Spotify Playlists for Moonbirds NFT Holders, Lego and Epic Games to Build Metaverse, Fast & Furious NFTs

These are the stories that shape Web3.

Top Stories

• LEGO/Epic Games: Unreal Engine and Fortnite developer Epic Games has formed a partnership with popular toy corporation the LEGO Group to create a “family friendly” metaverse (BC).

• Fast & Furious: Toy giant Mattel has launched a crossover non-fungible token (NFT) collection between its Hot Wheels NFT Garage and ‘Fast & Furious.’ Dropping on May 20, the project will feature iconic cars from the long-running movie franchise (D).

• Auradine: Blockchain privacy and artificial intelligence (AI) company Auradine has raised $81 million in a Series A funding round. The firm has stated that it is developing “breakthrough scalability, sustainability, and security solutions” (D).

• Red Beard Ventures: Early-stage Web3 venture capital firm Red Beard Ventures has secured $25 million in a funding round backed by Animoca Brands and NFT platform SuperRare’s CEO John Crain, as well as a16z’s Marc Andreessen and Chris Dixon (CD).

• Spotify/Moonbirds: Holders of owl-themed NFT collection Moonbirds can now obtain NFT-gated content from music streaming service Spotify. Dubbed the “Sound of a Digital Renaissance,” the playlist includes artists such as Diplo and Tame Impala, to name a few (NFTP). 

Web3 Games

• Orouboros, a GameFi studio on the Avalanche blockchain, has unveiled two new upcoming tokens $(Redacted) and $TIP on play-to-earn (P2E) idle game Pizza Game. In addition, the project will also introduce a new (Redacted) campaign to reward the most dedicated players (M).

• Metaverse Headquarters (MVHQ), a tokenized community of Web3 investors, builders, and creators, has teamed up with DAO-driven sports league Karate Combat to launch “the world’s first” Premier Fighting League (TW).

• Aurory, an adventure role-playing game (RPG) on Solana, has launched a new landing page for Aurory Adventures, which enables players to view the project’s roadmap, explore Blanche Village, and learn more about Lands and Season 1 (TW).

• Nifty Craft/HyperPlay: Web3 game launcher and game store aggregator HyperPlay has announced the launch of Nifty Craft, a 2D Sandbox massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), on its platform (TW).

• Anito Legends: Philippine-made battle-royale strategy adventure game Anito Legends is kicking off on May 19, “Season One: Lagim’s Reckoning,” along with the introduction of Battle Pass and a new raid boss (AL).

NFT News

• Pudgy Penguins: Profile picture (PFP) NFT collection Pudgy Penguins has announced the formation of the ‘Pudgy Asia Council.’ The committee includes representatives from China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand (TW).

• ALTAVA Group/Perplay: Luxury metaverse company ALTAVA Group has partnered with NFT-enabled mobile game-and-earn platform Perplay to create a Bored Ape Golf Club (BAGC)-inspired digital collectible project for ALTAVA’s community (GNW).

• MetaWorks: Blockchain and Web3 development company MetaWorks has announced the upcoming version launch of its NFT-powered ticketing solution and decentralized wallet WalletFX (YF).

• ChainUp: Blockchain tech service provider ChainUp has announced the launch of a new NFT solution built on multi-party computation (MPC) technology, to provide a bridge between digital collectibles and blockchain ecosystems (YF).

• HeyMint: NFT pioneer Zeneca and Web3 education platform Curious Addys have teamed up to launch on May 30, an NFT launchpad designed for blockchain beginners called ‘HeyMint’ (NFTP). 

Into the Metaverse

• nChain: Blockchain tech company nChain has partnered with Planetary, a mobile app that combines social media and metaverse features. To boost the platform’s adoption, nChain is investing GBP 2.5 million on the project (CG).

• Elizabeth Arden: Beauty brand Elizabeth Arden, in conjunction with experiential e-commerce platform Obsess, has launched a virtual store experience that offers interactive content on its iconic founder, among others (BP).

• Twiggy: Metaverse company Hadean has partnered with film and TV studio Film Soho to create an interactive virtual documentary focused on the life of British supermodel Twiggy. The project is backed by Epic Games and Amazon Web Services (AWS), among others (PRN).

• The Sandbox: Metaverse game The Sandbox has made a new milestone after hitting 1 million gasless transactions, which was made possible with the help of blockchain infrastructure platform Biconomy (TW).

DeFi World

• Asymmetry Finance: DeFi and liquid staking protocol Asymmetry Finance has raised $3 million in a seed funding round led by VC fund Ecco Capital, bringing the project to a total valuation of $20 million (D). 

• Origin Protocol: DeFi platform Origin Protocol has revealed plans to issue Origin Ether (OETH), a derivative of Ethereum blockchain’s native cryptocurrency Ether ($ETH) that aims to boost rewards for holders (CD). 

• Hourglass, a crypto startup that recently raised $4.2 million in a seed funding round led by Electric Capital, has launched a marketplace that allows users to trade time-bound tokens (TBT).