Bitcoin price is nearing its key support of $100,000; a firm close below would lead to a dip to the $90K mark.
Ethereum price approaches its 200-day EMA at $3,136; a firm close below would lead to a correction.
Ripple price is sliding toward its ascending trendline support; a close below would lead to a decline.
Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) are approaching their crucial support levels on Monday; a firm close below would lead to a correction. Ripple (XRP) price follows BTC and ETH as it nears its ascending trendline; a close below would lead to a pullback ahead.
Bitcoin bulls show signs of exhaustion
Bitcoin price reached a new all-time high of $109,588 last week but failed to maintain its upward momentum. BTC started declining slightly since Saturday and fell 2.22% until Sunday. At the time of writing on Monday, it continues to trade down, approaching its key support level of around $100,000.
If BTC closes below the $100,000 level, it could extend the decline to test its next key support around $90,000.
The Relative Strength Index (RSI) indicator on the daily chart reads 51, slightly above its neutral level of 50; however, it points downwards, indicating a weakness in bullish momentum. The Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) indicator is also converging. If the MACD flips to a bearish crossover on a daily basis, it would give sell signals and suggest a downtrend.
BTC/USDT daily chart
However, if the $100K support level holds, it would extend the recovery to retest its Monday’s ATH of $109,588.
Ethereum is poised for a downleg if it closes below the 200-day EMA
Ethereum bulls were retested, and support was found around its 200-day Exponential Moving Average (EMA) at $3,136 the previous week. However, it declined by 2.6% on Sunday. It trades down at Monday’s start of this week, nearing its 200-day EMA at $3,136.
If ETH closes below the 200-day EMA at $3,136, it could extend the decline to test its psychological importance level of $3,000.
The RSI indicator on the daily chart reads 42, below its neutral level of 50, pointing downwards, indicating bearish momentum. The MACD indicator also shows a bearish crossover on Sunday, indicating a downward trend.
ETH/USDT daily chart
However, if the $3,136 EMA level is maintained, ETH could extend the recovery to test its daily resistance level at $3,730.
Ripple price is primed for a correction if it closes below its ascending trendline
Ripple price faced resistance around the $3.40 level last week. On Monday, it trades slightly down around $2.99, approaching its ascending trendline (drawn by connecting multiple low levels since early January).
If Ripple breaks and closes below $2.72, it could extend the decline to test its next daily support at $1.96.
The RSI indicator reads 57, above its neutral value of 50 and points downwards after rejection from its overbought level of 70 on January 18, indicating weakness in bullish momentum. Additionally, the MACD flipped a bearish crossover on Sunday, giving sell signals and suggesting a downtrend.
XRP/USDT daily chart
Conversely, if XRP continues its upward momentum, it could extend the rally to test its $3.40 resistance level.
Bitcoin, altcoins, stablecoins FAQs
Bitcoin is the largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, a virtual currency designed to serve as money. This form of payment cannot be controlled by any one person, group, or entity, which eliminates the need for third-party participation during financial transactions.
Altcoins are any cryptocurrency apart from Bitcoin, but some also regard Ethereum as a non-altcoin because it is from these two cryptocurrencies that forking happens. If this is true, then Litecoin is the first altcoin, forked from the Bitcoin protocol and, therefore, an “improved” version of it.
Stablecoins are cryptocurrencies designed to have a stable price, with their value backed by a reserve of the asset it represents. To achieve this, the value of any one stablecoin is pegged to a commodity or financial instrument, such as the US Dollar (USD), with its supply regulated by an algorithm or demand. The main goal of stablecoins is to provide an on/off-ramp for investors willing to trade and invest in cryptocurrencies. Stablecoins also allow investors to store value since cryptocurrencies, in general, are subject to volatility.
Bitcoin dominance is the ratio of Bitcoin’s market capitalization to the total market capitalization of all cryptocurrencies combined. It provides a clear picture of Bitcoin’s interest among investors. A high BTC dominance typically happens before and during a bull run, in which investors resort to investing in relatively stable and high market capitalization cryptocurrency like Bitcoin. A drop in BTC dominance usually means that investors are moving their capital and/or profits to altcoins in a quest for higher returns, which usually triggers an explosion of altcoin rallies.
This is all due to Donald Trump’s return to office where the so-called “Trump Pump” boosted its value massively, even with the ongoing legal battles with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
With the pro-crypto White House administration and its expansion to different markets such as Asia, this coin has all it takes to surge by 10x by the end of this year.
At the same time, utility-driven projects are on the rise and that’s why the market is shifting its attention to the new PlutoChain ($PLUTO) which could bring Layer-2 capabilities to Bitcoin’s network.
Let’s check out the details.
XRP Is One of the Top Performing Coins Last Year – Analysts Have Bullish Predictions For 2025
XRP is proof that no coin should ever be counted out, no matter how poorly it has performed in the past. The crypto market’s unpredictable nature always leaves room for a surprising comeback.
Last year was a game-changer for XRP. After years of being stuck in a bearish trend, it surged by a staggering 500%. This rally was sparked by Donald Trump’s re-election in November, which triggered a new chapter in the crypto market.
Since then, XRP has been climbing steadily and is now close to surpassing its all-time high of $3.40, a record set more than seven years ago. At the moment, it sits at around $3.11, just 9% below that milestone.
Trump’s re-election brought a wave of excitement to the market, with the former president promising major pro-crypto reforms. He even launched his own meme coin, Official Trump ($TRUMP), which reached an all-time high of $73 just a day after its release.
Adding to this momentum, the current U.S. Senate is the most crypto-friendly it has ever been, paving the way for regulatory changes that could benefit the entire market.
XRP’s main hurdle remains its ongoing legal battle with the SEC, which has been dragging on for over four years. However, with Mark Uyeda now heading the SEC, there’s hope that the case could finally come to a resolution.
Analysts are bullish on XRP’s future. Arthur Azizov from B2BinPay predicts the coin could climb to between $5 and $7, citing Ripple’s tech advancements and expected regulatory relief under the new administration.
Hani Abuagla from XTB takes an even bolder stance, suggesting XRP could hit anywhere between $5 and $100, though he warns that volatility will play a big role.
With strong momentum and optimism surrounding regulatory changes, XRP might just be on track for another incredible year.
PlutoChain ($PLUTO) Could Expand Bitcoin’s Capabilities With Its Hybrid Layer-2 Solution – Smart Contracts Now Available On The Most Famous Block
PlutoChain ($PLUTO) could expand what Bitcoin can do. As the first hybrid Layer-2 blockchain for Bitcoin, this project could bring smart contract functionality to the world’s most recognized network.
For years, Bitcoin has been celebrated as the king of digital assets, but its use has largely been limited to basic transactions.
PlutoChain could change that, unlocking new possibilities for decentralized applications (dApps), DeFi protocols, NFTs, and even AI-driven innovations.
What might make this project even more exciting is its Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) compatibility.
Developers who have built on Ethereum could now easily bring their projects to Bitcoin, giving them access to Bitcoin’s unmatched security and decentralization.
This interoperability potentially bridges two of the largest blockchain ecosystems, creating a whole new wave of innovation.
PlutoChain’s testnet has already proven its capabilities, handling over 43,200 transactions daily with ease.
This shows the scalability and efficiency it can bring to Bitcoin’s network. By offering block time of just two seconds and slashing fees, it could make Bitcoin not only faster but also more versatile for modern blockchain needs.
Security is in the first place for this project and it has successfully passed audits from SolidProof, QuillAudits, and Assure DeFi – companies famous for their detailed smart contract and blockchain analysis.
Additionally, all community members have a voice in shaping the project’s future, enabling them to vote on important decisions.
Conclusion
XRP has made a remarkable comeback, surging 500% last year, fueled by Trump’s pro-crypto administration and Ripple’s expanding global presence.
Nearing its all-time high of $3.40, analysts predict it could hit $5 to $7 in 2025, with potential for even greater growth if regulatory changes favor the market.
Meanwhile, PlutoChain ($PLUTO) could completely change Bitcoin by introducing smart contracts and Layer-2 functionality.
With EVM compatibility, it could bridge Bitcoin and Ethereum, potentially unlocking possibilities for DeFi, NFTs, and AI.
This article does not offer financial advice. Cryptocurrencies can be unpredictable and carry risks. It is important to conduct thorough research before acquiring any crypto asset. Forward-looking statements carry risks and are not guaranteed to be updated.
This article is sponsored content. All information is provided by the sponsor and Brave New Coin (BNC) does not endorse or assume responsibility for the content presented, which is not part of BNC’s editorial. Investing in crypto assets involves significant risk, including the potential loss of principal, and readers are strongly encouraged to conduct their own due diligence before engaging with any company or product mentioned. Brave New Coin disclaims any liability for any damages or losses arising from reliance on the content provided in this article.
Gold price drifts lower to near $2,765 in Monday’s early Asian session.
Trump imposed 25% tariffs on Colombia as deported migrant flights were denied, lifting the USD.
The Fed is expected to leave rates unchanged on Wednesday.
Gold price (XAU/USD) edges lower to around $2,765 during the early Asian session on Monday, pressured by the renewed US Dollar (USD) demand. However, the potential downside for the precious metal might be limited amid the cautious mood and uncertainty surrounding tariff measures by US President Donald Trump.
The Greenback strengthens as Trump kicks off a trade war with tariffs. On Sunday, Trump imposed sweeping retaliatory measures on Colombia, including tariffs and sanctions, after the South American country refused to allow two military planes carrying deported migrants to land. Trump said that he will order an emergency 25% tariff on all Colombian goods coming into the US, which will be raised to 50% in a week. This headline weighs on the USD-denominated commodity price.
Gold traders expect the US Federal Reserve (Fed) to hold interest rates steady at its January meeting on Wednesday. The FOMC Press Conference will be closely watched as it might offer some hints about the US rate path. At the World Economic Forum last week, Trump called for an immediate interest rate cut, causing the USD to hit its lowest level in over a month and supporting the Gold price. However, if the Fed officials deliver hawkish remarks this week, this might drag the non-yielding yellow metal lower.
