surpass the milestone of 200,000 users by the end of 2021. This is as a result of a number of successful developments since the start of the year for the Vulcan Forged team, including securing the intellectual property rights for iconic pieces of art to be included in their flagship in-game world, the VulcanVersre.

The works include "Egyptian Queen" by Frank Frazetta, a painting which sold earlier in the year for over $5.4 million. Frazetta is a world-renowned fantasy and science fiction artist most famous for his Conan The Barbarian illustrations. Moreover, Vulcan Forged also partnered with Arkane Network to support game-focussed NFTs built on Polygon. The expansion to other popular ecosystems in the crypto space is part of Vulcan Forged's longer-term plan to expand access to its pioneering games and game development ecosystem.

About Vulcan Forged

Designed as an easy-to-play and easy-to-build ecosystem, Vulcan Forged is a community-based project that promotes the development of world-class blockchain games by supporting developers through its development programs. 'incubation and crowdfunding.

For blockchain game enthusiasts, Vulcan Forged is a one-stop-shop where they can access popular games and a huge NFT marketplace to buy and sell digital assets in-game. The entire ecosystem is powered by its own PYR settlement, staking and utility token. The ERC20 compatible PYR is a cross-platform currency that can be used in game titles that are part of the Vulcan Forged ecosystem.

For more information about Vulcan Forged's revolutionary new DEX, visit their website here.

Follow Vulcan Forged on Twitter
Join the Vulcan Forged community on Telegram
Like Vulcan Forged on Facebook
Stay up to date via Vulcan Forged's Discord

Spirit Halloween stores no longer settling to just haunt your local closed Blockbuster, will be also launching NFTs on Upland.

Blockchain-based metaverse Upland and Spirit Halloween, North America's largest Halloween retailer, today announced a new partnership centered around unique, Halloween-themed NFTs featuring some of Spirit Halloween's most iconic characters, including their infamous mascot Jack the Reaper. The partnership will kick off with an exclusive sale of Spirit Halloween-themed game pieces called Block Explorers. Following this launch, Spirit Halloween will take over the Upland metaverse with Halloween-themed Spirit Halloween NFT Bundles featuring spooky in-game decorations, more terrifying Block Explorers, and exclusive Upland Legits, a new generation of unique, interactive NFTs.

"With the Halloween season approaching, Spirit Halloween is a natural partner for us," said Dirk Lueth, Co-founder of Upland. "I'm especially excited about the inclusion of Legits in our partnership. Legits incorporate stunning 3D designs and are optimized for a mobile experience. In addition, these new NFTs offer an added layer of gamification that die-hard Spirit Halloween fans will want to collect, trade, and showcase, including an increased level of interactivity that fans can't resist."

Upland is one of the fastest growing blockchain platforms in the world. The blockchain-powered virtual metaverse maps onto the real world, offering players true ownership of digital property NFTs based on real addresses that they can buy, trade, and sell through an open marketplace. In addition, fans can play from anywhere in the world.

"As the leader in all things Halloween, it only makes sense for us to be the first retailer to haunt up the Upland metaverse," said Kym Sarkos, Spirit Halloween Executive Vice President. "Our fans are the best on the planet, and now they will be the best in the metaverse as well! We can't wait to hear what they think about these new cutting-edge NFT collectibles."

The partnership will roll out in multiple phases over the Halloween season, beginning with a Spirit Halloween Block Explorer sale on October 18, 2021, prior to a full launch of Spirit Halloween NFT bundles launch on October 25, 2021, exclusively in the Upland metaverse. Sign up for updates about this exciting partnership and launch by visiting https://upland.me/spirithalloween.

For the inside scoop on all things Halloween, follow @SpiritHalloween on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Visit SpiritHalloween.com, where die-hard Halloween fans can shop anytime, anywhere, every day of the year.

