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Nifty News: The Flash goes Web3, Yuga Labs still working hard on ‘audacious’ Otherside project and more

The Sandbox added a new major IP to its virtual world, a portfolio management startup raised $3.6 million and The Flash is getting NFTs.

Warner’s The Flash goes Web3, to a lack of applause…

Warner Bros.’ nonfungible token (NFT) unit has unveiled a new Web3 experience for the recently released DC Comics superhero movie, The Flash, which reportedly flopped at the box office.

According to an announcement from Warner Bros. Digital Collectibles, The Flash Web3 Movie Experience will launch on July 18 and include NFT collections, augmented reality experiences, access to behind-the-scenes content and the entire film in 4K ultra HD, to name a few.

The Flash Web3 experience. Source: Warner Bros. Digital Collectibles.

The project will be hosted on the Eluvio blockchain, which Warner Bros. has used in the past for similar Superman and The Lord of the Rings Web3 experiences.

The experience is being packaged as part of two different mystery bag editions, Mystery and Premium.

The Mystery edition will cost $35 and the Premium edition will cost $100, with the latter containing greater benefits and a shot at getting seemingly better NFTs.

Over on Twitter, the community reaction wasn’t overly enthusiastic.

The top comment from user Satvik Sethi has 1,649 likes at the time of writing and simply states: “Pay your writers, and stop cash-grabbing Web3.”

Another user sarcastically wrote: “Wow, the Flash traveled back to 2021,” in reference to the manic NFT bull market of that year, while Twitter user Simon suggested that Warner Bros. needs to “fire” whoever is running their Web3 department.

Snarky comments in response to The Flash Web3 experience. Source: Twitter

Yuga Labs focusing on Otherside metaverse amid BAYC downturn

With the floor price of the Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) NFTs tanking in 2023, Yuga Labs CEO Daniel Alegre has emphasized that the firm is working hard to build out its Otherside metaverse project.

Speaking at Fortune’s Brainstorm Tech conference on July 13, Alegre kept his cards close to his chest but outlined that Yuga’s plans for Otherside are “audacious” and, as such, will “take time” to come to fruition.

BAYC NFT floor price. Source: NFT Price Floor.

So far, Otherside has only been available for a couple of early access trips for the BAYC community, and it remains to be seen when the project will officially launch.

Providing a little more information, Alegre said that Otherside will “bring communities together” and “bring new and innovative Web3-based experiences starting with gaming.”

“As an NFT holder, you will be able to participate in drawing what we’re building, which is this Otherside metaverse,” he said.

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Roi raises $3.6 million to build out app that compiles crypto alongside NFT holdings

On July 13, investment application startup Roi announced a $3.6 million funding round to develop its portfolio manager app.

The funding round was led by Spark Capital and included participation from NBA and Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant’s venture capital firm, 35 Ventures, and Google’s Gradient Ventures, to name a few.

The Roi app enables users to track their stock, crypto and NFT holdings all in one place, as it can compile balances from a host of crypto/Web3 wallets to give the user a clear picture of their net worth.

It also allows users to trade across its list of supported brokerages and crypto wallets.

Roi app mobile interface. Source: Apple Store

The startup plans to use the capital to help increase its headcount from the current five team members, expand product offerings, and hire legal and security experts.

Magnificent Century coming to The Sandbox

A widely popular Turkish TV series called Magnificent Century has partnered with The Sandbox to bring its intellectual property (IP) to the metaverse.

According to a July 14 article from Variety, the partnership was announced via a global launch event in Paris earlier in the week.

As part of the partnership, The Sandbox users will be able to get their hands on 3D avatars depicting Magnificent Century characters by late 2023.

The TV series has reportedly had over 500 million viewers globally, and it marked the second major TV show IP to enter The Sandbox after The Walking Dead in 2021.

“We’re excited to welcome such a globally acclaimed Turkish series as ‘Magnificent Century’ at The Sandbox and further strengthen our growing presence in this important region,” said The Sandbox chief operating officer and co-founder Sebastien Borget at the event.