Gold FAQs
Gold has played a key role in human’s history as it has been widely used as a store of value and medium of exchange. Currently, apart from its shine and usage for jewelry, the precious metal is widely seen as a safe-haven asset, meaning that it is considered a good investment during turbulent times. Gold is also widely seen as a hedge against inflation and against depreciating currencies as it doesn’t rely on any specific issuer or government.
Central banks are the biggest Gold holders. In their aim to support their currencies in turbulent times, central banks tend to diversify their reserves and buy Gold to improve the perceived strength of the economy and the currency. High Gold reserves can be a source of trust for a country’s solvency. Central banks added 1,136 tonnes of Gold worth around $70 billion to their reserves in 2022, according to data from the World Gold Council. This is the highest yearly purchase since records began. Central banks from emerging economies such as China, India and Turkey are quickly increasing their Gold reserves.
Gold has an inverse correlation with the US Dollar and US Treasuries, which are both major reserve and safe-haven assets. When the Dollar depreciates, Gold tends to rise, enabling investors and central banks to diversify their assets in turbulent times. Gold is also inversely correlated with risk assets. A rally in the stock market tends to weaken Gold price, while sell-offs in riskier markets tend to favor the precious metal.
The price can move due to a wide range of factors. Geopolitical instability or fears of a deep recession can quickly make Gold price escalate due to its safe-haven status. As a yield-less asset, Gold tends to rise with lower interest rates, while higher cost of money usually weighs down on the yellow metal. Still, most moves depend on how the US Dollar (USD) behaves as the asset is priced in dollars (XAU/USD). A strong Dollar tends to keep the price of Gold controlled, whereas a weaker Dollar is likely to push Gold prices up.
Mr Symington said the Asian supplements market is expected to grow around 6% this year.
The Asian vitamin and supplements market is projected to record single-digit growth this year, according to Blackmores Group, an Australian manufacturer and distributor of vitamins, minerals and nutritional supplements.
Alastair Symington, chief executive of Blackmores Group, said the Asian supplements market comprises around 1.7-2 billion consumers of vitamins and supplements.
“Asia is one of our key markets. The Asian supplements market is expected to grow around 6% this year,” he said.
Blackmores aims to expand its global customer base from 600 million to 1 billion by 2030, said Mr Symington.
A key initiative is localising products to meet the specific demand of consumers in each region, he said.
Thailand is a key strategic market for the company, said Mr Symington.
Blackmores is a leader in the dietary supplements market in Southeast Asia, including Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore, he said.
Although the Thai economy is sluggish, Mr Symington said consumers may prioritise spending on essential goods and healthcare products.
To cater to Thai consumers, the company plans to launch smaller packages, which could lead to more frequent purchases, he said.
“We are bullish on the Thai vitamin and supplements market and see opportunities in the coming years,” said Mr Symington.
The company is considering expanding its presence in convenience stores and mini-marts across the country, while continuing to develop localised products, he said.
“We aim to enhance our presence in 7-Eleven convenience stores in Thailand,” said Priti Halai, country manager of Blackmores Thailand, the local distributor.
She said the company recognises the potential of Thailand’s supplements market as health consciousness grows among the younger generation.
Blackmores claims a market share of 20% of the Thai supplements market, aiming to raise it to 23-25% this year, said Ms Priti. The company wants to raise its online sales to 16% of total sales by 2027, up from 8% last year.
Solana ($SOL) has captured the spotlight, with analysts forecasting a jaw-dropping $900 target.
This ambitious outlook is boosted by Solana reaching a new all-time high recently, rapid network growth, an innovative ecosystem, and strong developer interest. Having overcome key resistance levels, Solana could soon enter uncharted territory, cementing its position as a leading blockchain for Web3 innovation.
Meanwhile, PlutoChain ($PLUTO) could rewrite Bitcoin’s story by introducing smart contracts and DeFi to the world’s most secure blockchain. With Ethereum compatibility and lightning-fast transactions, this project is attracting whale attention.
Let’s check out the details.
Solana Eyes $900 as Analysts Predict Breakout Growth in Web3 Revolution
Solana’s journey toward $900 by 2025 has sparked excitement, fueled by both market trends and its ecosystem’s rapid growth.
Trading at approximately $253.37, SOL would need to experience a near 4X surge to reach that ambitious goal. Analyst Armando Pantoja predicts SOL could hit $1,000 by mid-2025, while others like DigitalCoinPrice foresee averages near $502 and highs of around $557, reflecting optimism about Solana’s trajectory.
Recent developments strengthen this bullish sentiment. Solana’s Total Value Locked (TVL) jumped from $10.11 billion to $11.64 billion in just a week. Developer activity surged with 7,625 new contributors in the past year, enhancing Solana’s decentralized finance (DeFi), gaming, and NFT projects. These dynamics amplify its utility and adoption.
Achieving $900 depends on sustained institutional interest, technological advancements, and favorable macroeconomic conditions. Meme coins like TRUMP (a new coin on the Solana network) have also driven massive trading volumes, signaling growing network engagement.
However, competition from Ethereum and other blockchains, alongside regulatory hurdles, could shape this journey. But Solana’s scalability, unparalleled transaction speeds, and 300 million monthly votes demonstrate its operational robustness. A $900 target might be ambitious but isn’t far-fetched if Solana maintains its current momentum.
Continuous ecosystem development and market confidence could position Solana as a game-changing force in the Web3 revolution, potentially making this prediction a reality.
Bitcoin’s Layer-2 Evolution. Why PlutoChain Could Expand Its Utility and Case Uses
Bitcoin’s potential could evolve, thanks to PlutoChain ($PLUTO), the first hybrid Layer-2 solution designed to bring real utility to the Bitcoin network.
While Bitcoin has been limited to its role as a store of value, this project could introduce smart contracts and decentralized applications (dApps), potentially transforming Bitcoin into a versatile ecosystem capable of competing with Ethereum and Solana.
One of PlutoChain’s standout features could be its compatibility with Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM). This innovation could allow developers to seamlessly migrate Ethereum-based applications to Bitcoin, potentially bridging two of the largest blockchain networks. This unique functionality might pave the way for DeFi, NFTs, AI, and gaming applications to thrive on the world’s most secure blockchain.
Scalability could be another game-changer for PlutoChain. Offering an average block time of just 2 seconds compared to Bitcoin’s 10-minute it could enhance transaction speed and lower costs. The network’s testnet processes 43,200 transactions daily, proving its readiness for large-scale adoption. Backed by three independent audits – SolidProof, QuillAudits, and Assure DeFi, this project offers a reliable platform for developers and users.
Additionally, decentralized community governance ensures users have a direct say in the project’s evolution, increasing trust and transparency. As Bitcoin DeFi lags with only 0.13% of its market cap in Total Value Locked, PlutoChain could be the one that holds the key to unlocking Bitcoin’s untapped potential.
Final Words
Solana’s ambitious $900 target reflects its thriving ecosystem, DeFi expansion, and a growing belief that it can reach new heights.
While Solana advances in Web3 space, PlutoChain could emerge as a transformative force on Bitcoin. With it potentially enabling smart contracts and bridging Ethereum and Bitcoin, this project could redefine Bitcoin’s utility. Its lightning-fast Layer-2 technology and impressive scalability could open new doors for DeFi, NFTs, and AI applications.
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Please note that The Crypto Basic does not endorse or support any content or product on this page. We strongly advise readers to conduct their own research before acting on any information presented here and assume full responsibility for their decisions. This article should not be considered investment advice.
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The Pound Sterling (GBP) overall secured a tentative recovery against the Euro (EUR) during the week amid relief that the bond market stabilised.
From 4-week lows near 1.1800, the Pound to Euro exchange rate (GBP/EUR) advanced to around 1.1860.
Bank of America (BoA) is still forecasting that GBP/EUR will strengthen to 1.25 at the end of 2025.
BNPP has greater reservations over the Pound but forecasts GBP/EUR at 1.2050 at the end of 2025.
According to BoA , Pound selling has been overdone; “Price action at the start of the year has in some sense solidified our sense that a lot of negativity is now priced in.”
It added, “The UK is set once again to outpace European growth, with a healthier policy mix to offset the worst excesses of tariffs.”
The bank also expects yields to be positive for the pound throughout the year.
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The latest UK business confidence data indicated a slight improvement from December, but the underlying components were weak, with business confidence at 2-year lows.
There was evidence of increased inflation pressures within the economy while consumer confidence dipped for the month.
The data overall increased concerns over the potential stagflation threat with difficulties for the Bank of England.
BNPP is more concerned over the Pound outlook; “Now, however, we no longer think higher UK yields are beneficial for the GBP, and we do not think the GBP is pricing in sufficient risk premium to reflect a range of potential negative scenarios.”
BNPP noted two potential threats; “On the first channel, the recent rise in UK yields has increased debt servicing costs to the extent that the government no longer has sufficient headroom against its debt rule. We think this raises the prospect of a change in fiscal policy – tax rises or spending cuts – that would be negative for growth.”
Markets remain confident that the BoE will cut in February, but the long-term outlook is opaque.
BNPP added; “Our base case is for four 25bp rate cuts this year and, as this is not sufficiently priced in by front-end UK rates, we see this undermining the GBP.”
HSBC noted the risk of growth downgrades; “the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) was forecasting 2.0% growth in 2025. If it revises that down in March, fiscal headroom could be eroded, meaning some tightening measures are needed. That tightening in turn might reduce growth prospects further – and increase the case for rate cuts.”
MUFG noted the potential significance of US trade policy; “Market participants are less concerned over the immediate risk of higher tariffs being put in place by the US against the EU, while the unease over rising Gilt yields temporarily undermined the attractiveness of the yield pick-up in the UK that encouraged EUR/GBP to trend lower throughout last year.”
There are strong expectations that the ECB will cut interest rates by a further 25 basis points at the January policy meeting, which would take the deposit rate down to 2.75%.
Nordea commented, “Inflation is converging towards the target, the economic outlook remains challenging, and rates clearly remain in restrictive territory, calling for more gradual rate cuts.”
Credit Agricole noted that market expectations surrounding ECB rates may be too low and added, “Any such confirmation could help the EUR to turn the corner from mid-2025.”
