MLB NFTs, Axie Infinity Creator Expands Ecosystem, Avalanche Artist Initiative

Today’s Web3 digest will highlight blockchain games, decentralized finance (DeFi), non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and the metaverse.

Here are the stories that shape Web3.

Top Stories

• MLB/Candy Digital: Major League Baseball, in conjunction with digital collectible company Digital Candy, is launching a new NFT collection for the 2023 season (DC).

• Axie Infinity: In a bid to expand its blockchain ecosystem Ronin, Axie Infinity creator Sky Mavis has signed partnerships with game studios Bali Games, Bowled.io, Directive Games, and Tribes Studio (DC).

• JP Morgan: Financial services giant JP Morgan has revealed plans to offer blockchain-based dollar accounts for financial institutions in India (CG). 

• Avalanche: Avalanche blockchain has announced the launch of Avaissance, an initiative dedicated to boosting the careers of artists worldwide (TW). 

Web3 Games

• Shrapnel: Avalanche-based action shooter game Shrapnel has announced a collaboration with role-playing game (RPG) Overworld to give away whitelists to the project’s AVAX SCU mint (TW).

• Battle For Giostone: Multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) Web3 game Battle For Giostone is hosting ‘Game Night #2.’ The event will feature five-member squads battling in a single elimination bracket type tournament (TW).

• OpenBlox: NFT gaming platform OpenBlox has launched its first sprint event. Running from March 30 to April 2, the competition will allow participants to climb up the leaderboards and win RunBlox shoe NFTs (TW).

• Synergy of Serra: Web3-based trading card game (TCG) Synergy of Serra has announced the release of its first expansion set called ‘Vaults of Virtuals,’ which will go on sale on April 2 (TW).

• Umi’s Friends/XPLUS: NFT tile-matching game Umi’s Friends has teamed up with XPLUS. XPlus is a SocialFi metaverse platform that provides users with tools for content creation, community management, and social activity monetization (TW).

NFT News

• Art Blocks: Generative art platform Art Blocks has launched a secondary NFT marketplace that enforces creator royalties, while allowing collectors to browse listed NFTs across all existing Art Blocks projects (DC).

• Flybondi: Argentinian low-cost airline Flybondi, will soon introduce “NFTickets” to customers, allowing them to manage their personal details, as well as transfer or sell the tickets on their own (CD).

• NeoSwap: Artificial intelligence (AI)-driven NFT trading platform NeoSwap has announced the launch of its AI-proposed trades on the Stacks blockchain (PRN).

• Miami NFT Week: Kicking off today is the Miami NFT Week. Running until April 2, the event will feature guests such as Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, financier Anthony Scaramucci, and music producer Timbaland, to name a few (BET).

Into the Metaverse

• SHIB the Metaverse: Cryptocurrency Shiba Inu’s virtual world project ‘SHIB the Metaverse’ has partnered with The International Women of Blockchain (IWB) and NOWPayments, to help empower women in Web3, blockchain, and crypto (BW).

• BitNile: Metaverse platform BitNile announced that its 3D platform has reached over 500,000 active users less than a month after launching its early-access version (BW).

• OneMeta AI/BizzTech: Multilingual enablement company OneMeta, in conjunction with virtual reality (VR) tech platform provider BizzTech, has launched the world’s first multilingual metaverse (AW).

• The Sandbox: Metaverse platform The Sandbox will be participating from June 7-8 in the Non Fungible Conference, which will culminate with the closing daytime Beach Party on June 9 (TW).

Web3 Content Creators

• Cagy: Web3 gaming youTuber Cagy’s organization The Juice Team has announced that Founder Key holders will receive exclusive beta access codes for hero shooter game The Machines Arena.

• Hustle: Crypto Banter host Hustle has joined collectible MMORPG Web3 game NFT Champions as its marketing advisor. 

• Spike: Web3 content creator Spike and his influencer marketing agency Waypoint Gaming is hosting a ‘Community Game Night’ with Lifeforce Games’ action title Spark Defense. 

• Stache: In another edition of ‘Top Secret Thursday,’ crypto gaming expert Stache put the spotlight on turn-based role-playing game (RPG) Champions: Ascension.

DeFi World

• Pancake Swap: Decentralized exchange (DEX) Pancake Swap’s v3 upgrade is slated to launch on the 3rd of April on Binance’ blockchain protocol the BNB Chain (BSCN). 

• CIAN/Matrixport: DeFi yield and automation and strategy platform CIAN has partnered with digital assets financial services ecosystem Matrixport to boost institutional adoption for DeFi (YF).

• LI.FI: Multi-chain liquidity and data gateway LI.FI has raised $17 million in a Series A funding round led by Coinfund and Superscript (CS).

• Baby Arbitrum: Arbitrum Network’s Baby Arbitrum decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystem has launched $BARB, a new token offering which rewards holders through the smart contract’s auto-reward mechanism (GNW).