Hello 👋
Welcome to the 32nd 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, share within your network, and follow Sfermion on Twitter to get the latest! Check out our Seam (💰) bio here :)
Web3/Tech Updates
US Congressional Committee Advances Stablecoin Bill (link)
Coinbase Announces On-chain Summer with Bridge to Base Campaign (link)
Reddit Launches More Polygon NFTs—After Already Minting 18 Million Avatars (link)
Etihad Airways 'Horizon Club' Web3 Loyalty Program Will Let You Stake NFTs for Miles (link)
F1’s Williams Racing and Kraken Gear Up to Showcase NFTs on the Grand Prix Circuit (link)
Kenya suspends Worldcoin scans over security, privacy and financial concerns (link)
Celo Network welcomes Google Cloud validator to its network (link)
Meta is working to release AI-powered chatbots with different personas (link)
K11 and Azuki team up to launch the first-ever Web3 mooncake collab (link)
Twitter, now X, opens up its ad revenue sharing program with global creators (link)
Google Ads Introduces Auto-Generated Advertisement Tool Using Generative AI (link)
Crypto market loses $486M in July, most since 2022 (link)
Nifty’s, Web3 Creator Portal, Shuts Down (link)
Gaming/Entertainment Updates
Planet Mojo (💰) & Amazon Prime Gaming Team up for Free NFT Campaign(s) (link)
Conductive.ai (💰) Launches Engagement Platform for Game Developers (link)
Playtika acquires Youda Games for up to $165M (link)
Gaming Giant Bandai Namco Launches AI Virtual Pet NFT Game (link)
Web3 fantasy-sports company Sorare now supports fiat payments for NFTs via MangoPay (link)
GameStop to pull support for its native crypto wallets by Nov. 1 (link)
The British Museum Enters the Metaverse via 'The Sandbox' (link)
Meta Aims to Recharge Horizon Worlds Metaverse With New In-House Game Studio (link)
Yuga Labs Acquires Roar Studios (link)
Ralph Lauren drops physical version of “Polo P-Wing Boot”, tied to digital sneakers from a Fortnite sale last year. The drop is coupled with a new UEFN experience. Yet another example of a brand leveraging a gaming platform like Fortnite for wider reach. (link)
GameFam, WMG and Roblox Explore VR Concerts for Next-Level Experiences (link)
Popular Anime Jujutsu Kaisen collaboration coming to Fortnite (link)
Gala Games and Elixir Games Launcher Team Up to Bring Web3 Gaming to Wider Audience (link)
China’s gaming reportedly hit a record gamer base in the first half of 2023 (link)
AppMagic: miHoYo mobile titles surpassed $8B in revenue (link)
Netflix launches Cut the Rope Daily game and animated episodes (link)
SypherPK’s Rocket Wars UEFN map playtime rivals Among Us on Steam (link)
YGG (💰) deepens partnership with Polygon (link)
Research & Interesting Reads
Deconstructor Of Fun | App Store’s NFT Guidelines
CoinFeeds | An Introduction to the Render Network
Wreck League | What is Wreck League - Day 1
Kevuru Games | Monetization in Games
Konvoy | Snapchat’s Future in AR
NFT Drops & Updates
10.4K
is this a good time?
This is CryptoDickbutts Series 4
or, basement dwelling neet once again asks for your donations with extreme style
cryptodickbutts.com
(verify URL)
*there is a twist* (see graphic)
mint will remain up until conditions are met
Our official SoundCloud account to display all the original soundtracks created by the amazing @jampants
Here you’ll find all of our collections tracks, unreleased music & events music like an +1hr long ambient track for the Tokyo event
Bitcoin Ordinal inscriptions hit a new daily record of more than 422,000 (link)
Hurley Drops NFT Digital Collectibles and new Super Surfer™ Game (link)
Notable Raises
Solv Protocol (💰) | $6m raise : Solv Protocol, which has been dedicated to providing accessible blockchain-based financial tools, has secured $6M in new funding round led by Laser Digital. This’ll enable the growth of Solv V3, which sets a new standard for on-chain fund platforms, offering investors professional asset management while allowing fund managers to build credibility and expand their business.
a16z | $75m accelerator : a16z announces “SPEEDRUN 2024: Accelerating Games x Tech”, which builds off the success of the genesis SPEEDRUN. This year the accelerator has made the commitment to invest up to $75M in the most promising pre-seed startups at the intersection of Games x Tech. Projects can begin applying NOW!
