Official Pokemon cards in the form of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are being minted over Polygon (MATIC), taking the layer-2 scaling solution by storm. In a lengthy thread on the social media platform X, digital asset consultant S4mmy.eth says that digital card boosters of the popular Nintendo franchise are being opened over the MATIC blockchain and […]
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Software used to access computers remotely has been inserted in a phishing website fronting as an NFT card game for the popular Pokémon franchise.
A phishing website purporting to offer a Pokémon-branded nonfungible token (NFT) card game has been spreading malware to unsuspecting gamers, a cybersecurity firm has warned.
The website, which at the time of writing was still online, also claims to offer an NFT marketplace, with a link to buy tokens and even an area to stake NFTs all based on the popular Japanese media franchise.
However, an arm of the South Korean cybersecurity firm AhnLab, warned the public about website on Jan. 6, noting that instead of downloading the game, users were actually downloading a remote access tool — allowing hackers to take control of their device.
The tool, known NetSupport Manager would allow the attackers to not only remotely control the computer's mouse and keyboard but also access the system’s file management and history along with executing commands allowing them to install additional malware, the firm warned.
The public has been advised to only purchase or download applications from official websites and not open attachments in suspicious emails.
Allah Rakha Rahman, the Indian composer and singer known for the Grammy Award-winning song Jai Ho is launching his own metaverse platform for artists and their music.
Rahman tweeted on Jan. 6 that his “Katraar” metaverse “is one step closer to launching” along with a video of him explaining the upcoming platform which will use “decentralized technology” according to its website.
I’m excited to announce today - KATRAAR, the #metaverse platform currently in development, is one step closer to launching. And I look forward to sharing this journey with you all.
— A.R.Rahman (@arrahman) January 6, 2023
➡️ https://t.co/1XP04zo0Lr@HBAR_foundation @MyQyuki #NFTs #Web3 pic.twitter.com/Un0fGSzxdl
In the video, Rahman said his vision for the platform was to “bring in new talents, technologies, and [...] direct revenue for artists,” with one revenue stream seemingly the integration of NFTs.
“Right now we are working with the HBAR Foundation to do many cool things, one is bringing a lot of NFTs.”
The HBAR Foundation is a not-for-profit independent organization of distributed ledger firm, Hedera Hashgraph, the creator of the ledger and cryptocurrency Hedera (HBAR).
Rahman added there’s also “an undisclosed project based on virtual beings” but did not provide further details.
Post-Christmas blues appears to have worn off, at least for the NFT market, with sales volume jumping nearly 26% in the first week of 2023, compared to the prior week.
According to data from market metrics aggregator Cryptoslam, in the seven days ended Jan. 7, NFT sales volume was over $211.4 million with around 1.2 million NFTs transacted between over 400,000 buyers.
The number of buyers increased by 17% on the week but transactions only grew by just over 2.5%.
Ethereum-based NFTs remained popular, with sales on the blockchain up nearly 26%.
The top three collections for the week were similarly Ethereum-native with the Yuga Labs’ Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) in first place seeing nearly $19 million traded, up nearly 50% in terms of volume.
The Mutant Ape Yacht Club (MAYC) collection was second, with a volume increase of 80% to hit $14 million sales volume. Azuki was third with a 132% volume surge seeing $12.7 million in sales.
The producers of the 2022 thriller film, The Rideshare Killer have released nearly 120,000 unique NFTs in what they’ve dubbed the “first ‘every frame minted’ (EFM) film.”
Exactly 119,170 NFTs each representing one frame of the 83-minute long film shot in 24 frames per second were minted on the Polygon (MATIC) blockchain according to a Jan. 5 release.
The film’s producer, Tony Greenberg, said he believed NFTs “will change the independent film landscape” as they offer a “potentially appreciating collectible” to fans and a “sustainable revenue source for artists.”
Ashley Scott Meyers talks about the new film The Rideshare Killer #screenwriting #scriptchat https://t.co/xxPujOoRxJ pic.twitter.com/S6d9io3Sko
— Ashley Meyers (@ashleymeyers) December 29, 2022
The film may have to rely on its NFT sales to break even if its reviews are anything to go by.
It currently has a rating of 4/10 across eight reviews on the online film database and review website IMDb with one critic saying the movie “should never have been made.”
YouTuber and sports beverage merchant Logan Paul has U-turned on his threat to sue Stephen "Coffeezilla" Findeisen for defamation over allegations by Findeisen that purported Paul’s NFT project “CryptoZoo” was a scam.
NFT marketplace SuperRare has gutted 30% of its staff as it “over-hired” during the crypto bull market according to its CEO John Crain. He added the company was “facing headwinds” likely due to the ongoing crypto winter.
