Gaming Grid - $50M Funding in Animoca Brands, Ronin Network making Big Moves, Shrapnel Secures $20M, and Much More!!

Gaming Grid Newsletter is curated to share the latest gaming insights in the Asia region for all gaming enthusiasts. Our goal is to be an insightful gaming source that readers look forward to reading every week.

This week’s newsletter is sponsored by Aethir. Read more below.

💡 This Week’s Highlights:

• NEOM invests $50M in Animoca Brands 🤝 

• Shrapnel Secures $20 Million 💰️

• Pixels Launches on Ronin Network 🌐 

• Oh Baby Kart Races 40,000 in 3 days 🏎️ 

• HYTOPIA Secures $3M in Funding 🚀

• Moku: Season 1 Unveiled 🌟

👀 GAMING INSIGHTS IN ASIA

NEOM invests $50M in Animoca Brands  🤝

Animoca Brands Corporation Limited has partnered with NEOM Company to drive Web3 initiatives in alignment with Saudi Vision 2030. NEOM Investment Fund plans to invest $50 million in Animoca Brands through convertible notes and share purchases, aiming to advance Web3 enterprise services in Riyadh and the NEOM region. This collaboration seeks to accelerate Web3 technology adoption, with NEOM poised to embrace blockchain's potential as a global industry transformer.

SYMBIOGENESIS's Allow List Campaign 🗒️ 

SYMBIOGENESIS is set to launch an Allow List Entry Campaign for their upcoming Character Mint event on 6th November 2023. This campaign is the only way to mint characters from Chapter 1, with three phases planned.

To get on the Allow List, participants need to accumulate points from Relics obtained through Treasure Hunt 3.0, social media and Discord activities. Top participants may even get the chance to mint characters for free. SYMBIOGENESIS aims to create a vibrant Web3-based community and game where the community actively contributes to its value, emphasizing the importance of NFT character ownership and active participation in their ecosystem.

Oh Baby Kart Races 40,000 in 3 days! 🏎️ 

Oh Baby Games, the Web3 gaming studio, has struck gold with its latest alpha test of Oh Baby Kart, a cross-platform multiplayer kart racing game. Reaching a remarkable feat of over 40,000 races in just three days, the game has captivated players with its immersive gaming experiences. Oh Baby Kart presents an array of wacky karts for collection, offering players a garage system to customize their karts with various parts and accessories. Providing numerous tracks and game modes, including single-player, multiplayer, and competitive options, the game sets itself apart with the introduction of unique features like 'ultimate abilities'. This mechanism allows players to build up their ultimate bar by executing drifting and tricks, empowering them with significant boosts in speed or power once the bar is full.

🌎 GLOBAL HOT GAMING NEWS BY XGA LIN

Shrapnel Secures $20 Million 💰️ 

The crypto-based video game, "Shrapnel," developed by Neon Machine, has successfully raised $20 million in Series A financing, with Polychain Capital at the helm of the investment round. The game, anticipated to launch in December, aims to rival the immensely successful Call of Duty franchise, created on Unreal Engine 5. This additional funding injection arrives at a pivotal time for the development team as they prepare to roll out incremental playable releases in the coming months. Key upcoming milestones include the debut of the Shrapnel Marketplace, offering in-game items for purchase and trade, along with enhanced creator tools for players to design skins, maps, and other in-game elements. The team behind "Shrapnel" boasts experience in designing games for iconic brands such as Halo, Call of Duty, and Star Wars. CEO Mark Long envisions the game as a "blockbuster-quality shooter where players can truly own and create game assets".

Pixels Launches on Ronin Network 🌐

Pixels has just made its official debut on the Ronin Network, marking a significant leap in the Web3 gaming world. The migration to Ronin presents a promising array of advancements and possibilities for the passionate Pixels community. Enthusiastic about the move, the Pixels team considers Ronin as the ideal blockchain for welcoming an even more interconnected and vibrant player base. The merge of communities brings forth diverse micro-communities within the Pixels Universe, fostering unique subcultures and crafting innovative gameplay styles. To celebrate this collaborative venture, a one-week Gacha event with Moku has been announced, promising substantial prizes. The union further introduces the Pixels Pets Genesis Collection on Ronin, where users can delve into a new realm of digital companions offering immediate in-game utility. Additionally, $BERRY, the in-game currency, is now on the Ronin chain, ensuring a free-to-play gaming experience within the Pixels Realm. Interoperability and innovation lie at the heart of Pixels’ Ronin integration, offering a seamless user experience via the Ronin Wallet. As the journey continues, stay tuned for the imminent launch of the primary token, $PIXEL, along with new opportunities to explore the Pixels Universe.

