Welcome to P2E Analytics’ daily Web3 digest where we take a look at the stories that shape the world of blockchain. Today’s edition features gaming, non-fungible tokens (NFTs), metaverse projects, and various partner industries.
Popular names that made noise today are the Premier League, Roblox, Sorare, Vitalik Buterin, and Warner Music Group. Meanwhile, Web3-native projects are also making tons of notable developments in the space. Entities that made headlines as of late include Aave, Avalanche, Bondee, EthBoy, Intella X, Joepegs, Limit Break, and Neowiz, among others.
Lastly, Web3 games are steadily growing everyday as more teams continue to build and improve their projects. Titles that made moves recently include Blocklords, BYOPills, Decentraland, Dookey Dash, Heroes Chained, Monsterra, Primal, and The Sandbox.
Let’s look at today’s top stories in Web3.
Top Stories
- NFT fantasy sports game Sorare has signed a multi-year deal with top English soccer league system the Premier League. The collaboration will allow the platform to offer gamers licensed NFT cards of their favorite Premier League players. Additionally, Sorare will also release new features that will enable users to compete using league-specific player cards, as well as prevent them from selecting all-star teams (CNBC).
- Entertainment and record label conglomerate the Warner Music Group has announced the launch of ‘Rhythm City’ on game platform Roblox. Built in partnership with game publishing company Gamefam, the platform offers “music-themed” experiences in the metaverse. In essence, Rhythm City’s virtual world allows users to assume roles of a dancer or a DJ, among others (PRN).
- Avalanche blockchain’s parent company Ava Labs has launched an upgraded version of its Web3 analytics tool Avalanche Explorer. The new version provides users with more visibility of the data on the ecosystem’s P-Chain. This includes “validators, delegator transactions, staking, rewards distribution, Subnet creations,” to name a few (AVAX).
- South Korean game publisher Neowiz’s Web3 gaming platform Intella X has announced its initial ecosystem partners. The list consists of over 30 industry leaders from gaming, DeFi, and many more. Participants include Animoca Brands, Big Brain Holdings, ConsenSys, Planetarium Labs, Polygon, and Wemix, to name a few (PRN).
- EthBoy, a popular NFT painting of Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin, is minting its 4th edition this week. The project’s artist Trevor Jones is launching a new piece in celebration of Buterin’s birthday today. The generative artwork features the Russian-Canadian programmer wearing a harlequin suit, echoing Pablo Picasso’s 1924 painting “Paul in a Clown Suit” (CD).
Web3 Games
- Avalanche-based action role-playing game (RPG) Heroes Chained has announced the return of its idle minigame “Fortunes of Ventuna” (FoV). Kicking off on February 8, the project will introduce limited gas fees as well as collective sending and claiming features. Moreover, the new FoV will also see the addition of MayinHara Tier 6 & 7 (TW).
- BLOCKLORDS, a massively multiplayer online (MMO) strategy game on Immutable X, has launched the third installment of its tournament. The competition will reward the top 3 $ETH bidders with a gold banner chest, while the first 25 Bidders will receive extra silver banners each (TW).
- Move-to-earn (M2E) athlete fan token Primal has announced plans to expand in China. The campaign includes a series of events in the region, including integration with the most widely used crypto platform in the country. In addition, Primal will also give away NFTs, as well as engage in Twitter Spaces with Chinese influencers (with goals of reaching over 200,000 people) (TW).
- Upcoming simulation strategy game Monsterra has announced the February 1 kick-off of Battle Front Season 5. The project had a successful Season 4 run that saw the team giving away 140k $MSTR (20k USDT) to participants. Existing on three networks: Avalanche, Binance Smart Chain, and Terra, the multi-chain game allows players to cultivate, build, and defend against monsters in a virtual world (TW).
- Collectible sci-fi NFT gaming project BYOPills has introduced ‘BYO Achievements: Volume 1.” The new feature allows players to buy, trade, and collect items in the BYO ecosystem to complete achievements. In turn, participants get the chance to earn badges, as well as boost their total “VYBE” score. According to the team, “VYBE score will play a key role” in future experiences (TW).