Euro-Zone business confidence data was slightly stronger than expected for January and there could be scope for a Euro-Zone rebound.
BNPP notes the potential for increased government spending and the possibility that the Ukraine war could end; “A resolution could benefit the EUR through both the sentiment and growth channel.”
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Bears are back in the game at the beginning of the weekend, according to CoinStats.
On the hourly chart, the price of BTC is rising after a false breakout of the local support of $104,135. If the daily bar closes far from that mark, there is a chance of a test of the resistance level by tomorrow.
On the bigger time frame, neither bulls nor bears are dominating. The rate of the main crypto is within yesterday’s bar, which means neither side has seized the initiative yet.
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All in all, ongoing consolidation around the current prices is the more likely scenario.
From the midterm point of view, the price of BTC has made a false breakout of the resistance of $108,353. If the weekly bar closes with a long wick, bears may be back in the game, which might lead to a drop to the $100,000 area.
Foreign exchange analysts at Nordea expect dollar strength to dominate for much of the year. It sees the risk of GBP/USD sliding to at least 1.15 with an end-2025 forecast of 1.17.
In contrast, Bank of America expects GBP/USD gains to 1.38.
US data did not have a significant impact during the week, although a weaker-than-expected business confidence report did undermine the US currency on Friday.
The primary attention was on President Trump’s policy agenda. His call for lower interest rates and no immediate move to impose tariffs helped trigger a correction for the dollar.
UK data was mixed with more substantial earnings growth offset by weaker consumer confidence and mixed business confidence data.
UK bonds were relatively stable, which helped underpin the Pound amid an element of short-covering
In this environment, the Pound to Dollar (GBP/USD) exchange rate posted significant gains to 1.2480 from 1.2170.
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According to Nordea, “We expect that the strong US economy and weak economic activity in the rest of the world will lead to a strong dollar year. The economic gap might even grow larger and result in an even stronger dollar.”
Nordea also expects that US trade policies will support the dollar.
It added; We think EUR/USD will fall down to parity, but would not be surprised if the economic gap widens and the currency pair drops below parity.
GBP/USD will inevitably struggle if EUR/USD slides below parity.
ING noted that in real terms, the dollar is at 40-year highs, maintaining speculation that the Administration will look to drive the currency lower.
According to the bank, “We cannot see that happening this year, although Washington may try to find a way to get trading partners to strengthen their currencies under the threat of tariffs. Such a policy could just about be read as consistent with also wanting to maintain the dollar as the pre-eminent reserve currency.”
Nevertheless, it added, “For the time being, however, the narrative of US exceptionalism is alive and well, the tariff threat remains real and we doubt the Fed will knock the dollar off its perch.”
Morgan Stanley sees scope for a dollar reversal; “While dollar bulls are numerous and perhaps most vocal in expressing their views, there seems to be a more ‘silent’ plurality of investors looking to sell the dollar instead. Many have dry powder and are waiting for a sign to enter shorts.”
It added, “Investors may be far more willing to add dollar shorts sooner and with higher conviction than dollar bulls may anticipate,” wrote the strategists. “For them, it’s more a question of timing rather than direction.”
Bank of America considers that the Pound is oversold with scope for a solid recovery; “we believe that there appears to be a large dose of “never let the facts get in the way of a good story” to price action.
It added, “This potentially reflects a number of factors, some of which are beyond the remit of this note, but we do think that the “glass half-empty” approach to the UK outlook appears to be the default position for markets, perhaps a legacy from a decade of political and macroeconomic uncertainty and amplified by September 2022.”
The bank expects stronger relations with Europe to help trigger a rebound in pound confidence, especially with positive yields.
MUFG, however, expects the Pound will be vulnerable; “Further evidence of a softening UK labour market this week alongside the loss of growth momentum at the end of last year will keep pressure on the BoE to cut rates further.”
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What’s new in The Sandbox? Follow all our latest news on updates in the web3 gaming metaverse.
23rd January: Ubisoft’s deep tactical PVP Champions Tactics: Grimoria Chronicles has partnered with The Sandbox to launch its voxel-style Champions Tactics avatar collection in the metaverse.
With 2,000 spots available, users can register for the allowlist between 22-28th January. The public mint takes place 29th January at 2pm GMT.
Allowlisted users will be able to mint their avatars to the price of 170 SAND ($93), after which the public sale starts and the price increases to 180 SAND ($99).
In addition to getting a Champions Tactics avatar, users will also unlock three champions in Champions Tactics: Grimoria Chronicles.
13th January:One of web3 gaming’s signature projects, The Sandbox, had an eventful 2024, with its record-breaking Alpha Season 4 closing out the year.
Its largest event to date, alpha #4 garnered over 580,000 unique players who spent a total of 1.4 million hours playing, while completing 49 million quests altogether. Featuring more than 100 experiences from 40 partner brands, players were also incentivised by a significant reward pool containing $2.5 million worth of SAND tokens.
More general highlights throughout the year include:
The Sandbox LAND owners increased to over 25,000.
Avatar ownership grew to 62,000, including 14 new collections.
The Sandbox map exceeded 1,500 published experiences.
750 of those experiences were the result of Game Jams and Builders’ Challenges, which also rewarded creators with over 3 million SAND.
On a more technical side of things, the developer expanded its existing Polygon bridge and released a cross-chain bridge for SAND to Binance and Base. It updated its Game Maker creator tools and Game Client, as well as introduced The Sandbox Launcher for improved downloads.
In June, The Sandbox reached a long-term milestone with the introduction of The Sandbox DAO for its community of LAND and SAND owners. Powered by a 25 million SAND budget, the DAO has seen 17 proposals from various members being approved so far.
Going forward, in 2025 The Sandbox will continue to prioritize improved gameplay and performance. Expanding brand partnerships is also expected. Following the success of Alpha Season 4, more consistent seasons with strong LiveOps and meta-gameplay will be a key focus.
Finally, in what might be the biggest change, The Sandbox is looking to expand its Voxel Games Program by enabling third-party partnership studios to build games on different game engines. Those games will also be available for distribution via a larger range of platforms, including App Store and Steam, while still being part of and interoperable with The Sandbox‘s ecosystem.
4th December: As part of its Alpha Season 4, The Sandbox has unveiled Hero’s Quest, in partnership with one of the world’s leading MMA promotions ONE Championship. The experience is live on the web3 game platform from 2nd to 21st December.
Featuring ONE’s global roster of renowned MMA fighters, Hero’s Quest offers players digital collectibles, including future interoperability features, and provides a channel for ONE to connect with its fanbase.
Released as part of The Sandbox Alpha #4, experience points (EP) collected in Hero’s Quest will count toward users’ Battle Pass progression. Completing all quests in the experience also unlocks eligibility to a share of the 15,000 SAND reward pool. Additionally, an exclusive NFT will be available to claim for those who complete the Respect & Honor quest within Hero’s Quest.
As part of the collaboration, The Sandbox has also announced an exclusive interoperable avatar collection is coming in 2025.
30th October: In the initial two weeks of The Sandbox’s alpha season 4, the game has garnered a total of 276,000 unique players, which have completed over 8.8 million quests, in an average playtime of 64 minutes each.
Notably, over 30,000 alpha passes have also been sold. These are on sale for 25 SAND (around $6) and allow holders to earn x13 more SAND as part of the Battle Pass system than non-holders.
With eight weeks remaining, The Sandbox alpha #4 is well underway to break player and engagement records set by the previous season.
The Sandbox co-founder and CEO Sebastien Borget sees the early success as a sign of the metaverse’s vitality, commenting, “If there’s one thing the first two weeks of The Sandbox’s Alpha Season 4 shows us, it’s that the metaverse is alive and well, and players are hungry for content and experiences.”
“Alpha Season 4 has just begun, and we have eight more weeks of fun, interactive, and immersive gaming and social experiences coming every day.”
As it continues to roll out new content on a regular basis, next up in the season are experiences including The Smurfs, Terminator: Dark Fate, Hellboy (2019), Love Island, and more.
To participate in Alpha Season 4, you can download The Sandbox for free on PC.Signing up for SAND rewards requires KYC.
25th September: Preparing for the release of alpha season 4 – although the exact date is yet to be revealed – The Sandbox has now opened pre-registrations.
In the lead up to the space-themed 10 week long season, anyone with a registered account signing up early will be rewarded with a Gold Space Helmet NFT.
As the season begins, further rewards include a $2.5 million pool of SAND tokens. Alpha season 4 will feature over 100 playable experiences.
22nd August: BharatBox – a joint venture between The Sandbox and the Brinc accelerator – is releasing its first avatar collection, based on Bollywood blockbuster Jab We Met.
Launched in partnership with entertainment outfit Shemaroo – which also is the IP owner – the Jab We Met NFT collection features 3,333 avatars of Geet, the character played by Kareena Kapoor in the film. Holders of Geet will be able to participate in various social and gaming quests in The Sandbox, as well as be in for a chance to win exclusive merch.
Hoping to create new revenue streams for both BharatBox and Shemaroo, the launch marks the start of a wider initiative in which BharatBox will make the Indian market its priority. By leveraging Shemaroo’s 60-year legacy, the developer is aiming to make India its largest market of NFTs and web3 games within the next 2 years. As for other IPs, 22 yards and Great Gambler are also included in the collaboration.
The Sandbox co-founder and COO Sebastien Borget commented, “The Jab We Met avatar collection not only honours a film that has touched many lives but also sets a precedent for how we can keep cinematic wonders relevant and alive for years to come.”
“This launch is a significant step in merging the intent to drive interactive engagement of blockchain and the timeless charm of Bollywood. Going forward, we will see more of such innovations on blockchain and metaverse which will transform fan engagement,” said BharatBox CEO Karan Keswani.
“The launch of the Jab We Met immersive game and digital collectibles represents a significant step in our strategy to leverage the metaverse and expand our digital footprint”, added Shemaroo Entertainment COO Arghya Chakravarty.
14th August: Building on its partnership with Italian professional soccer club SSC Napoli, The Sandboxhas announced it will open four pop-up shops across its UGC experiences in which users can connect with fellow fans, meet Napoli players, and interact with the club.
