Sfermion's Collider #40
Curated news from the world of web3, gaming & entertainment, AR/VR, AI, macro, and more
Mo Patel
5 min read·
Hello 👋
Welcome to the 40th edition of Sfermion’s Collider where we highlight the latest & greatest news in the world of web3, gaming & entertainment, AR/VR, AI, macro, and more!
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 Updates
JPMorgan’s UK digital bank blocks customers from buying crypto (link)
MoneyGram unveils non-custodial wallet to bridge the worlds of crypto and fiat currency with USDC (link)
SEC delays BlackRock, Valkyrie spot bitcoin ETFs decision (link)
January bound: SEC sets decision date on Ark, 21Shares bitcoin ETF (link)
SEC pushes deadlines for ARK 21Shares, VanEck spot Ether ETF applications (link)
VanEck, Valkyrie prepare to offer exposure to ether futures in ETFs (link)
Invesco, Galaxy float latest spot ether ETF proposal (link)
Lawmakers urge SEC Chair Gensler to allow spot bitcoin ETFs 'immediately' (link)
Coinbase secures AML license from the Bank of Spain (link)
Kraken Crypto Exchange to Launch Stock Trading (link)
Hong Kong to issue guidance on tokenizing stocks ‘in near term' (link)
Paradigm Launches Policy Lab to double down on crypto policy pushing (link)
City of Buenos Aires launching blockchain-based digital ID service (link)
PayPal’s Patent Files Show Interest in NFTs and Layer-2s (link)
European Crypto Asset Manager CoinShares Starts US Hedge Fund Division (link)
MicroStrategy buys 5,445 additional bitcoins for $147M (link)
Texas is home to nearly 30% of all Bitcoin hash rate — Foundry (link)
North Korean Lazarus Group amasses over $40M in Bitcoin, data reveals (link)
Hackers steal $200M from crypto company Mixin Network (link)
OpenSea API Users Warned of Third-Party Security Breach (link)
Celestia opens airdrop for planned modular data availability network (link)
Arbitrum DAO treasury boosted by $57M in unclaimed airdrop tokens (link)
OpenSea acquires Mintdrop to boost creator/collector experience for drops (link)
Thirdweb introduces the Connect - the complete wallet toolkit (link)
Three Arrows Co-Founder Zhu Apprehended - 4 months in Prison (link)
Universal Pictures and Aptos Labs team up to offer a web3 fan experience for upcoming horror flick “The Exorcist: Believer.” (link)
Tottenham Hotspur taps Chiliz blockchain for Web3 fan token - first premier league team in 2 years to launch a fan token (link)
Gaming Updates
Epic lays off about 900 people, divests Bandcamp and SuperAwesome (link)
Epic Games asks the Supreme Court to hear its case against Apple’s App Store rules (link)
Minecraft Cracks down on Bitcoin Reward Servers, Creator Notch: 'Glad They're Cracking Down' (link)
SoftBank-backed Improbable slashes losses by 85%, says pivot to the metaverse has paid off (link)
Games are a big part of the Meta Quest 3 lineup (link)
Saudi Stakes a $50B+ claim in the gaming world - Nintendo, Activision, EA & more (link)
How Manga Productions is bringing manga, anime and games to the Middle East (link)
GameStop’s Billionaire Investor Ryan Cohen Takes Over as CEO (link)
Fortnite V-bucks are about to get more expensive (link)
Counter-Strike 2 is out now (link)
Eve Online gets an FPS module, expansions and mobile game (link)
OpenSea teases OpenSeaGG, streaming soon on Twitch 👀 (link)
Immutable (💰) hosts successful Passport conversion test with 7,000 players (link)
Yuga goes live with Legends of the Mara Game (link)
SoRare announces NBA Season: Game Week 1 releases on October 17th (link)
Champions Ascension released alpha build on the Epic Games Store (link)
Mojo Melee (💰) announced they will be releasing on iOS, and opening tester applications (link)
Ronin unveils the Ronin Name Service (RNS) (link)
72.5% of Major Video Game Studios Embracing Web3 Gaming (link)
King: Candy Crush Saga's revenue has surpassed the $20B mark (link)
Since launching in April, Photo Finish Live marketplace sales for horses have crossed $2,000,000! (link)
AI Updates
Amazon to invest up to $4B in AI startup Anthropic (link)
You can now prompt ChatGPT with pictures and voice commands (link)
Meta launches AI chatbots for Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp (link)
Spotify is going to clone podcasters’ voices — and translate them to other languages (link)
Snap partners with Microsoft on ads in its ‘My AI’ chatbot feature (link)
Palantir Wins $250M AI Deal With US Defense Department (link)
