Edition #1 - 21 JAN 2022
Check out the full Newzoo's 2022 gaming market prediction.
gaming and metaverses
Gaming to remain the biggest metaverse trend in 2022;
Despite the recent crypto slide, NFT and blockchain gaming growth remains strong, NFT sales volumes surge 161% during last week, totalling $2.53 billion;
Splinterlands named the top blockchain game last week, with more than 515,000 active wallets connected to the game’s smart contracts in the week commencing 10th January;
Tennis Australia has partnered with Decentraland to host the Australian Open (AO), which will be the first official tennis grand slam in the metaverse;
Microsoft bets big on the metaverse by acquiring Activision Blizzard at a 45% premium, in a deal valued $68.7 billion.
vr developments
Disney is optimistic that VR will showcase a clear implementation of metaverse to the physical world;
Apple reportedly does not intend to follow Meta (formerly Facebook) in their metaverse push - instead, the company's "mixed reality" headset will be focused on shorter periods of gaming, communication, and content consumption.
zen portfolio highlight
This week we highlight our portfolio company Ertha, a real world simulation, crypto based NFT game featuring a player driven economy, wars and politics.
With a backing of top tier VC funds, 20,000 NFT sales to date and yielding an ROI of circa 2,000% since it's record breaking 4th of January listing on Huobi Prime, Ertha is already in pole position to be the leading metaverse.
Find out more about Ertha and keep in-the-loop with the latest developments on Twitter, Discord and Telegram.
defi
The first decentralised bond market, SuperBonds, launches on Solana after raising over $3 million during an oversubscribed Seed round in November. DeFi’s debutant fixed-interest rate market aims to pioneer anchored yield instrument alternatives for stablecoin returns;
Multichain, the premier Cross Chain Router Protocol, has warned of a potential security breach affecting the platform. Two days later, reports of stolen funds emerge, with user losses reaching an estimated $3 million.
funding rounds
Animoca Brands closes another funding round (its 4th since May) by raising $358.8 million with a pre-money valuation of over $5 billion.
DeFi API start-up Conduit raises $17 million with a round lead by Portage Ventures, including the ex-partner of a16z, Rex Salisbury;
DeFi Alliance, a web3 start-up accelerator raises $50 million in a bid to shift to DAO structure;
Stader Labs, a Luna staking management platform, raises $12.5 million from Three Arrows, Accel and GoldenTree, closing the round at a valuation of $450 million.
Governments around the world are tightening cryptocurrency regulations, with Singapore and UK watchdogs announcing proposals to limit crypto advertising.
