Hello 👋
Welcome to the 19th edition of Sfermion’s Collider where we highlight the latest & greatest news in the world of web3 and gaming!
Weekly, we aim to drop a curated list of the most exciting stories & updates that we believe are enabling the emergence of the metaverse.
If you're looking forward to reading this edition of Sfermion’s Collider, please don't forget to subscribe below and follow Sfermion on Twitter to get the latest! Check out our Seam (💰) bio here :)
Web3 Updates
Arbitrum | Token Airdrop : The Arbitrum Foundation said on Thursday that ARB, Arbritrum’s new token, will be airdropped to community members on Thursday, March 23. ARB will mark Arbitrum’s official transition into a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO), meaning ARB holders will be able to vote on key decisions governing Arbitrum One and Arbitrum Nova
Polygon & Salesforce | Partnership : Salesforce will help their clients onboard to Polygon with its management platform to help its clients create token-based loyalty programs. Read more from Salesforce here.
FTX | $1bn Celebrity Lawsuit : A new lawsuit this week accused several influencers of promoting FTX and then scrubbing their channels of clips endorsing the collapsed exchange. The lawsuit is seeking class-action status and includes both U.S. and non-U.S.-based plaintiffs.
Binance | Diversifying Binance Recovery Fund
Meta | Disabling Instagram NFT Features : See tweet from Meta Lead here.
Meta | Layoffs & Delisting Job Openings : Meta to layoff 10,000 more employees and remove 5,000 job postings.
Nissan | 4 Filed Web3 Trademarks : The filings signal plans for virtual clothes and cars, stores for virtual goods + NFTs, NFT marketplaces + trading + minting, and metaverse advertising services.
Aeropostale | Metaverse Plans : Apparel retailer Aéropostale is readying the first two phases of what will be an expansive, four-part metaverse activation in partnership with Web3 development platform MetaversePlus. AeroPax, a collection of 30,000 non-fungible tokens (NFTs) will launch on March 23, offering perks like promotions and limited-edition apparel while doubling as digital passes to forthcoming metaverse realm AeroWorld - which is phase 2 focused on virtual and real-world experiences.
Unstoppable Domains & Polygon | .Polygon Domains
NounsDAO | Feature-Length NFT Movie
Magic Eden | Hinting at BTC Ordinal Support : Magic Eden could be entering the Ordinals minting space soon 👀
FormFunction | NFT Marketplace Shutting Down : Formfunction launched in February 2022 and announced its $4.7 million seed funding round the following month. The round was led by Variant Fund with backers like OpenSea Ventures, Solana Ventures, and others. The SOL marketplace is shutting down amidst growth in competition, market downturn of NFTs, and for other reasons not disclosed currently.
Reservoir & Blur | API Integration : Blur listings are now live on Reservoir!
Uniswap | V3 Live on BNB Chain
Gaming Updates
Nexon | MapleStory Coming to Web3 : Maple Story is coming to Web3 per their website teaser here. Read this thread here as it covers things quite well!
Square Enix | Symbiogenesis : Square Enix releases more info about the game here.
GREE | Web3 Games Planned : Coming off a recent partnership with AVAX, see what gaming giant GREE has planned for web3 gaming.
Raid: Shadow Legends | Animation Series : Another strong transmedia example in the works. Expect to see more and more gaming x film/media crossover.
Mystic Moose (💰) | 3D Models for NFTs : Game studio Mystic Moose, creator of Planet Mojo and Mojo Melee, is enabling people to convert their non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to real-time 3D models. Mojo Melee will be the first Web3 game to use actual 3D models and animations as digital collectibles, allowing users to fully express their unique style.
Mighty Bear Games (💰) | Beta Access : Check out the recent Dev Diary update for details on the March playtest, new incoming features, and more!