By visiting all four shops – located within Sports Land, The Bank Job, Temple Escape, and The Legend of the Miners – users will also become eligible for a chance to win tickets to real-life SSC Napoli home games and signed merch. Additionally, an SSC Napoli White Cap has been released which players can by for their avatars.
5th August:The Sandbox’s utility token SAND has integrated support for multiple blockchains, including BNB, Base, and Polygon.
By promoting interconnectedness and interoperability between multiple networks, The Sandbox hopes to expand its player and creator community. Currently featuring BNB, Base and Polygon, it hopes to add support for more chains in the future.
The bridges between these networks are facilitated by LayerZero Labs and its cross-chain interoperability protocol LayerZero.
30th July:The Sandbox has partnered up with NFT marketplace Magic Eden as its preferred marketplace for current trading and future mints.
The deal will see Magic Eden boosting all trading of The Sandbox NFTs by 25% in terms of its Diamonds reward network. Future mints from The Sandbox will also get featured on the Magic Eden homepage for maximum exposure.
In addition, Magic Eden will support the SAND token as a payment currency, and ensure creator royalties are enforced on The Sandbox’s NFT collections.
16th July: A new neighbourhood is being established in The Sandbox – ShowCity – an initiative inspired by a series of reality TV shows. Home to The Voice, Love Island, Hell’s Kitchen, and I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, the neighbourhood will offer various perks to those buying a LAND between 10-19th July.
More specifically, 296 regular plots of LAND are available for sale. Owners of these are eligible for a first-edition physical ShowCity hat. There are also 28 Premium LAND plots up for sale, whose owners will receive a ShowCity bomber jacket.
More significantly, owning a Premium LAND means you will also earn a virtual reality TV asset pack based on each of the four reality TV shows featured in the sale. This includes a pair of The Voice sunglasses, I’m a Celebrity winner’s crown, The Voice buzzer watch and Love Island water bottle. These assets can then be used when building games in the ShowCity neighbourhood using The Sandbox Game Maker. On top of that, owners can expect other “exciting surprise rewards and perks” such as tickets to live recordings of The Voice and Love Island merch.
LAND NFTs are a significant driver of trading volume in The Sandbox, with public LANDs accounting for 44% of total sales in Q4 2023, and private LAND sales up 19%. However, the company’s core focus is UGC and its Game Maker tool. To that end, The Sandbox’s second iteration of its 10-week builders’ challenge is currently underway, rewarding creators with up to 1.5 million SAND tokens.
8th July: The Sandbox has announced a collaboration with Japanese anime series Attack on Titan, which will see the IP launch its own experiences in the blocky metaverse later in 2024. There will also be an NFT sale of land around that location.
26th June: The Sandbox has kicked off the second iteration of its builders challenge. Running from 24th June to 1st September, the Builders Challenge 2 campaign is backed by 1.5 million SAND tokens (worth $500,000).
In order to participate, builders need a Land NFT on which to “publish an innovative game”. Furthermore, they need to interact with their community and collaborate with other creators, in addition to completing KYC.
Participants will also be boosted if they use assets from a selection of The Sandbox’s brands partners, including Snoop Dogg, Steve Aoki, Paris Hilton, Care Bears, Playboy, Ubisoft, Warner Music Group, Deadmau5, The Walking Dead, People of Crypto, Invincible, The Voice, Captain Tsubasa, Fist of the North Star, and The Smurfs.
3rd June: In a collaboration with Hong Kong-based charity Food Angel, The Sandbox has launched the Food Rescue Worldgaming experience.
Food Angel is the first NGO in Hong Kong to enter the platform, highlighting the social initiative called Metaverse for Good, where virtual worlds try to make an impact on real-world causes. The Sandbox already supports a variety of charities, including UNICEF, the French Red Cross, Nori, and WeForest.
Food Rescue World invites players to help Food Angel’s mascot Rice Boy (米仔) complete various virtual quests, including collecting food from markets, preparing it, and then distributing the meals to less well-off families. Completing all Food Rescue World quests grants players coupons from local partners which can be used to directly support Food Angel’s initiatives.
Food Angel founder Ms. Gigi Tung commented, “By utilizing the power of the metaverse to expand our reach to the next generation, we hope to build a deep collaboration with The Sandbox. This innovative approach provides a new way to promote and ensures a sustainable future for our cause.”
“We are proud that The Sandbox team, creators, and players can get involved in Hong Kong Food Angel and make a difference in the lives of local people in need by taking part in the Food Rescue World experience,” added The Sandbox co-founder and COO Sebastien Borget.
31st May: The Sandbox and Monopoly-style metaverse Upland are partnering in a quest to boost community creation and cross-ecosystem engagement.
Effectively, the two companies will establish their presence within each other’s platforms – Upland by building a headquarter in The Sandbox. In turn, The Sandbox will create a neighborhood in one of Upland’s virtual cities.
To mark the collaboration, a joint design competition will be introduced to showcase each other’s communities. Content creators can either make designs for the Upland HQ or voxel-styled structures for The Sandbox forthcoming plot in Upland.
Initially, The Sandbox will drop its neighborhood’s virtual properties in Upland to its LAND owners. In addition, the Upland community will have a chance to win SAND and NFTs by completing tasks in The Sandbox.
“The Sandbox COO and co-founder Sebastien Borget commented, “Our partnership signifies another step towards revolutionizing digital interaction, opening up access for creators and players to connect in new, immersive ways where interoperability drives cross-pollination of creation and innovation between different ecosystems.”
“This is the first collaboration of its kind in web3, where two original platforms work together to enrich the experience for both communities,” added Upland co-founder and co-CEO Dirk Lueth. “This is an exciting level-up for our vision of the Open Metaverse, where players and assets move across platforms for an elevated, immersive web experience.”
More details and a specific timeline of the partnership will roll out at Upland’s in-person Genesis Week live event on 7th June.
28th May: Continuing its mission to decentralize gaming and enhance web3 parameters such as autonomy and digital ownership, The Sandbox has introduced The Sandbox DAO.
This allows The Sandbox’s community of SAND and LAND holders to participate in decision-making relating to their characters and digital identity, upcoming game jams and rewards systems, and integrations for social interactions. More significantly, it also enables members to impact the status of SAND holders and LAND owners based on the number of NFTs they own, as well as decide the distribution and usage of the over 25,000 “blue” LANDS, worth around 25 million SAND, that are held in reserve of The Sandbox Foundation.
Users need a minimum of five SAND tokens or one LAND NFTs to participate in governance decisions.
“We took a first step in decentralizing the economy of the platform by introducing the SAND utility tokens in 2020, to empower the Creators, allowing them to buy and sell virtual plots of LANDS, publish their creations on the marketplace and earn SAND that they could exchange for FIAT globally, without an intermediary on either centralized or decentralized exchanges. Today SAND is a Top 10 Gaming token and Top 100 cryptocurrency, with utilities beyond The Sandbox platform alone, said The Sandbox co-founder Sebastien Borget on X.
“This will allow The Sandbox to continue to exist in full autonomy, building a timeless open world platform that is ruled and governed by its users.”
9th May: Players of The Sandbox can now become a virtual celebrity coach in ITV Studios’ global TV show The Voice, and earn SAND tokens in the process.
The Voice owner ITV Studios has partnered with The Sandbox to bring the new metaverse experience, which is called The Voice Coach Battle, to The Sandbox platform. Also part of the collaboration is metaverse studio Virtual Brand Group.
“The Sandbox is a hub for creativity, discovery, and self-expression, naturally making it the perfect venue for The Voice. We are very excited to collaborate with them and bring the show’s energy into the digital realm,” commented The Sandbox co-founder and CEO Arthur Madrid.
The Voice Coach Battle is based on 155 adaptations of The Voicefrom around the world, where players will be offered a similar experience as the real celebrity coaches on the show. Starting off with a blind audition, players vote for their preferred artist, and then proceed by coaching them on the path to victory.
Players can also follow season 25 of NBC’s The Voice, which is airing now, and choose their favourite artist from the show. By picking the right one, players have a chance to win an exclusive The Voice NFT.
In addition, a 15,000 SAND prize pool will be shared among the players who complete all of the 43 The Voice Coach Battle quests. By completing at least one quest, players can earn exclusive The Voice memorabilia, and there’s also an opportunity to win tickets to a The Voice live show for players who complete the experience and fill out an in-game form.
“Collaborating with ITV Studios and the Sandbox created a unique opportunity for VBG to merge the physical and digital worlds with three innovations: the first time global TV territories have united in one activation; first game experience on the platform with dynamic choices so every player decision creates a new outcome and television’s first ever virtual coaches,” said Virtual Brand Group CEO Justin W. Hochberg, adding “It’s showtime in The Sandbox.”
25th March: A new milestone can be ticked off by The Sandbox, which has now seen more than 1000 user generated experiences published on its map. While many more games have likely been created using The Sandbox‘s VoxEdit tools and Game Maker, not all users have utilised Land NFTs to self-publish their experiences in the metaverse.
Indeed, over 330,000 users, including 200 professional developers, have used the Game maker and VoxEdit tools to create NFTs, games and various experiences over the last 12 months.
The Sandbox now boasts over 5.7 million all-time accounts, more than 25,000 Land NFT owners, as well as 60,000 sold avatars and over 200,000 wallets holding SAND.
To mark the occasion, The Sandbox has announced it’s rewarding creators with an additional 500,000 SAND, which will be added to its Builders’ Challenge creator program. Spanning over 10 weeks, the Builder’s Challenge initially launched with a 1 million SAND pool ($475,000) on 12th February, as an incentive for its community to create and publish engaging experiences on the map.
21st March: On the back of their wildlife exploration trip to Antarctica earlier in 2024, The Sandbox co-founders Arthur Madrid and Sebastien Borget have hinted at forthcoming deforestation initiatives in The Sandbox.
“Seeing the effects of climate change on such a beautiful region of our planet led us to consider ways that we can help. Now more than ever, we’re committed to creating a tangible impact by offsetting the carbon footprint generated by our players, community, and platform. We aim to link our virtual LANDs, avatars, and blockchain activities directly to the regeneration of forests and buying carbon credits,” they wrote in a blogpost following their journey.