Pokémon Company International has taken an Australian company to court over advertising an unlicensed NFT-based Pokémon game and HSBC has filed for a host of NFT and Metaverse trademarks.
NFT-friendly Japanese gaming giant Square Enix has invested 7 billion yen ($52.7 million) into game developer Gumi to create “high-quality” mobile games, blockchain games and a Metaverse initiative, among other things.
According to a translation of the press release, the partnership will help Gumi tap certain intellectual property from Square Enix, while it has also teased that the duo could be teaming up for a game-NFT-focused marketplace.
“We are already considering the establishment of a platform dedicated to blockchain games and an NFT marketplace, etc. Through collaboration between the two companies, we will provide a one-stop service from the development and distribution of blockchain games to the sale and distribution of tokens and NFTs.”
The company also outlined plans to work on a host of NFT games that will likely have Metaverse integrations. The Japanese company has outlined a quirky new term called “Wow and Earn” which essentially refers to games built off of world-famous IP that is integrated with blockchain-based Play-to-Earn (P2E) features.
“In the future, while considering the use of powerful content that everyone recognizes, we will break away from the highly speculative blockchain games of the past and create value while enjoying fun and excitement. We strongly recognize that it is necessary for game users all over the world to create a blockchain game that realizes ‘Wow and Earn,'" the release reads.
Gumi also stated that its “working day and night” to develop its Metaverse-focused arm of the business, as it looks to add another source of revenue outside of mobile games.
Gumi has previously worked with Square Enix on a couple of mobile games as part of the Final Fantasy Brave Exvius series, and both firms are partners of the Oasys blockchain-gaming project, which is building its own network designed purely for P2E gaming.
Michael Winkelmann, the widely successful digital artist also known as Beeple, believes that all physical art in the future will one day have an NFT attached to it.
Speaking with the Wall Street Journal on Dec. 23, Beeple suggested that NFTs will massively help the art industry by providing superior methods for tracking provenance and storing verifiably authentic data.
“I think all paintings will eventually have NFTs attached just because again, it's a better system than just handing you a piece of paper,” he said, adding that:
“If you had a standardization around ‘this is a painting,’ you could have all the provenance in the metadata of that NFT. You could have [that data on] where that painting was shown. So it’s all there and it's searchable in a database.”
As such, he thinks that NFTs will eventually help build a standardized art database that “everyone relies on.”
Pokémon Company International has taken an Australian company to court over advertising an unlicensed NFT-based Pokémon game, according to documents lodged with the Federal Court of Australia.
The company in question is called “Pokémon Pty Ltd” and it has been advertising an unlicensed “metauniverse” P2E game on Ethereum called Pokeworld.
On its website, it also claims to work on a host of official Pokemon games in the past, while it also claims to have an official partnership with Pokémon Company International.
However in the court documents, the Pokemon IP holders are seeking to restrain Pokémon Pty Ltd from representing that they hold any license, partnership or rights to sell Pokemon NFTs.
It has also called for the company to halt the launch of the game, promote it using Pokemon trademarks on its website and social media.
British multinational mega bank HSBC has filed virtual trademarks for its name and logo, outlining potential plans for a host of NFT, blockchain and Metaverse products.
In its filing, highlighted by licensed trademark attorney, Mike Kondoudis via Twitter on Dec. 23, the HSBC lists a host of products and services including downloadable NFT virtual goods and files, virtual world friendly debit cards, NFT music and video content files.
The Metaverse appears to be a keen focus in the filing, as it also states that it is looking at providing financial advisory and entertainment services in the Metaverse and other virtual worlds.
#HSBC has filed trademark applications for its name and logo. The applications indicate plans for:
— Mike Kondoudis (@KondoudisLaw) December 23, 2022
▶️ Digital media backed by NFTs
▶️ Virtual currency exchange + transfer
▶️ Virtual credit card processing
…and more!#NFTs #Metaverse #Cryptocurrency #Blockchain #Crypto pic.twitter.com/RK1yegoYIh
Hackers linked to North Korea’s Lazarus Group are reportedly behind a massive phishing campaign targeting NFT investors — utilizing nearly 500 phishing domains to dupe victims.
NFT marketplace OpenSea has been banning artists and collectors from Cuba, citing United States sanctions as the key reason behind its action.
Following this year’s hype toward the meme-based digital currency dogecoin, a team of developers revealed the launch of an augmented reality (AR) mobile game called “Dogemon Go.” Similar to the AR game Pokémon Go, players catch virtual characters dubbed “Dogemons” and while characters level up they can earn dogecoin for rewards. Catching Dogemon and Earning […]