OpenAI Seeks $90B Valuation In Potential Sale Of Existing Shares (link)
OpenAI and Jony Ive in talks to raise $1B from SoftBank for AI device venture (link)
Getty Images Launches Commercially Safe Generative AI Offering (link)
Salesforce to acquire Airkit.ai, a low-code platform for building AI customer service agents (link)
Adobe’s Photoshop on the web launch includes its popular desktop AI tools (link)
Google is opening up its generative AI search experience to teenagers (link)
Microsoft is hiring a nuclear energy expert to help power its AI and cloud data centers (link)
Other Updates
Hollywood writers reach tentative deal with studios that would end strike (link)
JPMorgan will pay $75M to settle US Virgin Islands Jeffrey Epstein sex-trafficking claims (link)
Amazon’s introduction of advertising to Prime Video (link)
Elon Musk's Starlink Exceeds 2M Users, Doubling In Just Nine Months (link)
US Announces $2B Loan For Poland To Spend On Military (link)
OnlyFan's total number of creators have risen 47% to 3.2M and users rose 27% to 239M (link)
Meta’s smart glasses can take calls, play music, and livestream from your face (link)
X owner Elon Musk largely runs the social media giant from his iPhone, employees say (link)
Peloton shares soar on digital content, apparel partnership with Lululemon (link)
Elon Musk Wins US Space Force Contract for Starshield (link)
Jamie Dimon says India optimism is ‘completely justified’ (link)
World May Not Be Ready for U.S. Interest Rate at 7%, JPMorgan CEO Says (link)
Research & Interesting Reads
Konvoy | Virtual Characters and Live Streaming
Naavik | What’s New with Mythical Games?
Sensor Tower | Top Mobile Games by Revenue & Downloads in August 2023
NFT Drops & Updates
Walmart to sell Pudgy Penguins toyline in 2,000 stores (link)
BAYC partners with BAPE for limited quantity physical collection at ApeFest Hong Kong (link)
Louis Vuitton lands on Discord - to expand its relationship with its digital community, including NFT holders, who will have the opportunity to weigh in on brand decision-making. (link)
Paris Hilton and RSTLSS’s Mare Bear Go Live with Drop (link)
VeeFriends Joins Mattel for Skeletor and Skilled Skeleton Alliance (link)
DRiP partners with GenoPets for digital pets drop next week (link)
The creator of Ordinals, Casey Rodarmor, drops proposal for a BRC-20 alternative called Runes (link)
'Hoofster' NFT-Backed Shoe Hits AVAVAV's Milan Fashion Week Runway (link)
The Fabricant (💰) and Cornerstone Land host Primal Rave immersive experience and mint (link)
Notable Raises
Kyber Knight’s $120M fund will invest in tech startups and games (link)
Uniswap Foundation targets $62M in additional funding - The foundation plans to issue $15 million per year in community grants to fund DeFi projects. (link)
AI chip company Kneron raises $49M to scale up its commercial efforts (link)
Creative UK to support devs and other creators with new £35M investment fund (link)
IYK Raises $16.8M, led by a16z, to Power Token-Enabled Fashion With NFTs (link)
Ethereum explorer Rated raises $12.89M, led by Archetype, to expand to other blockchains, including Polygon and Solana (link)
Genus AI Secures $11M Total Funding In Seed Round for Generative AI in E-Commerce (link)
Pixion Games, creators of Web3 F2P mobile ARPG x Base-Builder Fableborne, raise $7.8M to fuel development and game launch (link)
Omada raises $7.5M seed round, led by Felix Capital, for social prediction game for sports fans (link)
FhenixIO raises $7.5M round, led by Multicoin and ColliderVC, to pioneer on-chain FHE (Fully Homomorphic Encryption) to enable compliant, on-chain confidentiality (link)
Luda raises $7M in funding, led by Bitkraft Ventures and Compound, for AI training simulation (link)
Verisoul raises $3.25M, led by Bitkraft to help businesses conquer fake users (link)
Afference raises $1.5M, led by Konvoy, to develop wearable neural interface platform (link)
Mo & Andrew's Curated
The Metaverse is cool again! I think? Check out this epic photorealistic podcast between Lex Fridman and Mark Zuckerberg. Truly amazing tech:
Here's my conversation with Mark Zuckerberg, his 3rd time on the podcast, but this time we talked in the Metaverse as photorealistic avatars. This was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. It really felt like we were talking in-person, but we were miles apart 
It's…
It's…
37.9K
Macro
JUST IN: 
US Congressman slams SEC Chair Gary Gensler for attacking crypto.
