Daily Insights: Updates on Crypto, Blockchain, NFTs, Web3, and Play-to-Earn Gaming

Near Protocol is setting the stage for a revolution in the gaming and blockchain industries with its newly announced Blockchain Operating System (BOS). Launched at the ETHDenver 2023, this innovative platform is designed to significantly enhance the user experience on Web3, offering a seamless, integrated environment for both game developers and gamers. By providing a shared layer for browsing and discovering open web content, Near Protocol's BOS promises to streamline the development process, making it easier and more cost-effective to create games. It supports multiple blockchains, emphasizing interoperability and flexibility. Moreover, Near's focus on humanitarian efforts, notably through the Unchain Fund, showcases its commitment to leveraging technology for social good. With its user-friendly approach, enhanced security, and scalability, Near Protocol aims to bring the vision of one billion people on the open web to life, transforming the digital landscape for developers, gamers, and beyond.

In an exciting leap forward for the digital world, Animoca Brands and Manga Productions have embarked on a pioneering partnership to revolutionize the Web3 and blockchain landscape in the MENA region. This collaboration marries Animoca Brands' expertise in blockchain and Web3 technologies with Manga Productions' rich storytelling and content creation prowess, setting the stage for innovative projects that leverage the best of both worlds. Aimed at enhancing digital property rights, promoting local talent, and fostering educational initiatives in blockchain technology, this partnership is a beacon of progress. It signifies a commitment to not only advancing the digital entertainment sector but also empowering the region's youth with the skills and opportunities needed to thrive in the burgeoning Web3 ecosystem. By integrating Manga Productions' captivating characters and stories into Animoca Brands' extensive gaming and digital platform, this alliance promises to bring a new era of immersive, culturally rich experiences to the global stage.

The Sandbox Expansion will Bolster its Metaverse Gaming Experience With SviperThe Sandbox is growing by buying Sviper. This will help the Sandbox build its Web3 metaverse and make the blockchain game feel more real.The Sandbox, a Web3 blockchain game, continues to progress and expand as it reaches Germany in its newest acquisition. In its recent buy, The Sandbox has now Hamburg-based game development studio Sviper under its umbrella. Sviper boasts a senior-level development team, skilled engineers, and a creative talent pool. Sviper’s resource pool will now assist The Sandbox, a blockchain subsidiary company of Animoca Brands. The goal of the acquisition is to make the experience more immersive by adding more metaverse, social, and game elements. “The Sandbox’s German team is a creative powerhouse that is already advancing the gameplay possibilities available to our internal teams and The Sandbox creators at large,” Borget added. “From adding social features to designing rules creators can use to prototype game logic to implementing powerful multiplayer features, our Hamburg team is supercharging the metaverse’s creative potential.” In 2016, Sviper came to the scene and got famous for its creative collaborations with major brand partners and experienced team members. The acquisition now expects Sviper to enhance The Sandbox by introducing fresh social features, multiplayer gameplay choices, and Game Maker capabilities for content creators. Agnitio Capital served as the M&A consultant for Sviper in relation to this agreement.“We’ve built a high level of trust with The Sandbox Germany team as they’ve demonstrated tremendous innovation and quality by both working with major partners and ideating on new gameplay concepts," said Arthur Madrid, CEO of The Sandbox.

The Major Rugby League MLR and OVAL3 partnership will bring a unique fantasy NFT game, a valuable addition to Web3 and blockchain gaming.Major Rugby League fans will get their hands on an exclusive Fantasy NFT game using blockchain technology. The official announcement came from OVAL3, a renowned name in Web3 and fantasy sports games, especially rugby. As for MLR, it is a top league in North America, and it recently entered its sixth season last month. OVAL3 intends to offer top-tier blockchain immersive experiences and Web 3.0 engagement to the expanding North American rugby fanbase. It aims to achieve it through the procurement of MLR's exclusive NFT and Fantasy licenses. NFTs are now making a solid transition from profile pictures to in-game valuable assets. MLR has witnessed progress in all major metrics since 2017, consistently captivating new fans to the sport every year. The U.S. securing the 2031 (Men’s) and 2033 (Women’s) Rugby World Cups hosting will result in unparalleled North American focus on the sport in the upcoming years. This is where Oval 3 pledges to provide long-term support to MLR and its followers. Leveraging its fantasy rugby background from global operations, particularly with the Ligue Nationale de Rugby, OVAL3 plans to develop MLR's inaugural official fantasy game. This one-of-a-kind and captivating game will connect rugby with NFTs. Additionally, it will also tackle contemporary gaming codes using a Play & Own approach. It will provide a distinctive and immersive experience for both rugby enthusiasts and gamers.

In a recent episode of Decrypt's gm podcast, Polygon Labs' President Ryan Wyatt shares his insights on the future of Web3 blockchain games. He believes gamers will eventually adopt Web3 adaptations, driven by improved gameplay and true digital ownership through NFTs. Despite initial skepticism and challenges, Wyatt emphasizes that gamers, being tech-savvy, are likely to embrace these innovations as technological barriers decrease. He discusses the potential of NFTs to revolutionize digital property rights in gaming, allowing players to buy, sell, and trade in-game assets freely. Wyatt also highlights the need for developers to create engaging and sustainable Web3 gaming experiences. As blockchain technology evolves, Web3 games might simplify the user experience and integrate seamlessly with traditional gaming models. Dive into Wyatt's vision for the future of gaming, where Web3 and NFT gaming are set to transform the industry.

