TZ APAC strikes marketing partnership to drive Tezos gaming

The Sandbox Adds Singapore Virtual Neighborhood Lion CityMetaverse platform The Sandbox has announced the launch of Lion City, Singapore’s virtual neighborhood, during its inaugural Singapore Partner Day event.In a blog post published on Tuesday, The Sandbox project team outlined that Lion City is set to debut in September 2023 and will feature 512 plots of virtual land. With over 40 partners and 10+ studios, Lion City aims to showcase global and regional brands, along with established Web3 natives, representing Singapore’s culture in sports, fashion, entertainment, and technology within The Sandbox metaverse.Photo by Kin Pastor on PexelsRegional brand partnershipsThe Sandbox has attracted a range of local partners for Lion City, including MM2 Asia, ONE Championship, Mighty Jaxx Group, Spa Esprit Group, METAVI, Technology Development Centre (TDC) of ITE College Central, UKISS, Bandwagon, Renovi, Affyn, 8sian, The Engineers, Metaskull by Jacky Tsai x Froyo Games, Fabric of Reality, CreativesAtWork, Memotics, FXMedia, Kappou, The Parlour, Manifest, Vaniday, PengWine, LOFI, and Zodium. These partners represent various industries and will contribute to the diverse offerings and experiences within Lion City.Studio partnersMoreover, studio partners catering to the Singapore market will be an integral part of the Lion City experience. These studios include Smobler Studios, CGame Studio, Oceanus Media Global, and iCandy Interactive subsidiaries Lemonsky Studios and Hashcode Studio, New Moon Studios, Pangu by Kenal, and Clevereen. Collaborative ecosystem partners such as OKContract, Pinnacle, DIFY, and Peatix are also contributing to the development of the metaverse.Unlocking Web3 opportunitiesThe Sandbox emphasized the significance of Lion City as a gateway and launchpad for Southeast Asia. With over 400 global brands, including Singapore’s DBS Bank, already on board, Lion City has the potential to unlock new Web3 possibilities in the region. The supportive and collaborative ecosystem in Singapore will provide companies with opportunities to explore digital frontiers and test decentralized technologies.The project also announced the milestone during the Singapore Partner Day event held at the Marina Bay Sands Expo & Convention Centre. The event served as a platform for networking and sharing insights among The Sandbox’s partners.Keynotes were delivered by Sébastien Borget, the Co-Founder and COO of The Sandbox, and George Wong, the project’s Head of Singapore. They discussed the vast opportunities within the metaverse, and panel discussions with ecosystem partners took place, covering topics like intellectual properties (IPs) and the metaverse’s future, as well as the development of the open NFT metaverse.During the event, Borget highlighted Singapore’s regulatory environment, as being conducive to emerging technologies. He also emphasized Singapore’s position as an innovation hub for Web3 advancements.The metaverse faces new challenges in 2023, with the crypto market gravitating towards a more institutional-friendly approach, and questions surrounding its relevance. Recently, Borget had a clash with the SEC in the United States, disagreeing with the regulator’s classification of the project’s native $SAND token as a security.No doubt that experience has helped to underscore his appreciation for Singapore’s regulatory setup. Nevertheless, Wong described 2023 as an important and pivotal year for metaverse growth.