US Congressman slams SEC Chair Gary Gensler for attacking crypto.
BREAKING: GARY GENSLER CONFIRMS THAT THE PURCHASE OF A @Pokemon CARD DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A SECURITY TRANSACTION, BUT STUMBLES WHEN ASKED ABOUT THE PURCHASE OF A TOKENIZED @Pokemon CARD
U.S. Senator of Wyoming @SenLummis says, "I encourage people to buy, hold, and save #bitcoin for their retirement and future"
BREAKING: Americans outside the wealthiest 20% of the country have run out of extra savings and now have less cash on hand than they did when the pandemic began, per Bloomberg.
BREAKING: U.S. HOUSE LAWMAKERS FROM BOTH PARTIES SEND LETTER TO GARY GENSLER DEMANDING THAT THE SEC STOP DISCRIMINATING AGAINST SPOT $BTC ETPS AND APPROVE THEIR LISTINGS IMMEDIATELY
The 30-year mortgage rate in the US is at 7.31%, the highest since December 2000.
The @federalreserve published a paper on tokenization.
They mention Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana. federalreserve.gov/econres/feds/f…
They mention Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana. federalreserve.gov/econres/feds/f…
Web3
BREAKING:
Coinbase International Exchange has received regulatory approval
Coinbase International Exchange has received regulatory approval
JUST IN:
PayPal Files Patent Application for NFT Transfer and Trading
PayPal Files Patent Application for NFT Transfer and Trading
.@brian_armstrong: “Hayden Adams of @Uniswap is an American hero. And I mean, that literally he is the kind of person that any country in the world would kill to have building the future of technology -and Elizabeth Warren called him a ‘shadowy super coder.’ He actually put that…
"Solana is centralized because hardware requirements"
Reality: Solana has ~3k nodes which is only slightly less than the number of Ethereum nodes — but it's also 10,000x cheaper and has at least 100x more capacity...seems like a tradeoff worth considering.
"Ok but those nodes…
Reality: Solana has ~3k nodes which is only slightly less than the number of Ethereum nodes — but it's also 10,000x cheaper and has at least 100x more capacity...seems like a tradeoff worth considering.
"Ok but those nodes…
The single most important thing needed for the growth of Bitcoin is the emergence of high-quality Bitcoin L2s.
We need L2s that can do fast, cheap BTC transfers at high volumes. I should be able to send $100M in BTC over a L2 without thinking about the infra.
These L2s need to…
We need L2s that can do fast, cheap BTC transfers at high volumes. I should be able to send $100M in BTC over a L2 without thinking about the infra.
These L2s need to…
The biggest ever Code4rena audit is incoming, thanks to @zksync 
Find a valid vulnerability and take home a slice of the $1.1M prize pool.
Get yourselves ready Wardens
Find a valid vulnerability and take home a slice of the $1.1M prize pool.
Get yourselves ready Wardens
The amount of staked ETH has grown to 22% of total supply.
The speed at which futures ETF for ETH went from rumor to reality is impressive and suggests spot ETF for BTC is being delayed for political reasons (probably something to do with Binance, but idk. 4)
Just pulled some burn data from @rollbitcom etherscan burn wallet, and aggregated total burn by dollars spent
$8m worth of RLB has been burnt thus far in roughly 40 days
Pretty incredible when you think about it
Annualizing to around $70m/yr
$8m worth of RLB has been burnt thus far in roughly 40 days
Pretty incredible when you think about it
Annualizing to around $70m/yr
NFTs
On this day, Web3 enters a Brave New World.
Pudgy Toys, with Pudgy World, are now available in 2,000 Walmarts in the USA.
Pudgy Toys, with Pudgy World, are now available in 2,000 Walmarts in the USA.
[NewJeans Commentary
]
多くのBunniesのみなさんにステージをお見せすることができて楽しかったです!! たくさんの応援のおかげでよりいいステージを披露できたと思います! また会いましょうねBunnies
#NewJeans
#Time_to_NewJeans
#NHK_MUSICEXPO
]多くのBunniesのみなさんにステージをお見せすることができて楽しかったです!! たくさんの応援のおかげでよりいいステージを披露できたと思います! また会いましょうねBunnies
#NewJeans
#Time_to_NewJeans
#NHK_MUSICEXPO
ALPHA LEAK The creator of Ordinals, Casey Rodarmor, dropped a proposal for a BRC-20 alternative called Runes just 27 mins ago.