Other Nifty News

The Google Play store now allows video game publishers to sell NFT games in its store, according to a July 12 blog post from the store’s group product manager, Joseph Mills.

Blockchain gaming startup Spielworks recently partnered with the Web3 platform Mycelium Network to launch a program that allows full refunds for NFT purchases.

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Nifty News: Queen, HSBC filings hint at NFTs, Yuga teases robot game and more

The rock band Queen and big bank HSBC eye up the metaverse while Yuga Labs launched the next iteration of its NFT gaming saga.

HSBC files metaverse and NFT patents

British banking institution HSBC filed a series of metaverse and nonfungible token (NFT)-related trademark applications. 

A June 12 filing to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) show the bank’s trademarks including metaverse banking, consulting, and financial services, along with virtual credit cards that point to a potential launch of a metaverse bank branch and further virtual banking services.

HSBC also applied for trademarks relating to online marketplaces, specifically aimed at NFTs. It’s not the first time HSBC has ventured into the virtual. In December 2022, it filed trademark applications for a slew of crypto and NFT-related technologies.

The interest in — and prices of — metaverse property has recently taken a dive, but regardless HSBC joins a growing number of firms showing interest in exploring the virtual world.

In Feb. 2022, JPMorgan became the first bank to launch a virtual branch in Decentraland’s metaverse. Since then Visa, PayPal, and Western Union have all filed for metaverse trademarks.

Queen eyes metaverse trademarks

HSBC isn’t the only U.K. heavyweight eyeing the virtual world. Queen Productions Ltd — the production company managing the intellectual property of iconic British rock band Queen — also filed a series of patents relating to the metaverse and NFTs.

A June 12 patent application submitted to the USPTO shows Queen plans to offer NFT-authenticated media as well as virtual merchandise including clothing, footwear and accessories.

Additionally, Queen is looking to develop virtual and mixed-reality software.

Yuga Labs teases HV-MTL Forge NFT game

Yuga Labs announced the launch of its latest NFT game, marking the ninth iteration of its ten-step gaming-focused storyline.

A June 21 tweet from Yuga said the HV-MTL Forge event will kick off on June 29 and involves users building homes for their respective NFT characters.

First unveiled in March 2023, the HV-MTL NFT project is a 30,000-piece collection of “Mech” NFTs that stands adjacent to the project's flagship collection the Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC).

In a similar way to the predecessor game Dookey Dash, players will battle it out in a competitive, tier-based environment. However, instead of competing for a high score, the winner will be decided by community vote.

Users questioned the future utility of Sewer Pass NFTs that were once used to compete in Dookey Dash, however Yuga recently revealed the passes could be burned to summon a “Power Source” that will unlock an “Evo 1 Mech.”

According to Yuga, competing in the HV-MTL Forge game will unlock further upgrades for the Mechs.

The announcement was met with mixed reviews on Twitter, with some users critiquing the trailer for resembling a game they “would have played on Miniclip in 2003.”

Enter the Slim Jim's ‘Meataverse’

It’s been a meaty week for announcements related to the metaverse and NFTs and American snack brand Slim Jim just made it even meatier.

In a June 21 tweet, the jerky stick manufacturer known for its meme-based marketing efforts announced its first step into Web3 with the launch of its humorously named “Meataverse” that includes NFTs and a cryptocurrency.

According to Slim Jim, a total of 10,000 NFTs are now up for grabs on its website. The NFTs, dubbed “GigaJims” are free-to-mint on the Ethereum scaling network Polygon (MATIC) and will reportedly function as a digital membership card in the future.

Related: Nike teases upcoming ‘Airphoria’ NFT sneaker hunt on Fortnite

Marketed as a way for crypto and jerky enthusiasts alike to join the “long boi gang” the NFTs provide holders with access to perks and benefits that are set to be unveiled in the near future.

Additionally, GigaJims’ owners will be able to upgrade their NFTs by collecting Slim Jim’s digital currency “S.A.U.C.E.”

Other Nifty News

On June 21, Czech auto manufacturer Škoda launched an NFT platform in collaboration with Layer-1 blockchain Near protocol.

