Final Fantasy creator Square Enix is set to double down on blockchain game development despite turbulence in the crypto market, according to a Jan. 1 letter from the company's president, Yosuke Matsuda. The letter, titled “A New Year’s Letter from the President,” aimed to recap the company’s major accomplishments in 2022 and explain its plans for 2023. Out of 15 paragraphs, seven were about blockchain gaming, showing that blockchain gaming is a major focus of the company’s investing strategy going forward. ⚔An introduction to SYMBIOGENESIS ①⚔ Starting from today we'll begin introducing Symbiogenesis, starting from the concept✨ Symbiogenesis is a …

Play-to-earn gaming enabled by blockchain technology has grown exponentially over the few years. Gamers have embraced the opportunity to collect cryptocurrencies or nonfungible tokens ( NFTs ) that have been produced in blockchain-based games. Through the advent of this new technology, players have been able to generate income by selling in-game NFTs or earning cryptocurrency rewards, both of which can be exchanged for fiat cash. Because of this , according to data from Absolute Reports , the estimated value of the GameFi industry will grow to $2.8 billion by 2028, with a compound annual growth rate of 20.4% over the …

In this week’s newsletter, read about investment giant Fidelity planning to enter the nonfungible token (NFT) space and how Italy’s NFT market will grow. Check out how North Korean hackers use phishing websites to target NFT holders and listen to a conversation with Crypto Raiders in the NFT Steez podcast. And, don’t forget this week’s Nifty News featuring Japanese gaming firm Square Enix investing millions in an NFT game developer. Fidelity plans NFT marketplace and financial services in the metaverse On Dec. 21, investment firm Fidelity filed three trademark applications to the United States Patent Trademark Office. The trademark filings …

As blockchain gaming gains broader adoption, 3 out of 4 game developers are expecting to work on Web3 game projects in the future, according to a recent survey. Blockchain entertainment firm Coda Labs commissioned a survey, targeting game developers to have a peek at their thoughts about Web3. After conducting the survey, the researchers found that a majority of the respondents believe that Web3 gaming is on its way to their firms. 75% of the participants expect to work on Web3 projects in the future. Apart from this, more than half of the survey participants believe that Web3 will revolutionize …

The appointment of one of Activision Blizzard's highest-ranking executives to a leadership position at Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) parent Yuga Labs has been seen as a boon for its metaverse efforts and another sign of validation of the crypto industry. On Dec. 19, Yuga Labs confirmed it has appointed Daniel Alegre, the current president and chief operating officer of Activision Blizzard as its new CEO, who will take the helm of the company in the first half of 2023, succeeding the current CEO Nicole Muniz. Activision Blizzard, a gaming giant with a market cap of around $60 billion, according …

As the GameFi space continues its journey to attract gamers to a new gaming paradigm, community members shared their takes on what they think a mature GameFi project needs to succeed. From creating e-sports competitions with huge prize pools to making the game tokens more relevant for the token holders, GameFi community members shared their takes on what the space needs. One Reddit user suggested that GameFi projects need to appeal to several target audiences. This includes whales who will provide funding, earners who are mostly kids and people from developing countries and those who play for fun that will …

Over the last year the crypto, and greater Web3 industry has seen a rollercoaster of loss, growth and innovation - and the data shows. In the latest industry report from cryptocurrency exchange Huobi, "Global Crypto Industry Overview and Trends", trends and stats were pulled from the industry on everything from nonfungible tokens (NFTs) and the metaverse, to centralized exchange (CEX) usage and regulations. Despite the turmoil of major events like the FTX collapse, LUNA’s implosion, and 3AC bankruptcy, the industry still accounted for approximately 320 million crypto users worldwide in the last year. While the total amount of investment and …

The Web3 gaming awards event, the GAM3 Awards, hosted by Polkastarter Gaming, has announced 16 winners at a live event on December 15. According to an announcement shared with Cointelegraph, prize winners will share over $1M worth of prizes sponsored by companies such as Immutable X, Blockchain Game Alliance, Machinations, Ultra, Naavik, Galxe, Hacken, Venly, HackenProof, Shorooq, Elixir, Arcade, and MetaCon. congratulations to all the winners in our inaugural 2022 #GAM3Awards ✨ we can’t wait to see what’s in store for you, and the entire industry in 2023. for more information & a recap of the awards, visit ➡️ https://t.co/uK4Ymsc65d …

In the months following the announcement of my company’s first experimental title, Cyberstella, visits to my personal LinkedIn profile increased by an astonishing 300%. What does this tell us about the rising trend of anonymous developers popping up in every Web3 community to spam users with investment opportunities and then disappear from the face of the Earth? Well, it spells out trouble for anonymous crypto developers who think they can get away with never putting their face where the money is, so to speak. The fundamental principle behind crypto investing is a two-step process: Issue your project’s native token, leverage …

While some gamers are against nonfungible token (NFT) integration for games, a large portion are willing to play if they are given opportunities to earn cryptocurrency, according to a recent survey. In an announcement, fintech firm Zeebedee published the results of a study that surveyed gamers based in the United States to measure their exposure to crypto and their sentiments toward blockchain gaming. The researchers found that 67% of the respondents are more likely to play free games if the games offered crypto rewards. Out of the survey participants, 45% believe that there are benefits in being able to trade …

The GameFi champion and metaverse developer Animoca Brands has a billion-dollar fund in its plans, according to a report from Nikkei Asia on Nov. 30. Animoca Brands’ co-founder Yat Siu said in an interview that the fund could potentially have up to $2 billion dollars to allot to mid to late-stage startups with a metaverse focus. The fund and the exact amount available to developers have yet to be finalized. Cointelegraph reached out to Animoca Brands for a comment, to which the company confirmed that the fund is “in the works.” According to the interview with Siu there will be …

Porsche to launch 7,500 NFTs for use in a ‘virtual world’ German luxury car manufacturer Porsche has suggested it will be significantly ramping up its Web3 efforts after unveiling an upcoming NFT project consisting of 7,500 customizable tokenized vehicles. In a Nov. 29 announcement, Porsche stated that the NFTs will be launched in January, and users will be able to customize various aspects of the cars in relation to performance and appearance. The NFT art itself is being designed by designer and 3D artist Patrick Vogel, with all pieces revolving around the famous Porsche 911 model. Notably these virtual assets …