Now the first project has been announced. In collaboration with WeForest, a charity working for global forest restoration and conservation, and South Africa-based Addo Football Youth Academy (afya), The Sandbox is launching Path to Glory.
Created by game developer PuzzleBros, the experience revolves around forest conservation and the importance of community involvement in tackling climate change. Players will be able to visit the South African virtual city of Addo, including its National Park, Citrus Plantations, and the forests in the Katanino and Malawi area.
Path to Glory showcases a forest where trees are being cut down, and players will be able to buy NFT Seeds in order to grow new trees in The Sandbox, which will also have the NFT holders name on them. More significantly, each NFT purchased is seen as a donation representing a real tree that WeForest will grow or protect as part of their projects.
The Path to Glory experience is set to launch on Earth Day, 22nd April.
13th February: To incentivise new creators, The Sandbox is kicking off its creator fund with a 1 million SAND ($475,000) challenge. Spanning over 10 weeks, The Builder’s Challenge encourages creators to make engaging experiences in The Sandbox, with the share of rewards being determined by three factors:
Player engagement: The more players engage with an experience, the greater the rewards.
Community growth: The more experiences are published, the larger the SAND pool. Every week that sees over 100 experiences created will increase the prize pool.
Session length: The rewards are also based on the time players engage with an experience.
Starting on 12th February, the event closes on 22nd April 2024.
5th February: The unlock of The Sandbox utility token SAND is expected later this month, 14th February.
206 million token, or 9%, of the token’s circulating supply will be unlocked, which is currently worth around $90 million. The total supply of SAND tokens is 3 billion and with this unlock, 86% of them will be circulating.
Although the approaching unlock hasn’t turned the downward trend of the price of SAND, it seems to have slowed its decrease. While the token is down 44% over the last year, it’s down only 12% over the last month and 5.2% during the last 7 days, as per Coingecko.
More generally, SAND is down 95% since its all-time high in November 2021, but ultimately up 1,385% since its all-time low a year earlier.
12th December: In its latest event called Season’s Greetings, The Sandbox has designed a reward system aimed both at onboarding new players as well as rewarding its existing community. With a generous reward pool totalling 600,000 SAND, 100,000 SAND is up for grabs for everyone playing the game. 200,000 SAND are for avatar holders and half of the pot is designated to LAND holders.
IPs such as The Walking Dead, Warner Music, The Little Prince, Zeptolab, Playboy, Invincible, Gordon Ramsay and DanceFight are among the 60 various experiences playable throughout the event. Running for 43 days during the peak of winter celebrations, the experiences are designed to immerse players into the spirit of winter with snowy landscapes and festive decorations.
Available from 11th December through 22nd January, The Sandbox can be downloaded to PC here. Users need to create an account, and to claim rewards in Season’s Greetings players will need to go through KYC and clear anti-fraud check.
4th December: Two months following its 0.8 release, The Sandbox has launched a major update to its Game Client. Described as one of the most significant updates yet – the current version is 0.9.7 – new key elements include
completely revamped UI,
the introduction of gameplay features such as oxygen consumption, fall damage and buffs and debuffs,
multiplayer features such as rankings and
a new metaverse map available on the dashboard.
To provide overall smoother game performance, The Sandbox has also revamped the engine in Game Client 0.9 leading to faster loading times and better camera and navigation functions.
Reading through the changelog, we also noticed the mention of “implemented graphics quality settings segmentation to support lower-end mobile devices,” which suggests that The Sandbox is preparing to release a mobile version in 2024, although it’s currently unclear whether it would be able to do this via the app stores.
The Sandbox and Ubisoft drop Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix avatar collection
The Sandbox and Ubisoft have teamed up to launch an avatar collection based on Ubisoft TV production Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix. Each of the 3,000 avatars has been created in collaboration with Ubisoft, and will enable The Sandbox users to play as citizens of Eden in the metaverse, while also being able to earn SAND.
Launched on Netflix in October, Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix is an animated series inspired by Ubisoft’s 2013 video game title Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon.
Containing a total of 3,000 avatars, the collection is scheduled for mint 29th November, with allowlist registrations opening 21st November via HeyMint.
The Sandbox set for Cinerama LAND sale 23rd November
The Sandbox has opened registrations for its Cinerama LAND sale raffle which gives users a chance of buying 1 of the totally 487 Cinerama LANDs available. Raffle results will be announced Thursday 23rd followed by the official LAND sale taking place between 23rd-27th November. At the same time, LAND sale auctions start on Opensea.
Cinerama LAND owners could end up with neighbours such as Gordon Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen, Peaky Blinders, The Walking Dead or Clay Nation, to mention a few.
“Ominous” Game Jam in collaboration with Avenged Sevenfold
Registrations are now open for The Sandbox‘s upcoming Game Jam, which is being released in collaboration with US-based heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold. Successful contestants have a chance of getting their games published on the band’s virtual LAND in the metaverse. In addition, creators have a chance of a share from the $15,000 prize pool, which will be distributed in SAND tokens.
Using The Sandbox’s free no-code Game Maker software, with the option of using its VoxEdit software for custom assets, anyone can take part in the Jam by building an experience around the theme of “something ominous lurking in the dark”. However, the full theme will be revealed at the Game Jam kick-off on 13th November. Following this, participants will have until 4th December to submit their games.
The Sandbox buys 111 LAND NFTs to reward its most talented creators
The team behind The Sandbox is preparing for its first global Creators Day in Hong Kong on 3rd November, where creators, brands and The Sandbox’ vast catalogue of partners will meet to pave the way ahead for the leading web3 metaverse.
Ahead of the event, The Sandbox has announced on X that it’s begun a LAND Ignition Initiative to ensure its most dedicated and talented creators get access to LAND for building their metaverse experiences.
To achieve this, the team has purchased 111 LAND NFTs from secondary markets which will become available though Game Jam and other reward contests.
Drecom’s Eternal Crypt — Wizardry BC joins The Sandbox
A collaboration between The Sandbox and mobile game developer Drecom has been announced, enabling the Wizardry franchise to bring its web3 experiences to the metaverse.
Earlier in October, Drecom announced a partnership with Animoca Brands Japan, with a joint intention to expand web3 gaming globally. As part of the efforts, the Drecom-licensed Wizardry IP, which has been adapted to blockchain through Eternal Crypt — Wizardry BC, will be integrated on Animoca Brands’ ecosystem. First stop is The Sandbox, with additional social and gaming experiences aimed at The Sandbox’s 5 million strong user base and players of Eternal Crypt — Wizardry BC.
“We are delighted to be partnering with The Sandbox, a leading company in the Web3 industry. Not only will we have the opportunity to bring “Eternal Crypt — Wizardry BC -” to the many users of The Sandbox, also we hope to learn a lot from their global success in the Web3 space as we work together to boost the Web3 industry,” commented Drecom representative director for Eternal Crypt — Wizardry BC Yuki Naito.
T&B Media Global partners with The Sandbox
Thailand-based entertainment company T&B Media Global has partnered with The Sandbox. Set to bring its Mittaria IP and other story-driven experiences to the metaverse, the collaboration aims to advance The Sandbox’s broader vision of interoperability and seamless navigation between interconnected worlds.
The Sandbox co-founder and COO Sebastien Borget commented, “We are delighted to join hands with T&B Media Global. Their expertise in storytelling and our commitment to cutting-edge technology create a synergy that promises to reshape the landscape of virtual experiences.”
“Together, we will provide users with an unprecedented level of access to immersive storytelling and entertainment, bridging the gap between imagination and reality,” added T&B Media founder and CEO Dr. Jwanwat Ahriyavraromp.
Aavegotchi coming to The Sandbox, 25th October
While brewing under the surface for a while, following the recent launch of its Gotchi-themed Game Center, Aavegotchi has officially announced its partnership with The Sandbox. The launch of its game built in The Sandbox is set to go live Wednesday 25th October, including over 20,000 Aavegotchi NFTs and rewards of over 50K SAND and 5000 GHST distributed between game participants.
No Aavegotchi is required to play the game, however owning one might unlock special benefits.
Clay Nation’s Cardano-based NFTs now compatible with The Sandbox
From Tuesday 26th September, holders of a Clay Nation NFT can unlock its voxel twin VOX-CLAY, which serves as a passport to Clay Nation’s playable experience in The Sandbox.
To do this, users will have to connect their Cardano wallet to a Polygon wallet via Clay Nation’s event listener. This enables the use of VOX-CLAYs in The Sandbox, while keeping the original Clay Nation NFT securely within the Cardano wallet.
Created by the Clay Nation team, this is the first NFT bridge between Cardano and Polygon, where blockchain is proving NFT ownership on Cardano for Polygon interoperability and compatibility with The Sandbox.
The Sandbox, Unstoppable Domains and Smobler announce new metaverse experience
The Sandbox has announced a new partnership with web3 domain provider Unstoppable Domains and The Sandbox-backed metaverse developer Smobler.
Together the trio will launch an in-game adventure called the Unstoppable Experience. Slated for release later in 2023, the experience will include new games, prizes, wearables, and the opportunity for players to acquire exclusive domains.
In additional The Sandbox news, sign-ups for the Lion City Land sale raffle has opened, with the sale starting on 27th September.
Soccer manga Captain Tsubasa avatars coming to The Sandbox
Japanese soccer manga Captain Tsubasa is bringing its avatar collection and playable experience to The Sandbox.
A total of 2060 Tsubasa avatars, designed by the manga’s creator Yoichi Takahashi, will be minted. These are part of Tsubasa’s middle school team and Hyuga’s middle school team from the original series, with the addition of exclusive goalkeeper avatars that are unique to the collection.
Moreover, each avatar features a special Tsubasa styled football themed animation and will enable holders to participate in Captain Tsubasa experiences. Players will also be able to complete quests in return for rewards from a prize pool of 100,000 SAND.