Metaverse gaming company Animoca Brands has recently announced a strategic partnership with Saakuru Labs, aiming to drive the adoption and integration of blockchain technology within Saakuru Labs' ecosystem. The collaboration is expected to bolster the expansion of the Web3 gaming industry, particularly in Southeast Asia, where the partnership officially kicks off. The initiative involves the incorporation of Web3 games developed with the Saakuru Protocol into the Animoca Brands ecosystem. Gasless transactionsAnimoca Brands will play a crucial role by providing gaming titles to its partners, while Saakuru Labs will facilitate Animoca Brands' expansion efforts in Southeast Asia. Developers stand to benefit from access to accelerated development processes and gasless transactions. Gasless transactions are particularly significant in regions like Southeast Asia, known for lower-income demographics. The market has shown a keen interest in blockchain technology and Web3 games, indicating promising growth potential. With gasless transactions, developers can seamlessly integrate critical functionalities into their gaming titles, including infrastructure components.Photo by Bastian Riccardi on UnsplashTransition to Web3 gamingThe Saakuru Protocol, known for its consumer-centric L2 infrastructure, enables major integrations of Web3 components into traditional gaming segments. This ensures a smooth transition from traditional gaming to Web3 gaming, enhancing the overall gaming experience. Yat Siu, Executive Chairman of Animoca Brands, emphasized the pivotal role of gaming in the evolution of the Internet and open metaverse, highlighting Southeast Asia's potential to lead in Web3 technology adoption. Jack Vinijtrongjit, CEO of Saakuru Labs, underscored the platform's capability to offer seamless engagement with multiplayer gaming titles without latency or transaction fees. The partnership between Saakuru Labs and Animoca Brands aligns with Saakuru Labs' recent collaboration with cloud computing infrastructure platform Aethir, aimed at enhancing blockchain gaming through GPU infrastructure. Notable partners of Animoca Brands, including GameGPT, W3GG and GameFi.org, have already expressed their commitment to adopting the gasless protocol. Experts believe that gaming presents an ideal avenue to accelerate blockchain technology adoption and advance Web3 gaming principles. With gaming becoming a mainstream form of entertainment, seamless integration of technology is crucial for user acceptance. The outcome of the Animoca Brands and Saakuru Labs partnership is anticipated to manifest results in the coming quarter or by the end of the year. 

Animoca Brands’ Japanese market expansion via strategic partnershipAnimoca Brands Japan, in collaboration with Animoca’s subsidiary KLKTN, a digital experience label, has unveiled a strategic partnership with Cool Cats Group, marking a significant move into the Japanese anime market within the Web3 space.Photo by Yu Kato on UnsplashConquering the Japanese anime marketAs part of this strategic venture which was announced on Tuesday, Animoca Brands Japan has acquired equity shares in Cool Cats Group. Cool Cats is a U.S.-headquartered global character brand. It entails Cool Cats and Cool Pets NFT collections, notable for their distinctive and colorful cat designs.In addition to this, Animoca’s digital experience label, KLKTN, has acquired NFTs from all three of Cool Cats’ collections on the secondary market. Notably, this NFT purchase took place through San FranTokyo, KLKTN’s virtual “decentralized city,” which is known for its focus on licensed anime and Web3 intellectual property.Daisuke Iwase, CEO of Animoca Brands Japan, highlighted that the partnership goes beyond business growth. According to Iwase, it is about cultural exchange, understanding and delving into what makes Japan’s digital and artistic realm globally appealing. He emphasized their commitment to creating more opportunities for the Cool Cats IP’s growth through Animoca Brands Japan and San FranTokyo.Accessing Web3 intellectual propertyRobby Yung, CEO of Animoca Brands, expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership, telling The Block that it revolves around building Web3 intellectual property. He emphasized the company’s excitement about collaborating with an iconic Web3 IP holder like Cool Cats to explore the potential of Web3 products and traditional Japanese media products, including manga, to engage the community.The partnership also introduced several strategic initiatives that are set to roll out. One of the key initiatives is the creation of a “Cool Cats Manga,” which will blend the world of Cool Cats with Japan’s renowned manga tradition. This manga will be crafted by a Japanese manga artist, promising a unique fusion of creative elements.Japanese Cool Cats brand expansionAnother significant aspect of the partnership involves expanding the Cool Cats brand within Japan. Animoca Japan and San FranTokyo will work collaboratively to promote the Cool Cats IP through various channels. They are also committed to establishing new connections for Cool Cats with prominent organizations in the Japanese entertainment and intellectual property sectors, enhancing the brand’s presence in the country.The narrative of the Cool Cats IP will be seamlessly integrated into the virtual city of San FranTokyo. This initiative will encompass interactive e-figurine drops and align with the marketing efforts of other iconic Japanese IPs, creating a vibrant digital ecosystem within the city.David Taing, Co-Chief Operating Officer of KLKTN, expressed their dedication to Japanese and Web3 IP, emphasizing the importance of forging a path forward in the Web3 space. They are committed to bringing together diverse worlds, styles, ideas, industries and technology to drive collaboration to new heights, shaping the future of web3.The strategic partnership between Animoca Brands Japan, KLKTN and Cool Cats Group represents a significant step toward embracing Web3 in the Japanese anime market, not just in terms of focusing on business growth but also in aiming to bridge cultures, bringing together the rich traditions of Japanese manga and the innovation of Web3.