GEM Capital | $50m fund : GEM Capital has announced a $50M investment plan for game studios. The firm said it will target early-stage funding rounds, and each investment will range from $2M to $5M.
Inworld AI | $50m raise : Inworld AI, builders of a character engine for AI-driven NPCs in-game, raises $50M. The fundraising round was led by Lightspeed Venture Partners and included contributions from Stanford University, Samsung Next, and strategic investors like Microsoft’s M12 fund.
hi | $30m raise : Animoca Brands has invested $30M into crypto 'Super App' hi.
Jungle | $16m raise : NFT marketplace, Jungle, secures $16M for AI-driven deals.
EthStorage | $7m raise : Ethereum storage scalability startup EthStorage raises $7M in a seed funding round led by dao5.
Passage | $6m raise : Passage raises $6M to launch AI-driven virtual world builder.
Voia | $3m raise : Voia raises $3M in pre-seed funding to develop AI technology for high-quality videos.
zkPass | $2.5m raise : Privacy preserving protocol zkPass raises $2.5M in a seed funding round. Investors included Binance Labs, Sequoia China, OKX Ventures, among others.
Mo & Andrew's Curated
Macro
Web3
in BengaluruHappy Birthday Ethereum!
Also getting Vitalik do a bit of Bharat Darshanam
Start collecting loyalty points to climb up the leaderboard!
Galxe: Create Impactful Experiences With Web3 Credentials
Galxe is the leading Web3 credential data network in the world. A collaborative credential infrastructure enabling brands and developers to engage communities and build robust products in Web3.
Most transactions recorded in a blockchain ever.
Here's the tldr.
This is ~$85M on an annual basis.
Imagine once the Wall Street analysts find this out.
Creators and developers can now earn onchain rewards on Zora.
Protocol Rewards are made possible by our Mint Fee, which is now automatically split across creators and developers.
Today we open for our first wave of Beta Testers. We'll soon onboard the remaining 500+ animators, game studios, and 3D artists on our waitlist
Tag your animator friends to make sure they get early access
Beta sign-up at heat.tech
Gaming
Today we're open for applications on SPEEDRUN 2024, the second run of our accelerator for Games x Tech, with $75M from the a16z games fund to find the next amazing pre-seed startups.
Applications are now open for SPEEDRUN 2024: speedrun.a16z.com
Pokémon Sleep has racked up 3M global downloads in two weeks.
Even crazier? Gaming pubs have had to warn players not to take sleeping pills to get ahead
TLDR:
❒ AAA PvP fighting game on mobile & PC
❒ Developed by nWay in partnership with Animoca Brands
❒ Free Founders Mech claim: Koda, MAYC, BAKC, BAYC
❒ 3 mech mints: Koda > BAKC/MAYC > BAYC
❒ Assemble mechs to build your ultimate fighter…
If you have an enthusiastic community on social media platform like Twitter, TG, Discord, Twitch or Youtube, we would love you to reach out to hello@gashero.com to learn more how we could work together!
NFT
this is the first PFP i have ever bought and it is a really long time coming. from the time i learned of NFTs this project has always stood out…
NFT Artist Beeple $29 M. Sculpture Human One Will Be Exhibited in US For First Time at Crystal...
This is the first time his work 'Human One' will be exhibited in the United States.
Announcing: punk_mstETH by MetaStreet Think #NFTs and #LSDFi don't mix? Think again
Earn NFTFi + LSDFi yields in ONE Liquid Staking Yield Token aka #DoubleStaking
Create LONGER term loans for @cryptopunksnfts borrowers and more STABLE yields for #DeFi
Watch now
AI
They say AI will automate 30% of work hours by 2030.
Here are 5 most important things you need to know:
Random
💰 = Sfermion Portfolio Company
Curated by @mopat1214 + @AndrewSteinwold
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Sfermion does not offer investment advice/analysis and makes no recommendations on how to act. Information regarding any company or investment in this Newsletter, including any links to information on our website, should not be viewed as an endorsement or recommendation of that company or investment for any purpose whatsoever. Any person receiving this Newsletter is encouraged to consult with their own financial advisor, or relevant personnel, before making any investment decision.