After selling the Dookey Dash Key NFT, Mongraal, the winner of Yuga Labs' Dookey Dash NFT game competition, received 1000 ETH.

Companies involved in blockchain and cryptocurrencies are thinking about changing the names of concepts like crypto, NFT, blockchain, Web3. Web3, Blockchain and NFT Projects are urging to Stop Calling it Crypto as it has become “Old school."Big companies are abandoning terms like NFTs and Web3, partly due to the bad name and bear market. Words and names have had huge importance in commerce and the economy since the inception of the crypto market. There was a time when companies used to add the “blockchain” word to their names and would see their valuations skyrocket. But now these terms have turned into toxic words, and people are trying to distance themselves from them. If you are looking for NFTs on social media, you will have to search for “digital collectibles” instead of NFTs; otherwise, you might never find one.Brynly Llyr, head of blockchain and digital assets of the World Economic Forum, recently suggested that the crypto market should renounce old names. And instead, rebrand itself as “decentralized systems.” If you think about it, it’s not that bad of an idea at all, as these terms and jargon have turned into a safe haven for all the digital pirates. A big Bitcoin mining company, known as Riot Blockchain, has recently rebranded itself and is now called Riot Platforms. Sounds funny, right?

Blur dominates the NFT marketplace and OpenSea trials; this article checks some of the facts and happenings in the Web3 NFT industry 2024. The hype was real surrounding the airdrop, as Blur has dominated OpenSea's NFT trading volume. According to Dune Analytics statistics, the marketplace had a volume of $601 million over the past seven days compared to the $104 million of OpenSea. These numbers correspond to Blur Marketplace controlling an 85.2% market share compared to OpenSea's 14.8%.Daily volume numbers are also evident in this comparison. According to DappRadar statistics, Blur achieved a trading volume of $98.6 million in the last 24 hours. While OpenSea, in second position, only managed $17.92 million. Additionally, compared to OpenSea, its daily average transaction price has consistently been greater.It's important to note that Blur has designed its incentives strategy to avoid rewarding volume in order to discourage wash trading. By tweaking its royalties reward structure, the market has attempted to bypass OpenSea's constrictive approach. This policy change is a defensive measure designed to safeguard its survival as it was forced to make this decision as a result of OpenSea's non-competitive position. Blur and OpenSea do not pay royalties to the same creator on both platforms.

Yield Guild Games (YGG) is pioneering the intersection of blockchain technology and gaming, marking a significant evolution in the digital world. This innovative platform transforms the traditional gaming experience by leveraging the play-to-earn model, where players are not just participants but also stakeholders in a decentralized ecosystem. YGG provides gamers with opportunities to earn through blockchain-based games, fostering a community where skills, participation, and contributions are valued and rewarded. By offering access to a wide range of games and digital assets, YGG is not just a gaming guild; it's a gateway to financial empowerment and a deeper understanding of Web3 technologies. Its unique approach includes the use of NFTs to represent membership and achievements, creating a transparent and verifiable digital identity for its members. YGG is at the forefront of creating sustainable gaming economies, promoting inclusivity, and shaping the future of gaming in the Web3 era.

NFTs are in the news once again with Spotify and the NBA making use of them in their respective Web3 projects; read more about this! NFTs (non-fungible Tokens) are making a huge comeback after a brief (and unexpected) fall in their popularity graph. With the recent buzz around NFTs, on-chain development, and the latest developments in the sector, almost every major sector is making efforts to be some kind of part of it. Some huge brands, including Spotify and the NBA, are pursuing and investing in NFTs. Here are some of the latest developments going on in the NFT sector: Spotify has been a huge revelation in the field of the music industry. Their business ideas and marketing strategies have been second to none. After finding huge success in the conventional music industry, they have now turned their attention to the world of NFTs. On Wednesday, Spotify acknowledged a new integration on its music platform. It includes music playlists with token functionality that only a small group of users can access. Token holders will access the community playlists created and curated by the participating NFT organizations and communities. In order to achieve the objectives, they have joined forces with some big Metaverse groups, including Overlord and Kingship.

Azra Games has secured significant funding to pursue its Web3 plans and its upcoming NFT game, Legions & Legends. Learn more about it!

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Crypto games and NFTs complement each other because they provide players and owners of digital collectibles with additional ways to earn money. Now, let's take a look at some of the best gaming-related NFT collections available on the Binance NFT Marketplace right now.

Axie Infinity and Crypto Blades were floored badly. Their NFTs values went down the drain. We also saw Web2 gaming companies trying to dip their toes in the Web3 waters but had to deal with massive fan backlash. Nonetheless, the Gamefi ecosystem is moving forward making.

NFTs are rising from the dead, well heck! It wasn’t dead in the first place. The lifeless body of the NFTs market has started twitching and rising. Ladies, and gentlemen! NFTs are alive, well, and kicking. The recent NFT trade activity in the marketplaces has defied the reports that NFTs are gone forever. We have our hands on NFT sales data for the month of January 2023 which a lot of NFT critics won’t like.