About Upland
Upland (https://upland.me/) is a metaverse that combines real and virtual worlds, allowing users to buy, sell and trade virtual properties that are mapped to actual addresses. Upland follows the principles of an open market economy, using blockchain technology to ensure true ownership of digital assets. Upland is available on iOS, Android, and desktop devices.

About Spirit Halloween
Spirit Halloween (SpiritHalloween.com) is the largest Halloween specialty retailer in the country, with over 1,425 locations in strip centers and malls across North America. Celebrating more than 37 years of business, Spirit is the premier destination for all things Halloween, offering one-stop shopping for everything from costumes to décor and party goods to accessories. In addition to being a fun and interactive event for shoppers, Spirit stores offer complete selections of costumes and accessories for infants/toddlers, children, 'tweens, teens, and adults, along with exclusive décor you won't find anywhere else. For more information, please visit: SpiritHalloween.com

The next round of limited-edition Marvel digital comics drop on August 24th, 25th, and 26th at 8 a.m. PT, only on the VeVe iOS and Android app.

The next offering in VeVe’s digital comic range continues with a variety of premier comics from Marvel. This week kicks off with the first appearance of fan-favorite Deadpool, in New Mutants #98. Followed by House of X #1, in which Avengers writer Jonathan Hickman made his debut writing X-Men, and to round out this week’s comic drops is the Human Torch origin story— Marvels #1!

New Mutants #98

The First Appearance of Deadpool, the Merc With A Mouth! Cable and the New Mutants are introduced to the extra-lethal and extra-verbose Deadpool, but can they send him packing before Deadpool makes good on his collecting his bounty.

Drop Date: 24 August 2021, 8am PT
List Price: 6.99
License: Marvel
Published: 1991
Cover Variants: 5
Total Editions: 60,000
COMMON — Classic Cover: 48,000
UNCOMMON — Vintage Variant: 6,000
RARE — Hero Variant: 3,000
ULTRA RARE — Vibranium Variant: 2,400
SECRET RARE — True Believer Variant: 600

House of X #1

JONATHAN HICKMAN’S DAWN OF X STARTS HERE! FACE THE FUTURE. Superstar writer Jonathan Hickman (SECRET WARS, AVENGERS, FANTASTIC FOUR) takes the reins of the X-Men universe! Since the release of Uncanny X-Men #1, there have been four seminal moments in the history of the X-Men. Giant-Sized X-Men. X-Men. Age of Apocalypse. New X-Men. Four iconic series that introduced a new era for Marvel’s mutants and revolutionized the X-Men. In House of X, Charles Xavier reveals his master plan for mutantkind…one that will bring mutants out of the shadow of mankind and into the light once more.

Drop Date: 25 August 2021, 8am PT
List Price: 6.99
License: Marvel
Published: 2019
Cover Variants: 5
Total Editions: 50,000
COMMON — Classic Cover: 40,000
UNCOMMON — Vintage Variant: 5,000
RARE — Hero Variant: 2,500
ULTRA RARE — Vibranium Variant: 2,000
SECRET RARE — True Believer Variant: 500

Marvels #1

The timeless classic that changed the way we look at Marvel super heroes! Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross’ original tour through the early history of the Marvels, as captured through the lens of photojournalist Phil Sheldon, kicks off here as they tell the origin of The Human Torch in stunning detail. Don’t miss out on this epic storytelling event!

Drop Date: 26 August 2021, 8am PT
List Price: 6.99
License: Marvel
Published: 1994
Cover Variants: 5
Total Editions: 60,000
COMMON — Classic Cover: 48,000
UNCOMMON — Vintage Variant: 6,000
RARE — Hero Variant: 3,000
ULTRA RARE — Vibranium Variant: 2,400
SECRET RARE — True Believer Variant: 600

Marvel’s first-ever limited-edition digital comics drop on August 19th, 20th, and 21st at 8 a.m. PT, only on the VeVe iOS and Android app.