Agoria and The Sandbox launch self-transforming avatars
In partnership with French artist and DJ Agoria, The Sandbox has announced the upcoming launch of Agorians avatar collection. Being the first ever web3 avatar collection with an automatic appearance transformation, the avatar will transform every six hours aligning itself to the real life time of day.
Following the launch, Agoria’s first playable experience, One Life Two Bodies, will become available in the metaverse. From 7th-21st September avatar holders can play One Life Two Bodies, embarking on exclusive quests and in-game requirements, while also having a chance to receive a part of the 100,000 SAND prize pool.
Anime NFT marketplace Hinata by Metagen NFT Labs has announced a new partnership with The Sandbox.
While not many details have been revealed yet, Hinata’s experience in the metaverse will enable players to travel through various lands accompanied by the bravest of waifus.
ZeptoLabs’ Cut the Rope experience in The Sandbox
Cut the Rope game studio ZeptoLab’s partnership with The Sandbox has brought forth a new Om Nom-themed experience in the metaverse.
Called the Om Nom Social Hub, the event offers Om Nom avatar holders an immersive combination of the familiar Cut the Rope franchise, its Om Nom IP, and the virtual world of The Sandbox.
“We were thrilled to combine the familiar magic of Cut the Rope with the new opportunities to play provided by The Sandbox virtual world. As a result, players will get a feeling that they have been transported into a whole new world — permeated with nostalgia but full of fresh challenges”, commented business development director at ZeptoLab Kristina Truvaleva.
The initial Om Nom Social Hub event is exclusive to holders of Om Nom avatars, which were recently announced to have sold out, but will become available to everyone later in 2023. Running between 10th-18th August, the Om Nom Social Hub includes a reward pool of 120,000 SAND for players who complete all quests and in-game requirements.
One of the most high-profile musical avatars are ready for minting in The Sandbox. The Elvis Presley Collection will be released Tuesday 8th August.
In the first stage of the mint only allow listed users, The Sandbox native avatars, land owners and those who have registered through heymint.xyz can take part. Two avatars per wallet can be minted within a 24-hour time period, priced at 100 SAND.
As of the second stage of the mint, the public sale is slated for Wednesday 9th August, where users can mint up to four avatars per wallet.
Revealed on 11th August, each Elvis avatar will be playable in all of The Sandbox’s future multiplayer experiences. More generally, holding avatars within the metaverse will unlock special features and content and serve as way to earn SAND through gameplay.
NFT and metaverse agency D.OASIS is the latest in line to be announced to enter The Sandbox. The partnership will offer players new experiences in D.OASIS City, as well as exclusive benefits such as discounts and promotions from a range of new partnership brands and celebrities. These include Warrix Sports, Dhurakij Pundit University, Index Creative Village, Eventpass, Prakit advertising, and more.
The Sandbox joins hands with the British Museum
Another partnership has been announced, with the British Museum entering The Sandbox.
Looking to offer users digital experiences and NFTs based on the British Museum’s collections, the metaverse joins forces with the museum’s licensing partner laCollection. The latter serves as an NFT hub for museums around the world. Together the two will create NFTs and experiences showcasing historic pieces from the British Museum since its foundation in 1753.
“We are very excited to collaborate with the British Museum to share its incredible collections to new audiences in the metaverse. This is a great opportunity for The Sandbox players, regardless of where they are, to learn about and enjoy the amazing collections of human history, art, and culture in the British Museum,” said COO and co-founder of The Sandbox Sebastien Borget.
The first step towards a fully open metaverse
A first milestone in one of The Sandbox’s long standing intentions to become a fully open metaverse has been reached. Landowners can now submit their early user generated content (UGC) for early launch approval before the major launch later in 2023. Additionally, users can create their own page to market the experience by making it visible at the Land’s location on the map.
Looking to enable the UGC-feature to all The Sandbox Landowners before the end of 2023, this is a first major step in the metaverse’s ambition to empower creative freedom and fuel the worldwide virtual creator economy.
In a statement it says, “Publishing is incredibly exciting to all in The Sandbox ecosystem because it will empower participants by furthering creative freedom and enhancing diversity in the entertainment and gaming industries”.
Infinite Pulse expansion and Land sale
The Sandbox’s music hub Infinite Pulse keeps expanding. Recently added to the musical haven is one of the world’s leading marketplaces for DJs and fans of electronic music, Beatport.
Another recent inclusion of electronic dance music is Swedish duo Galantis.
Also announced to join Infinite Pulse is Dutch artist and musician Young & Sick.
The Inifinte Pulse Land sale is set to start Friday 14th July at 12pm UTC and run for a duration of 4 days.
MetaFight experience coming to The Sandbox
MMA management game MetaFight is entering The Sandbox. The MMA-themed experience will enable users a build their gyms, train up fighters and battle against other players in the eight sided virtual octagon, with new rewards for the most succesful competitors.
“This partnership plays to both of our strengths with MetaFight’s knowledge of MMA gaming and our expansive metaverse and unique gameplay opportunities”, commented The Sandbox’s COO and co-founder Sebastien Borget.
The Sandbox reveals Lion City neighborhood as part of its Asian expansion
Animoca Brands’ subsidiary The Sandbox has released its Singaporean neighborhood Lion City as part of its Singapore Partner Day event. An experience that’s been in development by the metaverse’s local Singapore team for 9 months, the neighborhood consists of 512 virtual land NFTs in the decentralized virtual world Lion City.
A nation which has been at the forefront of innovation and web3 advancements, Singapore was an easy pick for The Sandbox when looking to expand in the southeast Asia region, one of the metaverse’s strongest areas in terms of users, according to COO and co-founder Sebastien Borget.
This is also in line with Animoca Brands’ co-founder and chairman Yat Sui’s recent statements of how the company is looking to expand in regions with more progressive crypto legislation — Singapore and Hong Kong being two of the highest regarded in this respect.
With over 400 global brands including Singapore’s DBS bank already onboard, Lion City is intended to serve as a gateway and launchpad for Southeast Asia, with 35 new brands recently announced to join the metaverse.
“The Sandbox team has laid the foundation for expanding Metaverse opportunities in Singapore by partnering with over 30 brands and IPs. Additionally, we have certified 8 local agencies and will continue to onboard new partners, positioning Singapore as a global hub in web3 and the Metaverse”, says Borget.
Music themed LAND sale Infinite Pulse launches
Set out to become the number one music hub in the metaverse, The Sandbox has launched its latest LAND sale Infinite Pulse. Aimed particularly at music creators, fans, artists, and music brands wanting to make their way in web3, the LAND sale is themed around The Sandbox’s new music neighborhood.
Among some of the plans are virtual concerts and live jam sessions with each LAND owner being able to customize their LANDs with music studios and venues, and more. At its core is a vision of building a decentralized global community for music enthusiasts.
Some of the prominent brands already present in the neighborhood are Warner Music Group, Slipknot, Pixelynx, Blond:ish, Manifest and Elvis Presley.
The Pickaxe Master NFTs playable in The Sandbox
As the metaverse’s first mining experience, The Pickaxe Master will bridge to The Sandbox on Thursday 22nd June. What started as a board game in 2020 turned into an adaptation of a board game in The Sandbox in 2022. Now The Pickaxe Masters’ Lucky Miner NFTs, which launched on Polygon 1st June, can be combined, become clans and families, and will be playable avatars in the metaverse from 22nd June.
Collab with Nuclear Blast to build heavy metal experience
Music keeps playing an integral part to the development of The Sandbox’s cultural experiences. A new partnership has been announced with German independent record label Nuclear Blast, renown for its signing and fostering of some of the most prominent names on the heavy metal scene.
As part of the partnership, a new experience called Blast Valley, including a heavy metal environment created by fans of the genre will enter the metaverse.
“Heavy metal belongs in our platform and provides the opportunity for tremendous creative expression, resulting in an immersive world unlike any other. We’re tremendously excited to make The Sandbox the home of the genre in the metaverse, and look forward to participating in the novel experiences that will launch in Blast Valley”, said The Sandbox‘s COO and co-founder Sebastien Borget.
Partnership with Forkast Labs to index metaverse assets
The Sandbox partners up with global web3 intelligence company Forkast Labs to revolutionize the way digital assets are valued.
As part of the collaboration, Forkast will provide comprehensive coverage and insights into the blockchain games industry as well as utilize Forkast’s multichain infrastructure to make sure that The Sandbox gets increased exposure in global media.
“This is the first and most important step in the maturing of the digital asset space. We are developing the requisite standards that investors, funds, users, and firms will need to agnostically determine value,” commented co-CEO and co-founder of Forkast Labs Angie Lau.
Forkast will produce metaverse indexes for fashion, gaming, music, and other NFT assets in The Sandbox, which means that its partners like Warner Music Group, Gucci Vault, Ubisoft, and about 400 more brand partners would be able to track their assets’ marketing performance in real-time.
“Partnering with Forkast Labs will bring more on-chain data analysis and in-depth articles about the activities happening in the metaverse, contributing to more transparency and a better understanding of how this new technology is transforming the habits and metrics of users exploring and engaging with virtual worlds,” commented co-founder and COO of The Sandbox Sebastien Borget.
Cross-chain interoperability and new experience with Clay Nation
The Sandbox has announced a new partnership with Cardano-based clay animation, NFT and metaverse project Clay Nation. Together they plan to make a step toward cross-chain interoperability. Notably, Clay Nation is the first Cardano project to enter The Sandbox.
As a result of this collaboration, Clay Nation holders will now be able to use their avatars in The Sandbox. Further, Clay Nation will be teaming up with metaverse architects Smobler Studios to bring the Sonic Sands experience to the 2×2 LAND as well as a social hub to the 1×1 LAND.
Sonic Sands will feature ten quests, mini-games, and two social spaces, which are Sonic Sands Central and a concert area.
Collabs with Bilibili International and CryptoNatty
The Sandbox has announced new strategic partnerships with Bilibili International and its authorized crypto-native platform CryptoNatty. The entities plan to create immersive experiences and virtual gaming application scenarios in a virtual space.
With this partnership, The Sandbox will enable the seamless integration of Cheers UP, the first NFT collection by CryptoNatty. To start things off, two Cheers UP pixel-style characters will be integrated into the metaverse.
