Tag: The Sandbox

Singapore – With the aim of empowering businesses and creators with robust Web3 solutions, Singapore-based metaverse agency CGAME, has announced its partnership with Hong Kong metaverse agency INDEX GAME.

The partnership was officialised in the Strategic Partnership Ceremony held at SAFRA@29 Carpenter Street. Key stakeholders and industry players witnessed the signing of the partnership’s Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

CGAME and INDEX GAME will work on a project to help empower businesses and creators to evolve in the Web 3.0 era by curating a robust suite of commercial solutions. The project is accredited by the internationally acclaimed metaverse platform The Sandbox and will assist its creators and builders’ network for Hong Kong, Mainland China, Singapore, and Malaysia markets.

“The Metaverse is an open platform that fosters a new digital economy which will drive millions of jobs and benefit both Creators and Players. We’re just starting to see the early potential of it and pioneers like INDEX GAME and CGAME show that the Web3 ecosystem is both collaborative and expanding rapidly to new regions of the world,” said Sebastien Borget, co-founder and COO of The Sandbox in his opening speech at the ceremony.

The partnership also aims to spearhead strategic advancements and innovation in Singapore’s Web3 ecosystem in tandem.

Kriskay Choo, co-founder and CSO of CGAME, said “It is vital for Singaporean companies to accelerate their metaverse and Web3 capabilities to meet the needs of the future. With that in mind, our new initiative, The Sandbox Metaverse Experience (S.M.E.), will support 500 small medium enterprises in Singapore on The Sandbox by the end of 2023.”

“We look forward to more companies seizing these opportunities, and planting themselves here to establish roots for the future,” he added. 

Becky Wong, co-founder & COO of INDEX GAME, also said, “The metaverse will open boundless growth opportunities for designers and creators alike to interact and build their own experiences, artworks, and solutions to major issues. For that reason, we are collaborating with institutions in Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, and Malaysia to nurture 5,000 creators by the end of 2023.”

CGAME is the first Singapore-based metaverse agency to be officially appointed by The Sandbox and launched the latter’s first artwork in Binance. Similarly, INDEX GAME was also the first Hong Kong-based metaverse agency to receive investment and be appointed by The Sandbox.

Hong Kong – Star Atlas, a next-gen metaverse with triple-a game design and Unreal Engine 5 graphics built on the Solana blockchain, and The Sandbox, a leading decentralized gaming metaverse and subsidiary of Animoca Brands, today announced a partnership that aims to revolutionize gaming interoperability between the Ethereum and Solana blockchains. The relationship between the two metaverse environments launches with the Star Atlas VoxEdit contest which opens for submissions from 2 May until 15 May. 

The Star Atlas VoxEdit Contest gives players the opportunity to act as an envoy from The Sandbox with the task of visiting one of the three main galactic factions in the Star Atlas metaverse – the ONI, Ustur, and MUD. Envoys are then tasked with creating a report on what they find by designing a portrait of one of the faction’s inhabitants using The Sandbox’s free VoxEdit software. 

Winners will be voted on by the teams of both The Sandbox and Star Atlas with the results being announced on June 11. The top four winners will split 50,000 in SAND, The Sandbox’s in-game currency, and a fleet of coveted Star Atlas spaceship NFTs. 

The VoxEdit Contest is also joined by BLOND:ISH, the renowned producer, DJ, and sustainability activist, who has an existing presence in both metaverse ecosystems. Envoys exploring the Star Atlas metaverse are invited to get inspired by the cosmic sounds and create a headpiece for an intergalactic Star Atlas faction member by designing it with VoxEdit. The entry that can best immerse and entertain a space traveller will be selected by BLOND:ISH and receive lustrous Star Atlas spaceships when the Contest concludes on June 11. 

“We’re excited to announce the first of many cross-platform integrations, connecting the ecosystems of Star Atlas and The Sandbox,” said Michael Wagner, co-founder and CEO of ATMTA, Inc., the principal development studio of Star Atlas. 

