Welcome back to V3RSD and thank you for being here! This is Subnation’s weekly roundup of relevant, interesting, and hard-hitting stories from the web3, gaming, and tech spaces. The following five articles cover the topics from our 5Cs: Culture, Content, Community, Conversation, and Commerce. Enjoy, and let us know what you think by leaving a comment!
The largest city in China, Shanghai, released a plan to renovate its tourism industry. They plan to highlight Chinese culture with things like augmented reality tourist guides, entertainment experiences in the metaverse, and artificial intelligence.
A new blockchain game has joined the likes of Blankos Block Party on the Epic Games Store. Gods Unchained from Immutable is an NFT trading card game. Hopefully, this marks the continuation of widespread adoption of blockchain gaming!
Mythical Games’ mobile football game, NFL Rivals, has been downloaded 1 million times! The free-to-play blockchain title also boasts around two hours of playtime per day per player and has consistently been rated over 4 out of 5 stars on both app stores.
Coinbase released a new report revealing that 52% of Fortune 100 companies began work on crypto-related projects, starting in 2020. These same companies have invested over $8 billion into blockchain startups since 2017.
There is talk that augmented reality mirrors could replace retail stores in the future. Studies have shown that AR experiences that allow customers to try on clothing may become a $20.63 billion industry by the year 2030.
If you’re interested in learning more on any of these topics, you can read the full articles below.
CULTURE
Shanghai’s Metaverse Masterplan: Transforming Culture and Tourism into a $6.9 Billion Industry
The Metaverse Insider — Shanghai, China’s largest city and financial capital, has unveiled an ambitious plan to develop its culture and tourism metaverse projects into a thriving industry.
With the goal of generating an annual revenue of 50 billion yuan (US$6.9 billion) by the end of 2025, Shanghai aims to leverage the power of immersive technologies to enhance its cultural and tourism offerings. This strategic move aligns with the city’s vision to become a global leader digitally while attracting domestic and international visitors to explore its rich cultural heritage.
Building a Thriving Metaverse Industry: The concept of a metaverse refers to a virtual reality-based world where individuals can engage with digital environments and interact with others in real-time. Shanghai’s plan centers around creating an extensive metaverse ecosystem that encompasses various cultural and tourism experiences, leveraging advanced technologies to captivate audiences. The city’s abundant historical landmarks, vibrant arts scene, and diverse cultural traditions provide an ideal foundation for this transformative initiative.
Through the integration of immersive technologies like augmented reality, and others, Shanghai intends to bring its cultural heritage to life in unprecedented ways…[cont]
CONTENT
Web3 game Gods Unchained joins Fortnite, League of Legends on Epic Games Store
The Block — Gods Unchained, a blockchain-based trading card game, has launched on the Epic Games Store.
Operated by Fortnite creator Epic Games, the storefront sells popular video game titles such as FIFA 23, Among Us, Red Dead Redemption, Grand Theft Auto V and League of Legends. Gods Unchained’s entry onto the platform marks a step toward web3 games reaching mass audiences.
“This move represents our unwavering commitment to expanding our reach and breaking new ground in order to capture the attention of a wider audience who may not be aware of our game’s existence outside the confines of the web3 gaming bubble,” Daniel Paez, vice president of revenue and executive producer for God’s Unchained, told The Block.
Gods Unchained parent firm Immutable develops the NFT-focused Layer 2 scaler Immutable X. The company raised $200 million in Series C funding last year, netting the firm a $2.5 billion valuation…[cont]
COMMUNITY
NFL Rivals Scores 1M Downloads for NFT-Based Mobile Game
CoinDesk — NFL Rivals, a free-to-play game from Mythical Games, has managed to score over a million downloads despite debuting amidst a harsh crypto environment and in the off-season of the NFL itself.
Debuting on April 26 in the Google Play and Apple Stores, the game was met with early enthusiasm, rising to the top spot in the App Store, which Mythical Games CEO John Linden captured on Twitter at the time:
“Amazing first day for NFL Rivals!! #1 Sports game in the App Store!! #6 so far out of ALL games in the App Store!! @PlayNFLRivals Very proud of the entire @playmythical team! Thank you to the @nfl and @NFLPA for partnering with us!!”
Linden told CoinDesk that while hitting milestones like 1 million downloads is exciting, he’s more interested in how well the game has been received. “We’re sitting at a 4.8 out of five on [the App Store] with nearly 22,000 reviews, which is great.” [cont]
CONVERSATION
More than 50% of Fortune 100 companies report blockchain initiatives, Coinbase finds
The Block — It looks like the crypto space might be bigger than the exchanges, DeFi projects, and trading firms that typically make news headlines.
As per a new report conducted by crypto exchange Coinbase, more than 50% of Fortune 100 companies have had crypto projects in the works at varying stages of development since the beginning of 2020. Currently about 60% of Fortune 100 projects have been underway since the start of 2022.
Titled “The State of Crypto: Corporate Adoption,” the report revealed 52% of Fortune 100 companies are investing in crypto or blockchain initiatives since the start of 2020. As of Q2 2023, 70% of Fortune 100 companies with crypto initiatives were in the publicly launched stage, the highest level since Q1 2020.
The report is based on an analysis of Fortune 100 web3 activity by The Block Research, and a survey of Fortune 500 executives conducted by a third-party research firm on behalf of Coinbase…[cont]
COMMERCE
Could AR Mirrors Replace Brick-And-Mortar Stores?
VRSCOUT — According to a recent report by SourceJournal, Zero10, the official augmented reality (AR) partner of Coach, is developing technology that could revolutionize the in-person shopping experience.
Last week at Viva Technology Paris, the fashion AR try-on company revealed its new AR Store prototype. Composed of a Zero10 AR Mirror, iPad stand, and statistics screen, this standalone experience allows customers to try on and purchase virtual garments without the hassle of having to physically remove their existing clothes.
According to Zero10, AR Store takes up roughly 3 square meters and features the same functionality as a traditional 100-square-meter brick-and-mortar store. Whereas the company’s previous AR Mirrors were designed to work with existing locations, AR Store is designed to operate independently as an “autonomous retail agent.” [cont]
That’s all from us here at Subnation this week. Thank you for joining us for V3RSD! If you’d like this directly in your inbox every Monday, you can sign up HERE.