The first offering in VeVe’s digital comic range kicks off with a bang, offering Marvel’s earliest (and in some cases, most rare) comic books! Starting with the original, the OG, the foundation on which all other Marvel comics followed — Marvel Comics #1. This is followed by Journey Into Mystery #85, which is the first appearance of Loki. And to round out this week’s comic drops is another must-have classic for any comic lover — Fantastic Four #1!

Marvel Comics #1

The FIRST Marvel comic ever — the one that started it all in 1939! The Marvel Universe’s big bang is in these pages and it kicks off with an explosion as the android Human Torch, in his first appearance, collides with Namor the Sub-Mariner (also his first appearance). This is the first comic book ever published by Marvel, then known as Timely Comics.

Drop Date: 19 August 2021, 8AM PT
List Price: 6.99
License: Marvel
Published: 1939
Cover Variants: 5
Total Editions: 60,000
- Classic Cover - Common: 48,000
- Vintage Variant - Uncommon: 6,000
- Hero Variant - Rare: 3,000
- Vibranium Variant - Ultra Rare: 2,400
- True Believer Variant - Secret Rare: 600

Journey Into Mystery #85

The First Appearance of Loki, the God of Mischief. Never before has the mighty Thor faced a foe as dangerous as his brother Loki. The Thor family expands with the first appearances of Asgard, Loki, and Heimdall in this milestone issue. When Loki travels to Earth, the trickster god will stop at nothing to get revenge on his hated brother Thor, including unleashing his magic on the helpless mortals!

Drop Date: 20 August 2021, 8AM PT
List Price: 6.99
License: Marvel
Published: 1952
Cover Variants: 5
Total Editions: 50,000
- Classic Cover - Common: 40,000
- Vintage Variant - Uncommon: 5,000
- Hero Variant - Rare: 2,500
- Vibranium Variant - Ultra Rare: 2,000
- True Believer Variant - Secret Rare: 500

Fantastic Four #1

The first appearance of the Fantastic Four — the comic that redefined Super Hero comics and introduced the Fantastic Four to the world. The Fantastic Four spring into action as a team for the very first time. Mr. Fantastic, Thing, The Human Torch, and the Invisible Woman are heroes transformed and gifted with extraordinary powers after being exposed to cosmic radiation in an experimental space flight. But will they learn how to control their newfound powers enough to stop the fury of the Mole Man? The ripple effects of this single issue continue to influence comic books to this day.

Drop Date: 21 August 2021, 8AM PT
List Price: 6.99
License: Marvel
Published: 1961
Cover Variants: 5
Total Editions: 60,000
- Classic Cover - Common: 48,000
- Vintage Variant - Uncommon: 6,000
- Hero Variant - Rare: 3,000
- Vibranium Variant - Ultra Rare: 2,400
- True Believer Variant - Secret Rare: 600

© 2021 MARVEL

Marvel Digital Comics. Marvel’s first-ever digital comics drop… | by VeVe | VeVe | Aug, 2021 | Medium

WWE to launch the first NFT that you can't see just in time for SummerSlam

WWE (NYSE: WWE) today announced it will create non-fungible-tokens (NFTs) inspired by WWE Superstar John Cena, along with never-before-sold memorabilia and experiences, just in time for SummerSlam.

“The Summer of Cena will be capped off by a phenomenal main event at SummerSlam as well as an opportunity for the WWE Universe to own unique collectibles inspired by one of the biggest stars in Hollywood today”

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The drop will feature a platinum tier auction that includes a one-of-one exclusive NFT. The NFTs will be presented in conjunction with Bitski and available at WWE.com/NFT. The platinum tier auction will be live for 24 hours, beginning at the start of SmackDown this Friday, August 20 at 8 pm ET through the start of SummerSlam on Saturday, August 21 at 8 pm ET.

The top bidder for the platinum tier will receive:

• A one-of-a-kind NFT;

• A once-in-a-lifetime experience for two at WrestleMania 38 in 2022 at AT&T Stadium in Dallas or WrestleMania 39 in 2023 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, including two front row tickets, unprecedented VIP access and hotel accommodations;

• A personalized WWE Championship Title Belt with the winner’s name engraved on the side plates;

• John Cena’s “Dr. of Thuganomics” style chain from WrestleMania 35.