“We share ambitious goals with respect to our developments within the broader metaverse, and we see this relationship as a pivotal moment to demonstrate the potential of interoperability of both game environments and blockchain protocols. The bridges we build today will serve as infrastructure of the future in seamless exploration of the infinite experiences digital world builders will create in the years to follow,” added Wagner. 

Star Atlas is a next-gen metaverse that looks to take the best of blockchain technology and real-time graphics technology to build an innovative gaming experience. Since last year, the company has brought many unique NFT products to market, including playable spaceships, that have allowed Star Atlas to generate nearly $200 million in revenue to date. 

As the metaverse’s leading decentralized gaming virtual world, The Sandbox fully embraces the idea of the metaverse as a continuous shared digital space where worlds and brands collide to make magic and create real utility and economies. StarAtlas joins over 200 existing partnerships including Paris Hilton, Snoop Dogg, Adidas, Gucci, Warner Music Group, Ledger, HSBC, and Ubisoft, among others. 

“We are proud to be partnering with Star Atlas and are excited to develop new projects with the franchise,” said Sebastien Borget, COO of The Sandbox. 

“This contest is the beginning of a new bridge linking metaverses to each other, with the goal to bring more content and cross-platform integration to both of our audiences. We can’t wait to see the amazing assets that our communities will create!” added Borget. 

Meanwhile, BLOND:ISH commented, “The coming together of metaverse ecosystems opens up a new world of possibilities for artistic expression. This innovative and collaborative Star Atlas and The Sandbox partnership is exactly what web3 is about and has the potential to create fully sustainable NFT future experiences while rallying the worldwide community around a message of creativity, curiosity and boldness to dream of what we might become. I am thrilled to activate my entire community and see what fantastic creations this contest will bring. LFG!” 

BLOND:ISH is a Canadian producer, and DJ solo act, and has collaborated with Star Atlas on augmented reality NFT experiences as well as with The Sandbox on bringing her brand to the metaverse. Her music collaboration acts include Depeche Mode, Pete Tong, and playing at festivals such as Coachella, Burning Man, and Ultra Music Festival.

Star Atlas shared that for 2022, it will be launching several major feature releases including a web-based mini-game and a full production release known as the Volant Studio Showroom, which will present cinematic quality video game visuals using Unreal Engine 5’s Nanite technology. 

Hong Kong – Banking institution Standard Chartered in Hong Kong has partnered with The Sandbox, a decentralised gaming virtual world, to create innovative experiences for its clients and community.

Standard Chartered Hong Kong deems to be the first bank to acquire virtual land at The Sandbox metaverse’s Mega City district, a culture hub based on or inspired by the country’s talents. Led by SC Ventures, an innovation, fintech investment and ventures arm under Standard Chartered Group, Standard Chartered Hong Kong will be actively engaging its clients, partners, staff, and the tech community, to explore co-creation opportunities in this new and exciting space, with the goal of experimenting and building new experiences for clients, as well as bringing the local sports and art communities into the metaverse.

Mary Huen, Standard Chartered’s chief executive for Hong Kong, noted that their involvement in the metaverse allows them to reimagine their relationship with existing and potential clients on this new platform and their approach to enhancing client journeys. 

“Having acquired virtual land in Mega City, a natural choice for the Bank given its distinctive Hong Kong theme perfectly fits with our promise of strengthening our continued presence in Hong Kong, whether physical or virtual,” said Huen.

Meanwhile, Alex Manson, Standard Chartered’s head of SC Ventures, said that for the past few years, they have been building business models in crypto and digital assets, and see the rise of the metaverse as a critical milestone in the Web 3.0 evolution. 

“We are excited for this opportunity to explore and innovate in partnership with The Sandbox, but also with our clients and partners who will play a crucial role in how this space develops,” added Manson.