HYTOPIA Secures $3M in Funding 🚀

Renowned as NFT Worlds before its transformation, HYTOPIA recently concluded a significant $3 million fundraising round driven by Delphi Digital and Delphi Ventures. This remarkable financial backing represents a milestone in their endeavor to redefine the gaming landscape. HYTOPIA is set to revolutionize the gaming world by fusing cutting-edge social features with a robust game creation toolkit for developers. Inspired by the playstyle of Minecraft, the platform champions a focus on creator tools and unrestricted game development, coupled with an open and transparent monetization layer powered by its proprietary L2 blockchain and the $TOPIA currency. Notable partnerships with individuals like @pierskicks and @YanLiberman reflect HYTOPIA's dedication to shaping the future of web3 gaming platforms. Stay tuned for the impending public beta launch, with over a million players already pre-registered, heralding a new era in gaming.

Moku: Season 1 Unveiled 🌟

Moku, the groundbreaking web3 gaming platform, has just introduced "Moku HQ: Season 1." Dive into this immersive world by visiting their official website, embarking on quests, and earning points that can be exchanged for exciting rewards in the gacha or Moku shop. This platform offers a vibrant and innovative experience designed for brands and creators of all kinds. Moku HQ showcases their commitment to empowering the community with the tools and opportunities needed to thrive in the web3 space. And there's more to come, with hints of surprises on the horizon, so don't forget to turn on notifications for real-time updates on new quests and prizes.

Forgotten Runiverse Launches on Arbitrum 🔗

Forgotten Runiverse, the MMORPG gaming realm, is venturing into the dynamic world of Arbitrum to enhance its gaming and NFT ecosystem. With Arbitrum's integration, Forgotten Runiverse promises an elevated MMORPG experience, enabling players to have true ownership of in-game assets thanks to Arbitrum's fast network and cost-effective transactions. Through Arbitrum's Layer 2 transactions, players can transfer their in-game creations to the blockchain, allowing them to showcase and trade these assets with complete ownership. While initial item minting will be limited to maintain balanced gameplay, the full release will grant users the freedom to mint any material or item they earn in the game.

Nicola Sebastiani Joins The Sandbox as Chief Content Officer 🎮 

The Sandbox, a leading decentralized virtual world, has appointed Nicola Sebastiani as its Chief Content Officer, leveraging his extensive gaming industry expertise to enhance content development and the creator ecosystem. Sebastiani's strategic vision includes diversifying genres, offering single-player and social hubs, and strengthening community reward mechanisms, all while collaborating closely with the global community. The company, which recently reached 5 million registered wallets, is also set to introduce self-publishing for landowners by year-end, extending its platform for creating and monetizing virtual experiences. In addition to Sebastiani's appointment, The Sandbox has promoted Mathieu Nouzareth to Chief Business Officer and Amit Kumar to Chief Marketing Officer to fortify its global business strategy and community expansion efforts.

🎮️ GAME OF THE WEEK: XOCIETY 🔫 

XOCIETY is an MMORPG shooter game in a science fantasy world. It focuses on gameplay, AAA quality and has great game mechanics. Developed by a seasoned team led by Team NDUS, in partnership with blockchain fund #HASHED and startup studio UNOPND, XOCIETY promises a high-quality gaming experience like no other.

In XOCIETY, players will embark on a two-phase journey. First, they'll dive into the "Game Phase," where they can engage in shooting, earning rewards, and pioneering in a captivating virtual world. Then, the "Metaverse Phase" will take the experience to the next level. It's essentially a Loot Shooter game with rich storytelling and strategic progression, allowing players to collect valuable loot by winning battles and trade it for profit in the market. XOCIETY also integrates NFTs and welcomes creators to contribute, offering a dynamic and immersive virtual world.

Check out the game here 

Sponsored Spotlight: Aethir 🎉

We're thrilled to announce that this week's newsletter is proudly sponsored by Aethir. Aethir is revolutionizing the gaming world by offering a unique solution where you can play large, data-intensive games without worrying about storage space on your device. Their innovative approach allows games to be streamed directly from the cloud, ensuring a seamless gaming experience and eliminating the need for extensive local storage. With Aethir, players can dive into their favorite titles, from high-end graphics to memory-intensive games, without any storage constraints.

In recent news, Aethir has just announced a groundbreaking partnership with NVIDIA, a global leader in graphics processing units (GPUs) and artificial intelligence technology. This collaboration promises to bring even more power and capabilities to Aethir's cloud gaming infrastructure, making it an even more compelling choice for gamers and AI enthusiasts alike. Stay tuned as we delve into the exciting developments and possibilities that this partnership holds for the future of gaming and AI technology.

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