Metaverse game project 'Carrieverse' attracts over 100K DAUs

The first tranche of spot Bitcoin and Ether exchange-traded funds (ETFs) have been officially approved to start trading in Hong Kong on April 30. Announcement from regulatorHong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) announced the official approval of the first batch of spot Bitcoin and Ether ETFs on April 24 via a press release seen by CoinTelegraph. The regulator first provided outline approval for these products on April 15. Additionally, some of the fund management firms themselves have come out to outline product trading commencement at the end of the month. The first batch of approved Hong Kong-based ETFs include China Asset Management’s (ChinaAMC) Bitcoin and Ether-based ETFs.  In a press release, the firm verified that its products will begin trading on April 30. HashKey Capital and Bosera Asset Management have partnered to offer similar spot products. A spokesperson for HashKey told Bloomberg that they’re ready to commence trading of the product at the end of the month.Photo by Ruslan Bardash on UnsplashIn-kind vs. cash-only approachHarvest Global Investments is the third fund manager that intends to launch such a product offering. The launch of these three spot Bitcoin and Ether-based ETFs on April 30 signals a new era for digital asset investment in Hong Kong. Unlike their counterparts in the U.S., which rely on a cash creation model, these ETFs in Hong Kong embrace an in-kind creation mechanism. This approach holds the potential to significantly boost assets under management (AUM) and trading volume, as highlighted by Bloomberg ETF analyst Rebecca Sin. The unique dynamics of Hong Kong's ETF creation model present an opportunity for market growth and innovation, positioning the region as a key player in the global digital asset landscape. By providing a regulated framework for retail and institutional investors, along with the ease of converting digital assets into fully regulated ETFs, ChinaAMC aims to cater to a growing demand for such offerings. China Asset Management’s Head of Digital Assets, Thomas Zhu, emphasized in the firm’s press release the in-kind creation feature. Potential fee warAs the ETF market in Hong Kong gains momentum, competition could result in downward pressure on fees. With issuers vying to offer the most competitive fees to attract customers, the stage is set for a potential battle of pricing strategies. Harvest, for instance, has already entered the fray with a full fee waiver and the lowest fee at 0.3% after the waiver, Bloomberg ETF analyst James Seyffart outlined on the X social media platform. This competitive landscape bodes well for investors, with fees for the first ETFs proving to be lower than expected, as noted by Eric Balchunas, senior ETF analyst at Bloomberg. All eyes will be on the performance and impact of these financial products relative to the crypto market in the Asian region and further afield.

NFT Game Slime World’s Creator Join Forces with Blockchain Investor AssemblockKorean video game developer Nada Digital has recently announced its strategic partnership with blockchain investment fund Assemblock. The two entities will collaborate on accelerating the development and innovation of mobile games and blockchain technology with an aim to expand their presence on the global stage.Photo by Martin Martz on UnsplashSlime World and NADA Protocol TokenNada Digital’s creation, Slime World, is a blockchain-powered, play-to-earn (P2E) game whose system is underpinned by NADA Protocol Token. The NADA token is set to play the role of the key currency for the game publisher’s forthcoming blockchain services. Players can earn Orichalcum rewards during gameplay and exchange them for NADA at an in-game exchange.Assemblock’s localization consultingAs an investor and accelerator, Assemblock is involved in supporting and guiding blockchain projects in pursuit of shaping an environment for the blockchain industry. In particular, it focuses on assisting projects in successfully entering and thriving in the Korean and Chinese markets through localization consulting.Eva Yoon, CEO of Assemblock, has held positions at payment service company Danal, mobile game developer Party Games (now Nexture), and large game company NHN Entertainment. With her wealth of experience, Yoon has led initiatives to facilitate the international growth of Korean gaming enterprises and blockchain startups.

Gala Games announces worldwide release of 4X RPG Eternal ParadoxGala Games officially launched South Korean game developer Ndream’s newest game, Eternal Paradox, worldwide on Tuesday (PT), according to an official blog post. Eternal Paradox is a 4X mobile role-playing game (RPG) where players can engage in war simulations or turn-based battles by playing with tiered characters, or “Mercenaries”. In particular, it employs Web3 ownership mechanisms, including a native token Eternal Time (ETIME), which is built on Gala Games’ layer 1 blockchain GalaChain.Photo by Jack B on UnsplashRewards-based gaming universeThe token powers the Eternal Paradox ecosystem and distributes rewards to players, such as in-game assets, upgrades and special Mercenaries that are minted as non-fungible tokens (NFTs).“We are pleased to bring a new game from South Korean game developer Ndream to the Gala Games platform. We will continue to work with Ndream to ensure that global users can enjoy the game for a long time to come, as it is a piece of Korean content recognized by many around the world,” Gala Games said.Global RPG experienceThe RPG is playable in 11 languages and allows simultaneous chatting with automatic translation, facilitating communication between global users. It also implements a seasonal system, resetting every 49 days to create an immersive and unique gameplay experience. Players around the world can interact with each other by participating in guild wars each season, where national guilds can battle for control of territory and earn rewards.“Eternal Paradox is a superb combination of turn-based RPG and war simulation,” said Kwon Won-seok, CEO of Ntroi, a subsidiary of Ndream and the executive producer of Eternal Paradox. “I’m very curious to see which country will be the winning guild in the first season. We hope you enjoy the game.”Eternal Paradox is now available for mobile download on the Google Play Store, Apple App Store and Gala Games platform. Support for PC play will be available in the future. Gala Games also noted that the game is not available in some countries, including South Korea.