Today’s Web3 digest will highlight various non-fungible tokens (NFTs), the metaverse, and blockchain gaming projects.

Brands across several industries continue to avail of Web3’s offerings. Names that headlined the space as of late include Ark Invest, Bugatti Group, Centre Pompidou, Hyundai, LeBron James, Mastercard Ventures, Shopify, Vogue, and Xavier Woods. 

Web3-native projects are making notable moves in the industry as well. Blockchain entities that deserve the spotlight today include Ajuna Network, Animoca Brands KK, Avalanche, Gym Street, Mmoon Studios, NBA Top Shot, Polygon, and Tower Pop, among others.

Lastly, Web3 gaming continues to show strength with several developments in the space. Titles that made some noise recently include Ascenders, BattleFly, Crabada, Dimensionals, Fableborne, Omega Royale, MetaOps, Pizza Game, Rumble Kong League, and Shrapnel, among others.

Here are the stories that shape Web3.

Top Stories

• LeBron James/Top Shot: LeBron James NFTs saw a surge in sales after the 19-time NBA all-star surpassed Laker great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 39-year old basketball scoring record. Digital collectibles platform NBA Top Shot sold almost $234,000 worth of LeBron NFTs after “King James” scored his 38,388th point. Additionally, lucky fans who bought Top Shot’s latest 100,000-pack release can get the chance to own an NFT of Bron’s record-breaking moment (DC).

• Vogue Singapore: Fashion and lifestyle magazine Vogue Singapore is launching its “From Blockchain to Love Chain” campaign its metaverse lounge Club Vogue Singapore. Kicking off on the 15th of February, the post-valentine’s day experience will showcase artworks and wearables. Furthermore, the event will also feature panel discussions and a digital fashion competition, as well as the release of Vogue’s “Love Chain” NFT collection (VSG).

• FitXR/Xavier Woods: Virtual reality (VR) fitness app FitXR has teamed up with former NFL all-star Xavier Woods (also known in the WWE as Austin Creed) for a giveaway campaign. Winning participants can win a signed jersey and football, a Meta Quest 2 VR headset for the metaverse, and a 12-month subscription to FitXR (BR).

• Centre Pompidou: Centre Pompidou, a renowned contemporary art museum in Paris, France, has announced an upcoming exhibit featuring NFTs. The permanent exposition will feature the works of 16 digital artists and projects. Some of the entries include popular NFT collections Autoglyph and Crypto Punk. Iconic names that have graced the museum include Frida Kahlo, Jean-Luc Godard, and Salvador Dali, to name a few (CT).

Web3 Games

• Tower Pop/Omega Royale: Web3 game dev studio Tower Pop has secured $2.1 million in a funding round. Investors that supported the project include Play Ventures, Agnitio Capital, and angel investor Santiago R. Santos. The company will utilize the funds to build its battle royale tower defense game Omega Royale (VB).

• Ajuna Network: Web3 gaming platform Ajuna Network has raised $5 million in a private funding round. Blockchain-focused venture capital firm CMCC Global led the fundraise. The funds will enable the company to add support for more game engines, as well as expand into other networks. Moreover, Anjuna also aims to back other gaming projects in its ecosystem (CD).

• Pizza Game: Play-to-earn (P2E) idle game Pizza Game celebrated its anniversary over the weekend. The team looked back on some of the project’s milestones since releasing its 10,000-piece NFT collection on Avalanche last year. Among the game’s most notable achievements include its token $PIZZA turning deflationary. Apparently, the tokenomics update helped the game reach its current liquidity of $245,000, with a market cap of $430,000 (TW).

• Rumble Kong League: Collectible basketball game Rumble Kong League has launched the first version of its RKL Marketplace. According to the team, the new platform is for fans “looking to snipe a new deal” and build their collection. One of the marketplace’s main features is the filter options. It enables players to narrow searches based on boosts, price ranges, etc. (TW).

• Crabada: Avalanche-based auto-battler game Crabada has kicked off the 33rd installment of its weekly Arena Challenge. Running from February 13-19, the competition introduces a feature that enables users to transform their Crabadas into “Legendary” versions. Furthermore, winning participants will also get the chance to win rewards such as Rubies and Material Chests, among others (TW).

NFT News

• Mmoon Studios/Avalanche: Recently, the Avalanche network put the “Artist Spotlight” on NFT artist Mazey Moon aka Mmoon Studios. A musician who can play over 20 instruments, Moon’s audio-visual works are available on Avalanche-based digital collectible marketplace Campfire. “I saw Web3 as a space where I could participate in my work and not have physical limitations be a problem at all,” Moon stated (M).