The gold tier will drop in time for SummerSlam this Saturday, August 21 and include 500 limited edition NFTs, along with a limited-edition merch box personally curated by Cena.

“The Summer of Cena will be capped off by a phenomenal main event at SummerSlam as well as an opportunity for the WWE Universe to own unique collectibles inspired by one of the biggest stars in Hollywood today,” said Scott Zanghellini, WWE Senior Vice President, Revenue Strategy & Development.

SummerSlam will take place from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas this Saturday, August 21, marking the first time it has been held at an NFL stadium. The event will be headlined by megastar John Cena vs. WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns. SummerSlam will stream live at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT exclusively on Peacock in the United States and on WWE Network everywhere else.

About WWE

WWE, a publicly traded company (NYSE: WWE), is an integrated media organization and recognized leader in global entertainment. The Company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family-friendly entertainment on its television programming, pay-per-view, digital media and publishing platforms. WWE’s TV-PG programming can be seen in more than 900 million homes worldwide in 28 languages through world-class distribution partners including NBCUniversal, FOX Sports, BT Sport, Sony India and Rogers. The award-winning WWE Network includes all live pay-per-views, scheduled programming and a massive video-on-demand library and is currently available in more than 180 countries. In the United States, NBCUniversal’s streaming service, Peacock, is the exclusive home to WWE Network. The Company is headquartered in Stamford, Conn.

Additional information on WWE (NYSE: WWE) can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com.

NFT startup WRARITIES announced it will drop the FIRST EVER officially licensed Bret Hart NFT collectibles

NFT startup WRARITIES announced it will drop the FIRST EVER officially licensed Bret Hart NFT collectibles on Monday July 5th. Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart is widely regarded as one of the most recognizable names in the history of professional wrestling, achieving wide-spread critical and commercial success in the ring, as well as crossing over into popular culture with his guest appearance on The Simpsons and as the star of critically-acclaimed docu-movie Wrestling With Shadows.

Fans and collectors will have the opportunity to own a piece of Hart’s historic first venture into the world of Non-Fungible Token digital collectibles. Own a piece of history by making sure you get your hands on this four tier drop, going on sale on July 5th, 4pm ET at ProWrestlingNFT.com.

Wrestling personality Jim Cornette will be dropping his first set of officially licensed NFTs with WRARITIES on Sunday June 27th, 12pm ET. Jim Cornette’s career as a manager, booker, colour commentator, promoter, trainer and broadcaster has spanned over six decades, becoming a legendary personality within the industry.

In recent years, Jim’s reach and podcast network has seen exponential growth and success, fuelled by his passionate fanbase, who will now have the opportunity to own a piece of his first ever foray into the exciting world of NFT digital collectables.

Supply of these NFTs is extremely limited. With Bret Hart being indisputably one of the industry biggest household names and with Jim Cornette’s ever-growing growing reach and extremely passionate fanbase, these rare, first-time-ever collectibles will be in high demand.

Immutable published game Guild of Guardians raises $2m in one hour through NFT sales.

Guild of Guardians, an NFT-based mobile blockchain role-playing game (RPG) published by the Australian team of Immutable and developed by Stepico Games, today announces the completion of the first wave of its Founder's NFT Sale. In total, the Sale raised more than $3m USD, with $2.8m coming in the space of 24 hours. The NFT sale, which marks the first in a series of Guild of Guardians offerings, featured a collection of soon-to-be-playable in-game NFTs ranging from $200 to $100,000 USD in price.

Derek Lau, Game lead for Guild of Guardians, said: "In wave one alone, we managed to achieve more than $3 million in sales,133,270 pre-game registrations, and sell almost all of the NFTs on offer. In addition, the community response has been incredible. Over 50% of all sales came via referrals — indicating that the community was sharing with each other, and there is a real 'share-to-earn' aspect in place."