Limit Break (💰) acquires mint platform FreeNFT
Fumb Games | Bitcoin Mining Simulator Game hits 1M Players
Pixel Vault releases whitepaper for upcoming PVP game Battle Plan
Epic Games is adding 20 NFT games to its online marketplace
Fortnite | Expanding Creative with Unreal Engine Editor
Second Live | The OG Metaverse is Coming to Mobile
Midnight Society | DEADROP Snapshot 5 Schedule
Research & Interesting Reads
Maverick Crypto | Our Questions About Web2.5 Gaming
Polygon | Web3 Games Guide Blueprint
Blockworks | What is Decentralized Identity
CoinDesk | The Future of StepN
Konvoy | Mobile Monetization Challenges
Axios | Epic Games Store & Blockchain Gaming Success
Naavik | Epic 2022 Year in Review
Naavik | Could Gift Cards be a Gold Mine for Games?
Blackpool | What ERC-4337 Means for Web3 Gaming
Kevuru Games | Unity vs Unreal : Pros & Cons
NFT Drops & Updates
BAYC | Summoning is Live : Eligible Sewer Pass holders can now head here to burn their pass and summon a Power Source. Ineligible sewer passes will be held by the Yuga team to give away in future games.
Doodles | “No Longer an NFT Project” : Tension is rising in the Doodles community as holders have increased frustration with recent communication and execution.
RTFKT | CloneX Merch Shipping : RTFKT team will begin shipping their large merch drop completed in late 2022. In addition, forging for the AF1 shoes will go live in April.
Animoca | NFT Licenses : Animoca Brands introduces a set of 3 NFT licenses that require the payment of creator royalties as a condition for receiving licenses to that NFTs art and utility. These NFT licenses are accessible to all under a creative commons license.
Shrapnel | Free Mint : The Shrapnel team is gearing up for their free mint on Polygon with Magic Eden. Follow along on twitter for more info!
DeGods | Ordinals Collection : The DeGods team is launching 535 Ordinals for 0.44 BTC, the first being Frank’s OG PFP.
Storyverse | Free MAYC Character Pass
Sesame Street | VeVe Digital Collectibles Drop
Notable Raises
Stripe | $6.5b raise : Payments processor firm Stripe said it signed agreements to raise more than $6.5b at a valuation of $50b, which is about 47% lower than its 2021 valuation of $95b. The company stated that it doesn't need the capital to run its business, and instead will use the proceeds to provide employee liquidity for equity awards.
Defiance Capital | $100m Liquid Token Fund : Arthur Cheong’s DeFiance Capital completed the first close of a $100m liquid token fund. The fund has raised “eight figures” and began investing this month. "A good mix of investors" backed the vehicle, including crypto funds of funds, family offices and some of DeFiance's existing investors.
BitValue Capital | $100m Growth Fund : Toronto, Canada-based investment firm, launched a $100m Web3 venture capital fund. The fund focuses on Web 3-powered social networks, gaming studios, Metaverse, GameFi, NFTs, SocialFi, DAO and DeFi.
Tilia | $22m raise : Digital economy and metaverse payments firm Tilia has raised $22m to power payments for digital economies in games and, perhaps one day, the metaverse. The funding comes from Seoul, South Korea-based fintech leader Dunamu, which is joining existing investor J.P. Morgan Payments.
DressX | $15m raise : Fashion tech firm DressX raised a $15m Series A led by Berlin-based crypto venture capital firm Greenfield. While much of its digital fashion items are off-chain, the firm has begun to delve into web3 through the establishment of its own NFT marketplace and through partnering with the exchange Crypto.com.
Wildxyz | $7m raise : Wildxyz recently announced its $7m seed round led by Matrix Partners with participation from serious founder/execs from LinkedIn, Google, Twitch, 76ers, and more. Wild combines an Artist-in-Residency program with a hyper-curated marketplace, serving as a first-of-its-kind launch pad for artists at the nexus of digital art and web3.
Jungle | $6m raise : Jungle, web3 gaming studio building a mobile extraction shooter, raises a $6m seed round led by Bitkraft and Framework.
MetaLink | $6m raise : Metalink announces a previously undisclosed $6m seed round with funding from an impressive list of venture capital funds and Web3 personalities. The NFT portfolio management and social platform has launched its mobile application, creating what it says is a token-gated space where NFT collectors can interact with one another, aggregate announcements and track their portfolio performance.
OpenChat | $5.5m raise : OpenChat, an on-chain messaging app, raised more than $5.5m in a community-driven crowdfunding sale. The on-chain messaging platform based on the Internet Computer blockchain, will soon transfer control of the messaging app to a decentralized, token-based governance system via the Service Nervous System (SNS).