The bank said that its SC Ventures has been investing in disruptive financial technology and exploring alternative business models, and the innovation arm will continue to drive Standard Chartered Hong Kong’s entrance into the metaverse and exploration of future Web 3.0 opportunities.

London, United Kingdom — Financial institution HSBC has announced its partnership with The Sandbox as it acquires a plot of LAND, a virtual real estate in The Sandbox metaverse, where it plans to engage and connect with virtual communities through gaming and esports in the future.

Suresh Balaji, chief marketing officer of HSBC Asia Pacific, said that the metaverse is how people will experience Web3, the next generation of the Internet — using immersive technologies like augmented reality, virtual reality and extended reality.

“At HSBC, we see great potential to create new experiences through emerging platforms, opening up a world of opportunity for our current and future customers and for the communities we serve. Through our partnership with The Sandbox, we are making our foray into the metaverse, allowing us to create innovative brand experiences for new and existing customers. We’re excited to be working with our sports partners, brand ambassadors, and Animoca Brands to co-create experiences that are educational, inclusive and accessible,” Balaji said.

Sebastien Borget, COO and co-founder of The Sandbox, commented, “We’re pleased to see large, trusted institutions such as HSBC join The Sandbox open metaverse and embrace the culture of Web3, connecting with users through entertainment, gaming and user-generated content. We believe this is the beginning of broader adoption of Web3 and the metaverse by institutions driving brand experiences and engagement within this new ecosystem.”

HSBC joins over 200 existing partnerships including Havas Group, Warner Music Group, Gucci, Snoop Dogg, Adidas, and Atari, all following The Sandbox’s vision of empowering players to create their own experiences using both original and well-known characters and worlds.

The agreement opens the door for other global institutions to continue innovating in Web3 as consumer adoption demands more robust experiences in the metaverse through decentralized and gamified offerings.

Puteaux, France — Havas Group, a global communications agency based in France, has announced their jump to the metaverse by owning a virtual land property inside The Sandbox video game where it plans to inaugurate its first virtual village – the 69th Havas Village scheduled to open at the end of April 2022.

Using rich programming, exclusive content, connected animation and gamification, the real world and the virtual will be coming together in the metaverse to offer an immersive and augmented Havas Village experience. The agency will organise conferences, events, concerts, product launches through this virtual reality.

Havas Group’s role is to support brands in the development of their communication strategies. Havas believes that building a Havas Village in the metaverse will help brands launch successfully into this new virtual adventure and join forces to build a positive image, a meaningful reputation, and a powerful connection with gamer-consumers.

Yannick Bolloré, chairman and CEO of Havas Group, said that the metaverse provides a wealth of new media and new opportunities for the communications sector and for brands.

‘’Whether the aim is to create original and meaningful experiences, reach out to new target audiences, or simply reinforce an existing bond, the possibilities are practically endless. Havas Group can count on a cutting-edge team of metaverse experts to lead this new venture and expertly guide brands into and around these virtual worlds. Our new Havas Village will be a ‘meta- flagship’ for the Group, drawing all our engaged communities together in an enriched extension of our bricks-and-mortar Villages,” Bolloré said.

The new virtual Village will also include a recruitment service, a first in the field of human resources. Over the medium term, this virtual and immersive dimension will significantly enrich the employee experience, including the onboarding process. The Group is physically present in over 100 countries with 68 Villages.

Céline Merle-Beral, global chief HR officer at Havas Group, commented, “With Havas now a player in The Sandbox, we are banking on the metaverse because we are convinced of its potential in terms of accessing creative and innovative profiles, with highly sought-after skills ranging from tech to data. In doing so, the Group is enhancing its employer brand, offering an enriched candidate experience, and breaking new ground in our campus management strategy. The metaverse is a fantastic opportunity for us to attract tomorrow’s top talent.”

Last year, the Group launched Metaverse by Havas, a new consulting, creative and media offer, dedicated to brands that, in the metaverse, see opportunities to reinvent branding, storytelling, experience, audience targeting and revenue generation.