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The Sandbox Attracts Strategic Gaming & Silicon Valley Partners to build Virtual Lands in its NFT Metaverse

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Uken Games, Bill Lee, Ken Howery, Galaxy Interactive, Tyler Winklevoss, Gemini Frontier Fund, Nifty Gateway, Avenged Sevenfold, and others entered into strategic partnerships to acquire LAND and build experiences in The Sandbox’s NFT-based metaverse

The Sandbox, a subsidiary of Animoca Brands and the leading decentralized social metaverse platform, announced that it has added multiple partners from the NFT, investment, and music industries to its growing list of partners. As with previous partners, the new entrants have joined in The Sandbox’s virtual real estate by acquiring LAND NFTs in the open metaverse and committed to building experiences across the metaverse. To celebrate the new partners, The Sandbox will launch a new LAND sale on April 14 that allows players to purchase choice spots near partner LANDS.

The partners who acquired LAND in The Sandbox’s metaverse include crypto projects such as Nifty Gateway, 21x, and Gemini, as well as renowned Silicon Valley based VCs and investment partners including Galaxy Interactive (Global gaming VC and investors in over 50 companies across the interactive landscape, including RTFKT, Bitski, Mythical Games, Immutable, and WHALE), Bill Lee (Co-Founder of Craft Ventures, former Board Director of Big Fish Games, and early investor in Cloud9, Coinbase, Opensea, and Tesla), Ken Howery (Co-Founder and former managing partner at Founders Fund, Co-Founder of PayPal), Sundeep Madra (Serial entrepreneur and investor), Gemini Frontier Fund (Founded by Tyler & Cameron Winklevoss), Chris Ye (CEO of Uken Games and creator of top-grossing mobile games Bingo Pop, Ava’s Manor, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire), Alex Reece (Early investor in Unity, Draft Kings and Lyft), Michael Witz (Founder of Redemption Games and creator of top-grossing mobile games Cookie Jam and Sweet Escapes), Edward Saatchi (Founder of Virtual Beings company Fable) and Patricio Fuks (Serial Entrepreneur & Investor), and heavy metal band, Avenged Sevenfold.

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“As a vibrant, growing NFT-based gaming metaverse, The Sandbox is attracting strong and diverse new partners each day, from gaming studios to IP brands to artists to celebrities to visionary entrepreneurs to technology companies,” said Sebastien BORGET, COO & Co-Founder of The Sandbox. “We’re shaping our virtual world to be an experience rich place where partners can plant a flag with virtual destination experiences on their LANDS in a powerful new entertainment community where creators, players and brands can build and grow alongside each other.”

The involvement of the partners announced follows the beta launch of The Sandbox’s NFT marketplace, which gives anyone the opportunity to earn SAND, The Sandbox’s utility token, by monetizing voxel-based NFT creations created with the dedicated software VoxEdit. Each NFT can be used inside the game platform in the future or used to build custom game experiences. LAND NFTs are the main gateway to publishing games in The Sandbox, as the platform prepares for opening its first public beta for players later this year. The Sandbox was recently featured by the Wall Street Journal and CNBC as a pioneer in the space.

The Sandbox is becoming a prime entertainment destination where brands, IPs, and celebrities can engage with their fans and offer virtual experiences including games, live performances, and social experiences. Brands will coexist through neighboring lands, able to function as digital concert arenas, theme parks, or malls that users of The Sandbox can visit and experience by themselves or with friends. Reflecting on this potential, partner VCs, investors, and celebrity brands share their thoughts below on what attracted them to The Sandbox:

“We have been tracking the progress of The Sandbox ecosystem from its earliest days, and have been impressed by the founding team’s consistent execution towards their mission of developing a community-owned sandbox of creativity and fun. We are delighted to do our part to develop the community through the land we’ve acquired, directly and through our portfolio companies, and cannot wait to witness how the broader ecosystem evolves,” said Richard Kim, GP at Galaxy Interactive.