GigaStar | $4.8m raise : GigaStar raises a $4.8m funding round led by DV Group, to build their platform focused on fan engagement, fan funding, and royalties using blockchain technologies.
Soul Wallet | $3m raise : Soul Wallet has just raised a $3m in a seed funding round to offer an online, self-custodial Ethereum wallet built on top of ERC-4337.
Entre | $1.6m raise : Entre, a professional networking platform providing a community-focused superior alternative to existing professional networking apps, announces the closing of its $1.6m seed funding round led by Octane Fund.
Daniel Allen | $1m raise : Daniel Allen raises a $1m seed round led by Coop Records and Palm Tree Crew Crypto to make a bet on himself and his music IP.
Nuqtah | Unknown raise : Nuqtah, Saudi Arabia’s first NFT marketplace platform, announced today that it has raised a seed round of funding led by Animoca Brands with participation from Polygon and regional investors. The new funding will be used to scale up Nuqtah’s business over the next 12 months.
Mo & Andrew's Curated
Metaverse Live Ep 9 - Crypto Venture Capital: Skeletons in the Closet?
Zima Red Ep 137 - Justin & JP Alanís - StoryCo: Hollywood's "Internet" Moment
Full video:
buff.ly/3YQrhGz
7
SVB-related / Fed Tweets
I’m pleased they reached a solution that protects workers, small businesses, taxpayers, and our financial system.
cnbc.com/2023/03/13/sig…
“Any buyer of Signature must agree to give up all the crypto business at the bank”
Exclusive: U.S. regulator taps Piper Sandler in new bid to sell Silicon Valley Bank -sources
Regulators at the U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corp (FDIC) have tapped investment bank Piper Sandler Companies to relaunch the auction of failed lender Silicon Valley Bank, people familiar with the...
US Congressman says "Biden administration is weaponizing market chaos to kill #crypto."
You buy 1 BTC.
I will send $1M USD.
This is ~40:1 odds as 1 BTC is worth ~$26k.
The term is 90 days.
All we need is a mutually agreed custodian who will still be there to settle this in the event of digital dollar devaluation.
If someone knows how to do this…
cftc.gov/PressRoom/Pres…
AI Updates Tweets
- PaLM API & MakerSuite
- AI in Gmail, Google Docs & workspace
- Generative AI support in Vertex AI
- Generative AI App Builder
- Partnerships, programs, and resources for each segment of the ecosystem
Well this is something else.GPT-4 passes basically every exam. And doesn't just pass...
The Bar Exam: 90%
LSAT: 88%
GRE Quantitative: 80%, Verbal: 99%
Every AP, the SAT...
Check out these examples in this thread:
BREAKING: Microsoft is releasing Copilot for Microsoft 365:- Word
- Powerpoint
- Excel
- Teams
Here's the summary:
NFT / Gaming Tweets
OH BABY
Time to break down one of the most exciting upcoming NFTs
→ WL starts Monday
→ Large brand behind it
→ Still flying under the radar
Let's talk about Symbiogenesis
He states the buddies and celebrities in FaZe have more ownership than the long term content creators. "In a way FaZe is bigger than it ever was, but it's also smaller than it ever was"
Geting a UGC platform to this level of functionality and fidelity is HARD (believe me, I tried at Meta)
But just how hard is only really appreciated by seeing the steps that led to Frontlines
9 x Holos
101 x Reavers
31 x Celestials
74 x Knights
(and 85 companions)
= ~ 1900 ETH
Nice cook. Thanks again Yuga
What are some of your earliest memories of playing games, and how have you seen gaming change over the years?
Let's journey back in time and explore how web3 will impact the future of gaming.
1/16
Random Tweets
Here are 6 things I learned from studying his work and why I think Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) is the greatest marketer alive today:
In 1998, Marvel offered Sony a wild deal: $25m for the film rights to nearly the entire Marvel catalog (Thor, Hulk, Iron-Man, Black Panther, Spider-Man etc.)
Sony balked because it only wanted Spider-Man.
What lead to this…
💰 = Sfermion Portfolio Company
Curated by @mopat1214 + @AndrewSteinwold
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