Yield Guild Games (YGG), a decentralized collective of nearly 15,000 players and investors who generate yield from NFT-based games, was one of the first to participate in the Sale. Founder Gabby Dizon said: "We are always looking for the next good play-to earn-games, and Guild of Guardians piqued our interest. We spoke to the team, and we're happy with what we found; they have polished graphics, interesting gameplay; we like that it is mobile-based and that they have the guild system, which is perfect for what we do, so it ticked all the right boxes for us to come in and buy assets for the game."

YGG secured one of only ten "Mythic guild" NFTs for $100,000. The highly coveted NFT allows entry for up to 50 players and provides the guild owner a 10% cut of guild crafting. For YGG's members, this translates to tangible, real-world income.

According to Dizon, players in the Philippines (which had an unemployment rate reaching as high as 17.7% during the pandemic) have been playing games in the Guild and earning $300-$400 per month — 33% higher than the average monthly income in the Philippines.

"Being able to turn gaming into a career is a groundbreaking notion for many, and we're pleased we are able to facilitate a future where career-based gaming is a reality. But rather than 'play-to-earn,' we want to instill the idea of 'play-and-earn' — ensuring that players are not just playing to make money alone, but playing for fun and great gameplay as well," Lau said

One of the primary benefits of NFT and blockchain-based gaming is cross-game interoperability, allowing players to use the same in-game items and characters within multiple metaverses.

Attempting to bring the concept to reality, Guild of Guardians partnered with The Sandbox, a unique virtual world where players can build, own, and monetize their gaming experiences using NFTs. The partnership will allow players of Guild of Guardians and The Sandbox to interact across both game ecosystems.

The incipient game was also recently selected for the exclusive Ubisoft Entrepreneurs Labs Season Six program. Led by Ubisoft's Strategic Innovation Lab, the incubator supports startups creating products and services that have the potential to transform the entertainment industry.

"We're extremely excited for the future of the Guild of Guardians and NFT/blockchain gaming in general. The space opens up a breadth of collaborative opportunities, has the potential to disrupt and alter the face of gaming as we know it," Lau added.

Blockchain Game The Sandbox shares new dev diary detailing first public alpha: The Explorers, Coming This Summer

The Sandbox, the virtual world built onto the blockchain, has revealed new information about the game’s highly-anticipated Public Alpha: The Explorers. In this developer diary, The Sandbox has shared a first look at the game’s main hub; the starting point for your adventure in the Multiverse. A new Marketplace interface allows players to buy NFT wearables for their avatar and see all of the most important information at a glance, including the creator’s other designs. With the new Marketplace, you can now buy new LANDs directly, your own customisable piece of virtual real-estate that can be anything from an art gallery to a challenging combat arena.

The Sandbox has updated their Game Maker to include new combat mechanics such as a Parry and a Charged Attack with new UI to help you fend off enemies. Not to mention the quality of life updates with new camera controls and an auto-climb for a smoother user experience.


Check out the Dev Diary: https://bit.ly/2SeCBjz “As we are preparing to release the Alpha, we wanted to share some of the work done by our talented developers. Our goal with The Sandbox has always been to empower players to create personalised experiences while using the unique advantages of NFTs to distribute high-quality designs while supporting creators,” said Marcus Bläsche, Marketing Director at The Sandbox. “We hope that our Game Maker can inspire you to make your own games and art pieces, with potential for Play2Earn by sharing your creations on the Marketplace. “As the core of our community, LAND owners are the first stakeholders who have been contributing to our Ecosystem, constantly showing support and believed in our vision of an decentralized gaming virtual world from day one,” said Sebastien Borget, COO & Co-Founder of The Sandbox. "We felt it was essential that they be the first ones to experience what our 100+ people team has been busy building and experiment with our Play-to-Earn system. But the public Alpha isn’t just for our early adopters, and we have a lot to offer all players to also benefit from their play time, so join us in the metaverse!” In The Explorers alpha event, all players will be able to download the game client and access the Main Hub, where they can visit the NFT museum, learn about the factions of The Sandbox and socialize with other players. The Alpha will be packed with more than 50 exclusive studio-approved experiences, offering hours of challenge and fun. Crafted social hubs will also be released where players can meet up with friends, meet new people and explore the lore of the Multiverse’s different factions.