“We are thrilled to partner with Bilibili International to bring unique content into The Sandbox. We strongly believe that the combination of Bilibili International’s vibrant community and The Sandbox’s immersive metaverse will create extraordinary experiences for users,” commented COO and co-founder of The Sandbox Sebastien Borget.
Cultural icon The Little Prince experience in the metaverse
French media and entertainment producer Mediawan Kids & Family is collaborating with The Sandbox to bring a new experience based on its iconic character The Little Prince to the metaverse. Marking the 80th anniversary since the book’s first publication, The Little Prince immersive experience will be available to The Sandbox’ global audience.
President of Mediawan Kids & Family Julien Borde comments, “Kids & Families around the world dream with the Little Prince since 80 years and we are thrilled to explore new ways of storytelling to perpetuate Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s values and bring them to new audiences.”
Via its main label Method Animation, Mediawan Kids & Family has been working with the Saint-Exupéry-d’Agay estate for many years to adapt the world of The Little Prince to today’s audiences.
“Bringing The Little Prince – one of the most globally known cultural icons of our times – into The Sandbox open metaverse is a meaningful moment for me,” said COO and co-founder of The Sandbox Sebastien Borget.
Korean TV network Channel A bringing new content to The Sandbox
South Korean cable TV network Channel A is bringing new IPs and broadcasting to The Sandbox. With shows like “The Fishermen and the Sea”, “The Iron Squad” and dating show “Heart Signal”, the broadcaster is looking to bring their IPs to the metaverse, as well as create new NFTs and contents that couldn’t be showcased on the shows.
“We are looking forward to collaborating with other companies in more engaging and enjoyable ways on the new platforms. We anticipate that collaborations that were once done only offline can now also take place in the metaverse,” comments Channel A.
BBC finds new home in the metaverse
A new trio has been announced in the web3 space, consisting of The Sandbox, BBC Studios and web3 specialist Reality+. Aiming to bring new experiences to the metaverse, its users can look forward to content from brands like Top Gear and Doctor Who.
“I’m delighted that BBC Studios is partnering with Reality+ and The Sandbox on this exciting venture. While the metaverse is still in its infancy, it may shape how we consume and experience entertainment in the future and I’m looking forward to seeing how fans interact with our brands in this space“, said president of brands & licensing at BBC Studios Nicki Sheard.
With this collaboration BBC is entering new ground as it’s the company’s first established home in the metaverse.
COO and co-founder at The Sandbox, Sebastien Borget, added, “We’re proud that BBC Studios chose Reality+, a certified metaverse agency partner working on The Sandbox platform, to enter the metaverse with top global brands like Doctor Who and Top Gear. The BBC has a history of pioneering content that leverages the latest technology and putting it into mainstream households. We think this venture is an important step to bringing British culture and fans into virtual worlds.”
Looking to put sustainability at its core, with Offsetra and Nori to boost carbon offsetting and WeForest helping with reforestation efforts, the project is set to launch later in 2023.
New avatars by Paris Hilton
According to a new tweet by celebrity and entrepreneur Paris Hilton, she will be dropping new avatars in The Sandbox. The upcoming 5,555 avatars are all set to feature Hilton’s iconic looks and costumes. The allowlist for the avatars opens on May 24th.
Players also have a chance to get their hands on 11 1-of-1 NFTs, which are also the tickets to Hilton’s sold out show in LA. Further details of minting and sales will be revealed soon.
Reaching 1 million gasless transactions
Every day we see new partnerships announced in the web3 games industry, some more significant than others.
One such collaboration was recently highlighted by The Sandbox, as a reminder of how far the leading web3 metaverse has come since February 2022. At the time it signed a deal with Biconomy to provide gasless transactions for migrating LAND, following a flagged vulnerability in the smart contract.
Since first being deployed on Polygon and bridging its LAND and SAND token in 2022, The Sandbox and its community have completed 1 million “gasless transactions”, with the help of Biconomy. 200,000 unique wallets have benefited with The Sandbox paying 18,000 MATIC to cover the gas for these users’ transactions.
And now the company has announced plans to similarly cover all transactions and fees that would have been paid in the SAND token.
“Building on Polygon offers us the opportunity to reduce our carbon footprint and optimize on-chain transactions to reduce costs for our community. We couldn’t be more excited to continue along this path as pioneers of developing a greener metaverse ecosystem”, The Sandbox states in a blogpost.
South Korean pop, village and NFTs enter the metaverse
Owned by Cube Entertainment, one of the top entertainment companies in South Korea, K-Village is a space in The Sandbox where Korean culture gets represented, with several landmarks from Seoul, IPs and much more.
Holders of one of the new K-Village NFTs can enter a draw and have a chance to win an Anibear T-shirt. Holders who have all of the 20 K-village NFTs will get an Anibear NFT as a reward.
Anicube, a joint venture between Cube Entertainment and Animoca Brands, has further announced K-pop performances for their Music Metaverse theme. All of these events are set to take place on the musician planet and mainstage. Additionally, the Anicube NFT collection has dropped and it includes collectibles like music drone, music bot, Anibear hologram, and more.
As in the case of the K-Village NFT collection, if players own an Anicube NFT they can win an Anibear T-shirt, and those who own all 20 Anicube NFTs will be rewared with an Anibear NFT.
Both the K-Village NFT collection and the Anicube collection will be available for purchase through The Sandboxmarketplace from May 11th, 2023.
Interoperability in focus with Affyn partnership
“We couldn’t be more excited to unveil our partnership with The Sandbox. Our shared belief and vision of an open metaverse is the driving force behind this collaboration,” commented Lucaz Lee, the CEO and co-founder of Affyn.
Singaporean web3 game developer Affyn has partnered with The Sandbox to create interoperable metaverse experiences. Affyn is focused on creating Nexus World, a mobile free-to-play, play-and-earn, geolocation-based metaverse.
“We’re excited to see more platforms embracing interoperability as a choice rather than working in independent silos and we hope that this brings forth more creative opportunities and exciting use-cases to collaboratively grow the metaverse experience,” said the Head of Singapore Sandbox, George Wong.
In the upcoming keynote event Evolution on May 10th, Affyn will share glimpses of its metaverse Nexus World. More details about their projects, where The Sandbox is one of the main partners, are also set to be revealed.
Get creative in the Steve Aoki Game Jam
Steve Aoki has teamed up with The Sandbox for Steve Aoki Game Jam. Starting from May 8th, players can submit their entries inspired by the music artist, with the goal to explore Aoki’s perspective and create a game experience around it.
The best games will receive a reward from the 50,000 SAND prize pool, and 100 participants will be rewarded 100 SAND each. Apart from this, there are awards for best idea and best design.
The deadline for the submission is May 21st, at 3pm UTC. Following the voting, which will take place May 22nd till June 4th, the results will be announced on June 10th, 2023. For more details, rules, and T&Cs, check out the competition post.
Gamer Arena partnership events launched
The Sandbox and Gamer Arena, one of Turkey’s leading gaming platforms, partner up to bring unique, interactive experiences to the metaverse.
Through this collaboration Gamer Arena’s “Challenge & Earn” model will be integrated with The Sandbox’s model of “Play, Create, Earn”. Gamer Arena is looking to leverage blockchain technology and deliver immersive, interactive experiences through The Sandbox. Users will be able to participate in various virtual events, compete against each other, showcase their skills and earn rewards in SAND and GAU.
“We’re thrilled to be partnering with The Sandbox, as it represents a new frontier in gaming and offers us the opportunity to create cutting-edge experiences for our users,” commented Gamer Arena’s CEO Kerim Yılmaz.
The events will go live on May 2nd, and be available for 14 days. Users can experience various tournaments sponsored by The Sandbox in the Gamer’s Arena.
With 17 various partnerships, the cultural hub of Greater China Mega City 3, is hosting the third phase of its LAND sale in The Sandbox. The raffle started on April 26th, while the LAND sale and auction will go live on May 11th.
To be a part of the raffle, users are required to have at least 1,011 SAND, bridged to Polygon, in their wallets. Starting on April 26th at 3PM UTC, the raffle will conclude on May 11th at 11AM UTC. Users can grab from 222 regular LANDs and 12 premium LANDs. Both raffles will run simultaneously.
The premium LANDs are themed closely with the IPs like Angela Ho, Macau EC, Meet48, and more. Premium NFTs are bundled with the premium LANDs, so owner will receive NFTs as well. As a part of this sale, players can purchase
222 Regular LANDs
12 Premium LANDs
6 Estates
12 1×1 LANDs
The winners of the raffle will then be able to buy their LAND from May 11th to May 15th. The Mega City 3 LAND sale second chance auctions are scheduled for May 15th to May 17th. Further, the Estate and 1×1 LAND auctions will run from May 11th to May 15th on OpenSea.
With the raffle and the sale, users have an opportunity to get LAND besides HKUST, Nouns, Softstar and other popular Chinese industry leaders.
Find out more about the LAND sale in The Sandbox’s detailed blogpost.
Liberty Legends coming to The Sandbox May 3rd
Liberty Gaming, the guild turned web3 gaming platform, has partnered with The Sandbox to introduce a new experience in the metaverse.
Titled Liberty Legends, the new experience will go live on Wednesday 3rd May and contain football, basketball, races, and other quests for players to participate in.
Liberty’s experience will also be supported by its partners, which include Galaxy Blitz Game, Supa Foundation, Meta Strike, Dragon Master, Nemesis Downfall, Swords of Blood, Surf Guild, and more
With these 12 partners, Liberty Gaming has created a contest for players to find the 12 logos hidden in the metaverse city. Players who successfully find the logos will be rewarded with prizes.
Q1 project update
The Sandbox has released a project update of its completed progress during Q1 2023. We’ve summarized some of the development team’s key work.
The Game Maker continues to be a primary focus. The 0.8 version saw nearly 30,000 downloads and over 10,000 experiences created. Users can look forward to new Game Maker updates which will have a multiplayer-first focus and include features such as enhanced visual FX, timed events, and performance enhancements.
VoxEdit added multi-selection features, improved hotkeys and contextual menus. The Marketplace also had a strong start with over 34,000 assets created with VoxEdit and 4,119 NFTs sold.