On June 17, Genius.com co-founder Tom Lehman launched “Ethscriptions,” a new protocol for minting NFTs and other digital assets on Ethereum. It draws its namesake from Bitcoin Ordinals where assets are called “inscriptions.”

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Yuga Labs Launches Bored Ape and Mutant Ape Yacht Club Community Council

Yuga Labs Launches Bored Ape and Mutant Ape Yacht Club Community CouncilThe non-fungible token (NFT) and blockchain firm Yuga Labs has announced a community council will be representatives of the Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) and Mutant Ape Yacht Club (MAYC) NFT collections. Yuga Labs has chosen seven community members with “a proven track record” to represent the NFT club at large. Yuga Labs Names Seven […]

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Otherside Metaverse demo kicks off with 4,500 participants: highlights

The highly anticipated first trip into the Otherside Metaverse went off with 4,500 users, as the project’s Otherdeed NFTs surpassed $1 billion in sales.

Around 4,500 people havejumped into the “first trip” tech demo of the Otherside Metaverse project associated with Yuga Labs’ Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC).

The highly anticipated first trip occurred on July 16 and was open to Otherdeed NFT land owners, known as Voyagers, who have all snapped up tokenized land plots in the Otherside virtual world. It appears to have been a resounding success, with numerous community members taking to Twitter to express their enthusiasm for the event.

The first trip

The 4,500 Voyagers first joined a blank virtual lobby as Voyager avatars before they all followed a giant Bored Ape through a colorful portal into the Otherside Metaverse. Once the Voyagers arrived in a location called the Biogenic Swamp, they were directed towards a centrally located stadium where they could test out the avatar dynamics such as dancing, running, jumping, and emojis.

From there, they were able to explore a few other select areas and interact with the environment, which featured giant creatures that were walking around attacking Voyagers if they got too close.

In the early testing phases of the project, which includes several “trips,” Yuga Labs stated that only Otherdeed owners and third-party developers would be able to access Otherside. The team noted that these Voyagers would be able to provide critical feedback on the platform and essential aspects such as software development kits and in-game building tools.

Otherside Metaverse: Yuga Labs

Litepaper

Shortly after the first trip went live, Yuga Labs released a “litepaper” giving a brief of the principles behind Otherside and how the project will progress moving forward. Initially, there will be three phrases; however, only the first one has been outlined so far.

The first phase will include an 11-part storyline game mode surrounding a “mysterious Obelisk” that has appeared in Otherside. The game mode will also allow users to explore what can “be harvested, crafted, traded, bought, and sold” in the game.

“Voyagers will play a large role in shaping the core capabilities of the platform through exclusive events, playtesting opportunities, and as co-developers of our Otherside Development Kits (ODKs),” the litepaper reads, adding that:

“In order to plant the seeds for a successful community, we are starting development on Otherside with Voyagers, who are our first adopters and believers. They are a crucial part of Otherside’s history and are invited to join the Voyager’s Journey.”

In terms of principles, Yuga Labs stated that the platform is being designed with a community-first approach, “genuine” asset ownership, and interoperability that will see the support of NFTs from other projects. The team also hopes to include incentives and support such as education, experience, and leadership from partnered entities that are well “established and respected” in the crypto space.

Related: Believe it or not, metaverse land can be scarce after all

Otherdeed NFTs

The Otherdeed NFTs have seen strong demand since their launch in May, with the collection generating more than $1 billion worth of sales volume in just three months, according to data from CryptoSlam. In terms of all-time sales, the figure placed Otherdeed as the seventh highest selling NFT project ever.

Yuga Labs also notably has a strong foothold in the top 10, with its other original projects, BAYC and the Mutant Ape Yacht Club (MAYC), ranked as the third and fourth highest selling NFT projects of all time at $2.3 billion and $1.6 billion worth of sales apiece.

There are 200,000 plots of tokenized land in Otherside, and the floor price of the NFTs on OpenSea is sitting at 2.87 Ether (ETH), worth roughly $3,900 at the time of writing. However, these prices are generally for the smaller and lower-tier land plots.

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