I'm gonna go live on a spaces in a few mins to discuss this.
Still trying to understand exactly how this should work, but considering Casey has…
Gaming
CS2 has been live for 40 minutes and already made $40 million from case openings
Fortnite Pro Putrick has called out Fortnite after being disqualified from FNCS Copenhagen and being told he will not be receiving his $200,000 for winning an FNCS Major because he and his teammate are Russian
Epic Games have laid off 870 employees today across multiple departments, a whopping 16% of their workforce. Those laid off will receive 6 months severance
"For awhile now, we've been spending way more money than we earn, investing in the next evolution of Epic and Fortnite"
"For awhile now, we've been spending way more money than we earn, investing in the next evolution of Epic and Fortnite"
Epic Games reportedly laid off the team behind Fall Guys, Mediatonic
BREAKING: My Pet Hooligan has just been featured on the biggest gaming publication in the world - IGN, with over 250m monthly users! This is HUGE!
Massive shout out to @IGN for covering our trailers!
Massive shout out to @IGN for covering our trailers!
1/ Ronin Name Service (RNS) is coming to Ronin! Soon.
RNS is more than a human-readable naming system for Ronin addresses: it’s a pillar of your Ronin identity.
Why RNS?
RNS is more than a human-readable naming system for Ronin addresses: it’s a pillar of your Ronin identity.
Why RNS?
We’ve crunched the numbers from our first week of on-chain testing:
35 Playtesters
10,188 Battles
Over 300 Hours Played
Avg. 8.5 Hours Played Per Playtester
Next week we’ll kick it up a notch with @inhabitants_ and @foundersdao
35 Playtesters 10,188 Battles Over 300 Hours Played Avg. 8.5 Hours Played Per PlaytesterNext week we’ll kick it up a notch with @inhabitants_ and @foundersdao
Photo Finish™ Marketplace Milestone 
Since launch in April, players have acquired horses via our in-game marketplace for a combined sales price exceeding $2,000,000
ALL fees collected are returned to the game's ecosystem until May 2024
signup.photofinish.live
The part I find most hilarious is Web 2 Gamers
That don't realize that a good amount of CSGO is on-chain
CSGO is a Web 3 Game.
Gamers in disbelief
That don't realize that a good amount of CSGO is on-chain
CSGO is a Web 3 Game.
Gamers in disbelief
South Korea's Biggest Mobile Game
Company to Release Metaverse project
Here's What We Know about Netmarble's
@METAWORLD_GC :
(0/9)
Company to Release Metaverse project
Here's What We Know about Netmarble's
@METAWORLD_GC :
(0/9)
AI
JUST IN: OpenAI's ChatGPT can now browse the internet and is no longer limited to data before September 2021.
Count me as someone who believes AI should not be regulated
We need to make progress on it as fast as possible for many reasons (including national security). And the track record on regulation is that it has unintended consequences and kills competition/innovation, despite best…
We need to make progress on it as fast as possible for many reasons (including national security). And the track record on regulation is that it has unintended consequences and kills competition/innovation, despite best…
Hollywood studios can train AI ‘models’ on writers’ work under the new tentative deal, per WSJ.
Other
JUST IN: New York City is gearing up to pay over $1,000,000,000 on just hotels over the next 3 years to house illegal immigrants.
Good! That’s what happens when you call yourself a “Sanctuary City.”
But that’s just the hotel costs. NYC Mayor Eric Adams estimates the total cost…
Good! That’s what happens when you call yourself a “Sanctuary City.”
But that’s just the hotel costs. NYC Mayor Eric Adams estimates the total cost…
Gen Z falls for online scams more than their boomer grandparents do, per Vox.
Microsoft, $MSFT, discussed selling its Bing search engine to Apple, $AAPL, around 2020, a deal that would have replaced Google, $GOOGL, as the default option on devices, per Bloomberg.
💰 = Sfermion Portfolio Company
Curated by @mopat1214 + @AndrewSteinwold
If you enjoyed reading this edition of Sfermion’s Collider, please subscribe below, share within your network, and follow Sfermion on Twitter to get the latest! Check out our Seam (💰) bio here :)
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