• Justin Aversano: NFT platform Quantum co-founder and CEO Justin Aversano has announced the upcoming launch of his ‘Colin In The Car’ NFT collection. Basically, the release is the first photography NFT project to be minted on pioneer cryptocurrency Bitcoin’s protocol. Moreover, ‘Colin In The Car’ will feature works from Aversano’s early days as a street photographer (NFTE).

• Bugatti Group/Shiba Inu: Canada-based bag and luggage brand Bugatti Group has launched a portal that allows holders of Shiboshi NFTs to claim physical items. Shiboshi is Bugatti Group’s collaborative digital collectible project with popular “meme coin” Shiba Inu. Additionally, the platform continues the partnership’s formation in January, which saw the release of the Bugatti Genesis NFT collection (CNF).

Into the Metaverse

• Hyundai Motors Philippines: South Korean carmaker Hyundai’s Philippine arm is launching events on its metaverse platform the Hyundai Mobility Adventure (HMA). Kicking off on March 1, the “new-age online customer experience” will take place on HMA’s Festival Square on game creation system Roblox. Hyundai Motors Philippines’ virtual world offerings include a driving center, a driving studio, and a showcase of the region’s culture (TG).

• Mastercard Ventures/LEAP 2023: At the LEAP 2023 Tech Conference held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, payment giant Mastercard Ventures vice president of innovation Keith Jordan expressed his support for the metaverse. Believing that the virtual world is the “natural evolution of the internet,” Jordan went as far as claiming that there will be “5 billion people in the metaverse” by 2023. “It’s going to change everything. Every vertical, every industry, how we work, how we play, how we purchase goods,” Jordan added (AN).

• Gym Street/Kabutoucho: Financial metaverse platform Gym Street has acquired Japan-focused platform Kabutoucho Metaverse to expand the ecosystem. The merger will enable Gym Street to establish a “comprehensive and immersive Metaverse financial experience for all.” Essentially, the combined virtual world will include both Manhattan and Kabutocho islands on the map. Furthermore, the company believes the new offering will create avenues for partners to broaden their reach (BSCN).

Around the Block

• Ark Invest/Bitcoin: Investment management firm Ark Invest’s recently published “Big Ideas” report. The research predicted that Bitcoin’s ($BTC) price could reach $1.48 million per coin in 2030. In essence, the Cathie Wood-led company believes that the digital asset is “likely to scale into a multi-trillion dollar market.” Other Web3-related technologies that Ark Invest covered include artificial intelligence (AI), digital wallets, and public blockchains, among others (BTC).

• Animoca Brands KK: Blockchain-focused venture capital firm Animoca Brands’ strategic subsidiary Animoca Brands KK has partnered with digital creative group TEAMZ. The entities are setting the stage for the TEAMZ Web3 summit, which will kick off in May 2023. The convention is expected to draw in 3,000 visitors, as well as hundreds of Web3 companies, speakers, and influencers (PAI). 

• Shopify: E-commerce company Shopify has launched a new blockchain suite for merchants. The latest offering enables NFT creators to build token gating apps on the platform. This will allow merchants to provide customers with exclusive events and drops by modifying their shop’s setup for specific token holders (BTC). 

Web3 Content Creator

• Hustle: “In the Game,” host Hustle recently discussed the pullback that transpired in crypto over the weekend. According to the content creator, the market’s sudden downturn is due to newly spreading fears in the space. In addition, Hustle also mentioned Avalanche and Polygon as ecosystems that he plans to keep in his portfolio long term.

• Spike: Spike’s latest engagements saw the Web3 content creator highlight well-known projects such as role-playing game (RPG) Dimensionals and strategy title Planet Mojo. However, a few upcoming titles have also caught Spike’s attention. Titles that recently gained exposure via his Twitter page include adventure RPG project Aurory, shooter game Domenation, and massively multiplayer online (MMO) title Kompete.

• Stache: “Secret agent” Stache recently dedicated a special YouTube session to “interrogate” with Ava Labs head of gaming Ed Chang. The interview focused on Web3 gaming development on the Avalanche network. Some of the titles featured in the sit down include RPGs Ascenders, DeFi Kingdoms, and FableBorne. Additionally, Ed Chang also highlighted first-person shooter (FPS) games MetaOps and Shrapnel.

• Yellow Panther: Recently, content creator and Twitter Spaces host Yellow Panther gave away three BattleFly NFTs with five Modpack credits each. The digital assets are the core of Treasure DAO-powered DeFi strategy game BattleFly.