“Gaming is a killer use case for the metaverse, and The Sandbox is the only metaverse tuned for high-quality games with a decentralized monetization ecosystem for developers, asset makers, and passionate gamers,” said Bill Lee, Co-Founder of Craft Ventures. “21x will be developing all of our parcels into THE premiere gaming destinations across any metaverse — stay tuned!“

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“The Sandbox is revolutionizing gaming by empowering users to build, own, and monetize their gaming experiences in a virtual world that is decentralized,” said Tyler Winklevoss, Co-Founder of Gemini Exchange. “We plan to extend our existing platforms into The Sandbox and develop unique experiences on our properties that advance our mission of empowering the individual through crypto.”

“We have officially purchased LAND in The Sandbox and are excited to build out a virtual space for our friends to explore,” said heavy metal band, Avenged Sevenfold. “Digital ownership and the metaverse have become increasingly interesting to us and The Sandbox felt like the right fit to enter this new world.”

Upcoming LAND Sale
The Sandbox’s upcoming LAND sale event on April 14th, 2021 will offer additional premium LAND located near the partners announced today. Each purchasable LAND will include exclusive premium NFTs and have the possibility to host events, gaming experiences, or social hubs when the game is released later in 2021. The Sandbox has already sold 45% of its 166,464 LAND NFTs, releasing them in successive waves that usually sell out in seconds. Existing LAND owners include Binance, CoinCheck, Metakovan, Pranksy, Socios, and CoinMarketCap among others.

The Sandbox has secured over 60 partnerships, including The Smurfs, Care Bears, Atari, CryptoKitties, and Shaun the Sheep, to build a fun, creative “play-to-earn” platform that offers virtual worlds and game experiences owned and created by players. The play-to-earn model gives players true ownership of anything they collect in the game, allowing them to trade it to other players (including outside the game on other websites), transfer it to other players, or even resell it.

The Sandbox is scheduled to launch its full Alpha for players in Q2 2021, enabling anyone to experience a social hub and gain the power to build a fantastic collection of fantasy and role-playing adventures that can be traded as NFTs with other players, creators, and artists on the platform.

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HIPTHER Announces Major Expansion into Fintech, Blockchain, and AI, Reinforcing Its Position as a Diverse Industry News Leader

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Building on its established success in the gambling and iGaming sectors, HIPTHER Agency is excited to announce a significant expansion of its editorial focus into three dynamic industries: fintech, blockchain, and artificial intelligence. This strategic move is part of HIPTHER’s ongoing commitment to providing comprehensive, in-depth coverage across a spectrum of industries, including virtual reality, esports, and official global government releases.

Focused Expansion for a Diverse Audience

The expansion into fintech, blockchain, and AI represents HIPTHER’s dedication to staying at the forefront of technological and financial advancements. By integrating these sectors into the HIPTHER .com platform, the agency offers its audience a rich, diverse content experience, positioning itself as a one-stop destination for insights across these cutting-edge fields.

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Enhanced Digital Presence and Accessibility

Complementing this expansion, HIPTHER continues to enhance its digital footprint. The agency’s Android app has already established a strong user base, and with the anticipation of an iOS app in 2024, HIPTHER is set to broaden its reach and accessibility. The agency’s social media channels are also being rebranded to reflect this expanded focus, ensuring a cohesive and comprehensive digital experience.

Unwavering Commitment to Quality and Insight

HIPTHER, known for its high-quality content in the gambling industry, extends this commitment to its new sectors. The agency’s team of experts and seasoned journalists is dedicated to delivering insightful, accurate, and timely information, catering to the needs of a diverse, global audience.

Zoltan Tundik, Co-Founder and Head of Business at HIPTHER, states, “Our expansion into fintech, blockchain, and AI is a natural progression of our mission to provide diverse, in-depth industry news. We’re excited to bring our expertise and quality content to these vibrant sectors, while continuing to serve our existing audiences with the coverage they trust.”

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For more information, please visit HIPTHER.com

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Blockchain

Empowering Women in Web3: Polish Blockchain Association’s Exciting Initiative

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Hipther proudly announces the commendable initiative by the Polish Blockchain Association: the “Top Women of Web3, Central and Eastern Europe edition.” This groundbreaking effort aims to spotlight and celebrate the outstanding contributions of women shaping the Web3 landscape in Poland and the broader Central and Eastern European region.