The Sandbox is a unique virtual world where players can build, own, and monetize their gaming experiences using NFTs. These NFTs come in the form of SAND, ASSETs, and LAND. SAND is the currency used within The Sandbox which can be used to purchase ASSETs. ASSETs, are tokens serving as creation elements in The Sandbox Game Maker and are used on LAND, the digital real estate in this metaverse. These components of The Sandbox work in concert to allow players create digital assets in the form of NFTs, upload them to the marketplace, and integrate them into games using the #nocode Game Maker.

The Marilyn Monroe Estate Launches an NFT Collection Honoring Monroe’s Milestone 95th Birthday

The Marilyn Monroe Estate and blockchain platform Ethernity Chain (CCC:ERN-USD) announces “MARILYN MONROE METAMORPHOSIS™,” a curated collection of art by today’s emerging artists from around the globe in honor of the beloved icon’s milestone 95th Birthday. MARILYN MONROE METAMORPHOSIS will be available for auction for 72 hours beginning June 1st at noon EDT, exclusively at marilynmonroeforever.com.

“Marilyn Monroe’s persona has captured the imagination of artists, creators, and art collectors for decades,” said Jim Gibb, Creative Director, The Marilyn Monroe Estate. “From Richard Avedon to Andy Warhol to Cindy Sherman to Willem de Kooning, artists have made the iconic actress an indelible part of American contemporary art. Through groundbreaking NFT technology, her image will continue to fascinate and inspire the art community through this new medium.”

“We are ecstatic about partnering with the Marilyn Monroe Estate on MARILYN MONROE METAMORPHOSIS,” said Nick Rose, Founder and CEO at Ethernity Chain. “Ethernity is honored to be the first platform to continue Marilyn’s legacy from the era of Pop Art to the era of NFTs and the blockchain. There could not be a more iconic first female celebrity to drop on Ethernity.”

MARILYN MONROE METAMORPHOSIS will be available for auction exclusively at marilynmonroeforever.com.

About Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn Monroe is one of the most influential pop culture icons of all time. A true trailblazer, Monroe forged her own path, embracing her individuality and pursuing her passions in an era when paths for women were few. Her pioneering spirit, independence and confidence, along with her incomparable star power, continue to inspire modern generations and transcend cultures and backgrounds. Partnerships with both luxury and mass-consumer brands, in addition to an extensive merchandising program, reinforce her status as a global icon.

For more information and exclusive updates, follow @marilynmonroe on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

About Ethernity Chain:

Ethernity Chain is a community-oriented platform that produces limited edition authenticated NFTs and trading cards created by your favorite artists and endorsed by notable figures. Built on the Ethereum Network, it aims to build the biggest A-NFT library, reward its creators and raise funds for charitable causes forever. It’s a win-win situation in which everyone benefits, from NFT collectors to charities that work with some of the most vulnerable members of society. Its unique DEFI applications allow ERN token holders to farm rare A-NFTs, Stake, Farm and vote on proposals that will amend the Ethernity Chain ecosystem. You can get exclusive NFTs by auction sales or farming ERNs and accumulate rewards that you can use to redeem collectibles. A portion of the sales proceeds goes to our charity partners.

Viberate Testing Out “New Music Economy” With Music NFTs

The concept of blockchain-backed contracts could transform how artists manage their bookings – but is the industry ready?