NFT News
- Web3 gaming company Limit Break has announced the launch of its free Dragon NFTs ahead of the Dragon Digital Collection’s release. Apparently, the collection’s official drop will coincide with the airing of the DigiDaigaku commercial at the upcoming Super Bowl LVII. DigiDaigaku is an anime-inspired NFT collection developed by Limit Break (BW).
- Market regulators and agencies in China’s Hainan province have announced plans to further supervise the NFT sector in the country. According to authorities, the measure aims to promote development in the field, as well as eliminate risks including fraud. Meanwhile, the People’s Bank of China (PBoC) revealed continuing developments on their Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) pilot program (CT).
- Avalanche blockchain’s biggest NFT marketplace Joepegs NFT recently expanded to crypto trading platform Binance’s BNB Chain ecosystem. Upon launch, the digital collectibles platform also announced the minting of 50,000 NFTs amounting to $26,000 in value. Joepegs is one of the recipients of the Avalanche Foundation’s investment initiatives (BSCN).
Into the Metaverse
- Filipino creative Rell (aka Jhanrell Cortez Dela Cruz) went viral online for his “Pinoy-inspired” virtual rooms in metaverse app Bondee. Inspired by everyday life in the Philippines, Rell depicted various settings such as a typical apartment and a cheap local diner. Bondee made a big splash in some parts of Asia recently, as the team continues to push for expansion (CCN).
- Beauty company Buxom Cosmetics has partnered with digital consulting firm Publicis Sapient to launch six-month metaverse experience. Dubbed “Buxom PlumpVerse,” the initiative will be offered on the metaverse platform Decentraland. Basically, the Buxom PlumpVerse will feature three floors consisting of a lounge, a dance area, and a virtual store (CSA).
- NFT Tech, a company aimed at helping big brands accelerate their entry into Web3, has formed a partnership with Web3 studio Run It Wild and virtual world platform The Sandbox. According to NFT tech CEO Adam De Cata, the firm sees “emerging virtual worlds and environments” as the “next great place” to reach new audiences, as well as provide better experiences for existing customers (BW).
Around the Blockchain
- Decentralized finance (DeFi) lending protocol Aave has deployed its platform’s third version on the Ethereum blockchain. The move was the result of a community-led governance voting, with $AAVE token holders as participants. Basically, the upgrade aims to lessen risks, improve capital efficiency, and reduce gas costs, among others (CD).
- Brazil’s largest city São Paulo has introduced blockchain technology in its recently passed municipal data access and transparency law. The bill defines the technology and also highlights its use cases. According to its author Maria De Carli, the new decree mentions the capabilities of Web3, such as helping detect corruption cases using blockchain’s publicly transparent nature (BTC).
- Web3 security firm Hypernative has emerged out of stealth mode after securing $9 million in a seed funding round led by Boldstart Ventures and IBI Tech Fund. The company will deploy the capital to support plans to provide blockchain-based companies and projects with a “proactive security and risk prevention platform” (CD).
Web3 Content Creators
- Brycent: Brycent posted on TikTok, a video clip covering Bored Ape Yacht Club’s new minigame Dookey Dash. In less than 24 hours, the entry amassed over 55,000 views and 2,000 likes. Moreover, the content creator also highlighted the growing interest in Web3 gaming. “It doesn’t matter what naysayers think, gamers are interested and they are coming!” Brycent tweeted.
- Cagy: Web3 gaming YouTuber Cagy was spotted with self-described “financial philosopher” and “Axie Infinity evangelist” cloudwhite. Known as the first person in the world to get an Axie tattoo, cloudwhite is widely regarded by the community as a “legendary Axie content creator.”
- Spike: Spike recently featured a few interesting Web3 games that are still in the process of being shaped to perfection. The promising titles include Cryptofoxes, descend.gg, and Martian: New Frontiers. In addition, Spike also highlighted a couple of more well-known games including Treeverse and DeFimons.