 

Diversity as a Driving Force

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Recognizing the transformative power of diversity, the Polish Blockchain Association acknowledges the invaluable impact women are making in the Web3 and blockchain industry. Despite these significant contributions, women remain underrepresented in the public sphere of the industry, particularly at conferences, webinars, and other events. The initiative seeks to address this imbalance and bring more visibility to the achievements of female colleagues in the region.

 

Nominate Outstanding Women

If you share this commitment to fostering diversity and inclusivity, we invite you to participate in this empowering initiative. Nominate outstanding women who have had a direct impact on the Web3 space over the past year. Whether it’s yourself or a colleague, we want to hear about the remarkable women shaping the industry in Central and Eastern Europe!

To nominate, simply visit the nomination page. The deadline for submissions is December 31, 2023, and the winners will be announced in January 2024.

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Recognition and Rewards

The Polish Blockchain Association will select 20 outstanding profiles from the nominations, and the winners will be featured in a special report. This report will not only be published by the association but, subject to consent, will also be made available to conference and event organizers. This initiative aims to increase the visibility of women in core industry events as speakers and contributors. Additionally, winners will receive free tickets or discounts to attend the next year’s Tech of Tomorrow Conference, organized by the Polish Blockchain Association on September 19-20, 2024.

 

Inspire the Next Generation

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By showcasing the diverse talent in the Web3 space, we aspire to inspire the next generation of leaders. Join the Polish Blockchain Association in supporting and recognizing the women who are driving innovation and excellence in the blockchain and Web3 industry.

Hipther is proud to stand alongside our Strategic Partners, the Polish Blockchain Association, in communicating this impactful initiative. Let’s work together to create a more inclusive future for the world of technology!

The Polish Blockchain Association is a non-profit organization fostering knowledge and experience exchange in the area of blockchain technology. Their mission is to connect experts, developers, enterprises and tech enthusiasts, and serve as a collaboration-enabling platform for the whole Polish and global blockchain community. Under the scope of this mission, they have joined forces with Hipther as Strategic Partners for the most impactful GameTech in-person gathering in CEE, the Prague Gaming & TECH Summit.

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Blockchain

Oddin.gg Teams Up with Betswap: Pioneering a Hybrid Esports Betting Experience with Advanced iFrame Tech!

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Oddin.gg has announced an exciting new partnership with Betswap, a leading destination for sports and casino enthusiasts. This collaboration aims to enhance the esports betting experience for Betswap and its user community by utilizing Oddin’s advanced iFrame
technology.

The first blockchain based exchange rate platform Betswap emerges as a groundbreaking platform that seamlessly blends the worlds of sports betting, casinos, and esports. Pioneering a novel approach, it’s both a decentralized and centralized hybrid, allowing users to experience the best of both worlds. The incorporation of the Oddin’s iFrame functionality extends Betswap’s reach to capture the attention and engagement of esports enthusiasts, gamers, and bettors alike.

Marek Suchar, Managing Director and Co-founder at Oddin.gg, says: “We are absolutely thrilled to announce our partnership with Betswap.gg, where we are harnessing Oddin’s sophisticated iFrame technology to enhance the esports betting experience. Together, Oddin.gg
and Betswap.gg stand ready to adapt swiftly to the dynamic changes introduced by CS2, showcasing our commitment to providing comprehensive coverage of the inaugural official CS2 matches. We stand at the vanguard of technical innovation with our esports betting solution, and we are honored to collaborate with a similarly pioneering technological firm that is actively exploring new horizons in the realms of blockchain and web 3.0 technology.”

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Thawfeek Ameen, CMO at Betswap, comments: “In partnership with Oddin.gg, Betswap is thrilled to announce the integration of their avant-garde iFrame solution into our platform. Having meticulously prepared together, we’re poised to seamlessly navigate the pivotal transition to Counter Strike 2. This groundbreaking addition is set to redefine the esports betting landscape, taking our platform to unprecedented heights and providing our users with a superior esports betting experience. Beyond just functional enhancements, this collaboration is aimed at boosting engagement and attracting the new generation of esports enthusiasts. Our partnership with Oddin.gg perfectly encapsulates our unwavering commitment to excellence, further cementing our position in the rapidly expanding global arena.”

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