Following their historic live gig NFT drop in April, the blockchain-based music research and analytics platform Viberate (whose native token VIB is listed on Binance, Bittrex, OKEx, and Uniswap) has just published an open call to all musicians who might be interested in what they call “new music economy”.

With it, Viberate plans to test whether the NFT craze is more than just a fad, and whether the music community is indeed ready to start managing bookings and fan engagements with the help of big data insights and tokenized contracts.

Vasja Veber, Viberate co-founder, explains the initiative further: “We strongly believe that blockchain-backed bookings and customized fan experiences are the natural way forward. We just have to decide to start accepting them sooner instead of later. It’s time to ditch the old-school way of doing things and start relying more on the amazing power of the internet, making the business more transparent and secure. After all, the music industry managed to survive a pandemic year by doing everything online, so what more proof do we need?”

Viberate proposes three main NFT categories: live performance NFTs, livestream NFTs, and customized “experience” NFTs (artists engaging with their fans on- or offline, e.g. going shopping with them). Any interested artist or their representative can submit their NFT application here.

CURIO and Heavy Metal Magazine To Debut “The Women of Heavy Metal” NFTs

Curio announced the release of officially licensed NFTs (non-fungible tokens) from Heavy Metal Magazine. Starting on Wednesday, May 12th at 10 AM PT, Curio will host the first of ten NFT drops in The Women of Heavy Metal Collection. The digital collectibles highlight the magazine’s history of trailblazing female characters and will be broken into two series of five drops each, with bonus NFTs given as rewards for collecting the first five, the second five, and all ten NFTs. The Women of Heavy Metal NFT collection coincides with the 44-year anniversary of the brand last summer and marks the 300th issue of the magazine, which saw a new guard taking the helm at the magazine. For this monumental year, a free annual subscription to the magazine will be given to the fan who holds the 44th edition of each NFT.

Heavy Metal is the premiere storyteller of cutting-edge science fiction, fantasy, and horror. The trend-setting magazine has continuously published since its first issue in 1977 and inspired some of the most famous blockbusters in film history. It is credited as an inspiration behind Blade Runner and The Fifth Element and authored the official Alien graphic novel in 1979. Known for its stunning visual style, iconoclastic stories, and subversive content, Heavy Metal is a bastion of counterculture in the entertainment industry. Launched at a time when comic book publishers were strictly censored by the Comics Code Authority, Heavy Metal set the standard for how to thrill sci-fi fans through revolutionary storytelling and art. These NFTs are inspired by the iconic pages from the magazine itself and highlight Heavy Metal’s beloved, bold, and brave female characters.

“Our team launched Curio because we’re first and foremost collectors, fans, and geeks,” said Rikin Mantri COO of Curio. “We grew up on Heavy Metal, eagerly awaiting each new issue, gobbling up every unique storyline, rebellious character, and mind-bending piece of artwork. This NFT collection allows fans to tangibly collect the pages of Heavy Metal in a groundbreaking way. We’re beyond thrilled to partner with this exceptional magazine, to give its diehard fans a brand-new way to experience the female characters they love, and to introduce Heavy Metal to the masses.”

“For decades, Heavy Metal fans look to us to move Hollywood into bolder, more daring narratives and to redefine how stories are told, how artwork is designed, and how to create compelling, mind melting characters,” said Heavy Metal CEO Matthew Medney. “Diving headfirst into the NFT space, with a particular focus on the women of Heavy Metal, is a natural next step in our magazine’s journey. When Heavy Metal launched, no one thought that bloody, horror-themed graphics would sell, and they were wrong. We’ve stood on the precipice of change before and with this NFT collection, we’re doing it again. Our fans already love our mind-blowing art, and now through NFTs, they have the opportunity to literally own it and collect it.”

Past NFT releases from Curio include collections based on the American Gods television series produced by Fremantle, the Concrete Park graphic novel series published by Dark Horse Comics, and Universal Pictures’ Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. Each NFT drop from these collections sold out and the NFTs are now trading on Curio’s secondary marketplace, the Exchange.