LAND ownership grew by 2%, with over 23,500 LAND owners globally, and Voxel Madness LAND Sale generated over $1 million worth of SAND sales. The team highlights its commitment to assets and will incorporate new utility features to increase holder benefits.
In terms of players, over 100,000 unique players entered the metaverse this quarter, generating 1.73 million experience visits across 25 events. Additionally, over 150,000 avatars were customized and over 20,000 avatars equipped.
The Sandbox has also made a key update for new users, who can now create an account using just their email and password, without the need of a web3 wallet.
New partnerships have been added, virtual AMAs hosted, and German game development studio Sviper Gmbh has been acquired by The Sandbox.
“As we continue to work towards fully opening The Sandbox, our team is more energized than ever to build the platform that our incredible community deserves – one that shines as a world-leading virtual space for limitless creativity, innovation, and gaming.” Read the full Q1 project update here.
Collaboration with Open Campus
The Sandbox has collaborated with Open Campus to bring immersive education to web3. Both entities share the goal of bringing global communities together to support, inform, educate, and entertain.
Open Campus is all set to acquire land in The Sandbox and build educational experiences. Users will be able to visit this part and interact with fun learning experiences, complete missions, and take courses by TinyTap, and other partners.
To mark this collaboration, Open Campus has also announced a special giveaway. About 500 eligible land holders will receive a Silver Notebook NFT, which will give them early access and some other perks.
The Wild Ones mint in partnership with The Sandbox
‘Dance your way through the metaverse’ with DanceFight’s The Wild Ones street dancer NFT avatars minting in collaboration with The Sandbox.
10 of the world’s top street dancers will be represented by 3,130 unique avatars, which have been co-created with the dancers themselves. Each dancer is also set up to receive the majority of sales from each avatar purchase.
Mint date is 18th April, where allowlist users can mint up to two NFT avatars per wallet. The public sale starts 19th April, and will allow users to mint up to four avatars per wallet.
The Marathon City bringing Los Angeles landmarks to the metaverse
In collaboration with The Marathon, The Sandbox metaverse will be enriched by remade landmarks of Los Angeles in the project The Marathon City. In legacy of west coast rapper Nipsey Hussle, the founder of The Marathon brand, the experience will give players a chance to interact, compete, and visit reimagined key locations throughout Los Angeles.
The Marathon City LAND aims to be “a positive space that embraces creativity and celebrates the legacy and values of Nipsey Hussle.”
The Sandbox is collaborating with the Playground Studios to create a unique metaverse world for fans of NBA star and trendsetter LaMelo Ball. Aiming to create a digital playground for creators, collectors and fans, the initiative will also focus on educating users on how to leverage blockchain in a safe manner.
The first event is set to start 17th April and run to 1st May.
Players can experience OliveX’s Fitness City in The Sandbox from Tuesday 11th to Monday 17th of April. In an attempt to complete various quests players will have to overcome challenges such as labyrinths, obstacles, ladders and find hidden corners.
As part of the event, players can also experience Polygon’s leading move-and-own game Dustland Runner, by starting in The Sandbox from the iconic New Alice Springs.
The launch also marks the debut of playable avatars for Gym A Club holders.
The Sandbox introducing Netmarble world
South Korean mobile gaming giant Netmarble has joined hands with The Sandbox. Initially, The Sandbox will introduce a ‘Netmarble IP LAND’ within its Korean-focused K-Verse, a 6×6-sized plot where players can immerse themselves in a Netmarble-inspired experience.
The Sandbox has published its highly anticipated roadmap updates.
Some of the features included will see LAND owners able to further personalise their LANDs and publish them for everyone to enjoy, and creators to sell their creations in the marketplace, as well as new $SAND staking pools.
For more details, read the LAND owner roadmap update in full.
The Sandbox kicks off its April Festival. This meta-event is accessible to all and will run from April 5th to May 2ndm, with mystery boxes, exclusive events, and new prize pools including 1.15 million $SAND in rewards.
The Sandbox join forces with Ledger. To offer a higher level of security integration to its brand partners, The Sandbox has announced a new partnership with Ledger Enterprise, the enterprise arm of hardware wallet company Ledger.
The Sandbox has announced a new partnership with Havas Play, Vivendi’s new global comms brand. In particular, the partnership will help empower the already strong client brands and communities active within Havas, while expanding its offerings in highly-immersive, interactive experiences.
The Sandbox announces new IPs coming to the metaverse. deadmau5, the popular electronic music producer and DJ, has made several appearances in The Sandbox. Along with Smearballs, the director, animator, and visual artist, deadmau5 has created ‘Head5′, a collection of 5,555 generative avatars.
The Sandbox partners with AIMC (a subsidiary of Astory), a global entertainment company. With this collab, one of the most-watched K-dramas on Netflix, ‘Extraordinary Attorney Woo’ will enter The Sandbox.
The show’s story revolves around Woo Young Woo, a witty, high-functioning female rookie attorney on the autism spectrum, who gets fixated on a whale that acts as a visual cue for Woo.
Together, AIMC and The Sandbox will recreate some of the popular locations like the courtroom, Woo Young Woo kimbap restaurant, Hanbada office, and more along with the floating blue whale.
In addition to this, AIMC has also launched ‘Extraordinary Whale Club’ – an NFT project to spread awareness about autism.
Charles & Keith, the Singapore-based global fashion brand has opened up their first CHARLESKEITHHAUS in The Sandbox. The virtual shops will have an opening event from March 13th to March 27th. The playhouse will display the 2023 Spring Collection – A State of Play.
To top it all off, the K-pop artist APOKI will be hosting a rooftop party. This party will also feature a virtual runway that will display the latest collection. The 2023 spring collection will be made available in the shops for purchase later.
Madballs, the foam and rubber bouncing balls that became popular during the 1980s, will now have a digital form asThe Sandbox is all set to take it to the metaverse. The iconic toys had an icky appearance, odd names, and a weird character synopsis for each Madball.
In The Sandbox, Madballs will take on a digital form. The original Madball characters will be revived as collectible avatars. The metaverse project promises that “Each Avatar will be based on the original, outrageously disgusting Madballs characters, plus never-before-seen designs from the ’80s, featuring ghastly faces, grotesque names, and disruptively funny attitudes to match.”
The Sandbox, the virtual world and Animoca Brands subsidiary, has announced its newest acquisition, this time of the German game developer Sviper GmbH. Founded in 2016 and known for its creative excellence working with major brand partners and its senior-level talent, Sviper has been a growing player ever since. (1st March)
‘Parisland’ is coming to The Sandbox. As a special Valentine’s Day celebration, this new collaborative experience is built as a romantic adventure on a tropical island and features Paris Hilton. In the new experience, which will be available exclusively in The Sandbox, players will participate in an in-game dating reality show hosted by Paris Hilton, where they will interact with five potential romantic partners.
The Sandbox has announced a partnership with ZeptoLab, the development studio behind Cut the Rope, among others. The partnership will bring new experiences to the metaverse through the creation of a new space and web3 engagement with the ZeptoLab community.
ZeptoLab will have its own special LAND, enabling players to manage the Om Nom Cafe within Nomville, while serving customers as part of an exciting arcade management game based on the developer’s popular game.
Foreign exchange analysts at Nordea expect dollar strength to dominate for much of the year. It sees the risk of GBP/USD sliding to at least 1.15 with an end-2025 forecast of 1.17.
In contrast, Bank of America expects GBP/USD gains to 1.38.
US data did not have a significant impact during the week, although a weaker-than-expected business confidence report did undermine the US currency on Friday.
The primary attention was on President Trump’s policy agenda. His call for lower interest rates and no immediate move to impose tariffs helped trigger a correction for the dollar.
UK data was mixed with more substantial earnings growth offset by weaker consumer confidence and mixed business confidence data.
UK bonds were relatively stable, which helped underpin the Pound amid an element of short-covering
In this environment, the Pound to Dollar (GBP/USD) exchange rate posted significant gains to 1.2480 from 1.2170.
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According to Nordea, “We expect that the strong US economy and weak economic activity in the rest of the world will lead to a strong dollar year. The economic gap might even grow larger and result in an even stronger dollar.”
Nordea also expects that US trade policies will support the dollar.
It added; We think EUR/USD will fall down to parity, but would not be surprised if the economic gap widens and the currency pair drops below parity.
GBP/USD will inevitably struggle if EUR/USD slides below parity.
ING noted that in real terms, the dollar is at 40-year highs, maintaining speculation that the Administration will look to drive the currency lower.
According to the bank, “We cannot see that happening this year, although Washington may try to find a way to get trading partners to strengthen their currencies under the threat of tariffs. Such a policy could just about be read as consistent with also wanting to maintain the dollar as the pre-eminent reserve currency.”
Nevertheless, it added, “For the time being, however, the narrative of US exceptionalism is alive and well, the tariff threat remains real and we doubt the Fed will knock the dollar off its perch.”
Morgan Stanley sees scope for a dollar reversal; “While dollar bulls are numerous and perhaps most vocal in expressing their views, there seems to be a more ‘silent’ plurality of investors looking to sell the dollar instead. Many have dry powder and are waiting for a sign to enter shorts.”
It added, “Investors may be far more willing to add dollar shorts sooner and with higher conviction than dollar bulls may anticipate,” wrote the strategists. “For them, it’s more a question of timing rather than direction.”
Bank of America considers that the Pound is oversold with scope for a solid recovery; “we believe that there appears to be a large dose of “never let the facts get in the way of a good story” to price action.
It added, “This potentially reflects a number of factors, some of which are beyond the remit of this note, but we do think that the “glass half-empty” approach to the UK outlook appears to be the default position for markets, perhaps a legacy from a decade of political and macroeconomic uncertainty and amplified by September 2022.”
The bank expects stronger relations with Europe to help trigger a rebound in pound confidence, especially with positive yields.
MUFG, however, expects the Pound will be vulnerable; “Further evidence of a softening UK labour market this week alongside the loss of growth momentum at the end of last year will keep pressure on the BoE to cut rates further.”
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