Hong Kong-based entrepreneur Adrian Cheng is taking his commitment to disruptive technology to the metaverse by joining and investing in gaming unicorn Animoca Brands subsidiary, The Sandbox.
The Sandbox is a leading decentralised gaming virtual world offering virtual real estate, called LAND NFTs (non-fungible tokens), in the open metaverse. Players can build a virtual world and monetise in-game items, including digital plots of land they bought. These items are able to be traded on The Sandbox marketplace as NFTs, which are digital assets that use blockchain technology to verify ownership.
It is a subsidiary of Animoca Brands, which is a leader in digital entertainment, blockchain, and gamification and was ranked in the Financial Times list of High Growth Companies Asia-Pacific 2021.
Adrian?s LAND will be one of the biggest plots in The Sandbox, and form part of the ?Mega City? virtual world, which will include Adrian?s Innovation Hub.
The well-regarded strategic investor and property tycoon said he was excited to enter the Metaverse through The Sandbox.
?Providing platforms for the next generation to be empowered to create, innovate and feel part of something that?s paving the way for the future is critical to progress,? said Mr Cheng.
The landmark of the Innovation Hub will be the GBA Pavilion, a vibrant centre propagating creativity and futuristic vision to showcase the successes of various Greater Bay Area (GBA) start-ups.
GBA start-ups to be featured in Adrian?s Innovation Hub include Aesir, Casetify, Lalamove, DayDayCook, Prenetics, Raspect, Rice Robotics, Rooftop Republic, Undone and V Cycle. Adrian will be progressively working on developing his The Sandbox LAND and its digital assets, and will share key updates via his social media accounts.
In conjunction with Adrian?s personal investment portfolio, venture capital company C Ventures and start-up accelerator, Eureka Nova, he has funded, incubated and supported a range of successful companies across the GBA in the ?real world?.
He is now elevating these companies to the metaverse in order to promote their missions, expertise and visions for the future.
The GBA Pavilion in The Sandbox will inspire and encourage next generation entrepreneurs by showing them real-life success stories. The featured companies will offer entertainment, exclusive NFTs and immersive experiences, making it a key attraction for anyone wanting to be inspired.
?The digital world is constantly evolving and we need to stay at the forefront of these changes by continuously exploring and developing the metaverse,? Mr Cheng said.
Yat Siu, co-founder and executive chairman of Animoca Brands, commented: ?Adrian is one of the most influential leaders in business, real estate, arts and culture in Hong Kong and the region, and we are thrilled that he is joining The Sandbox to bring his unique perspective and to help add and shape new transformative experiences to the open metaverse.?
The Sandbox has already partnered with major IPs and brands including Adidas, Snoop Dogg, The Walking Dead, Deadmau5, Atari, Rollercoaster Tycoon, Care Bears, and The Smurfs.
Building on existing The Sandbox IP that has more than 40 million global installs on mobile, The Sandbox Metaverse offers players and creators a decentralized and intuitive platform to create immersive 3D worlds and game experiences and to safely store, trade, and monetize their creations.
Animoca Brands develops and publishes a broad portfolio of products including the REVV token and SAND token; original games including The Sandbox, Crazy Kings, and Crazy Defense Heroes; and products utilizing popular intellectual properties including Formula 1, Disney, WWE, Power Rangers, MotoGP, and Doraemon.
The company has a growing portfolio of more than 100 investments in NFT-related companies and decentralized projects that are contributing to building the open metaverse, including Axie Infinity, OpenSea, Dapper Labs (NBA Top Shot), Bitski, Harmony, Alien Worlds, Star Atlas, and others.
It has multiple subsidiaries, including The Sandbox, Blowfish Studios, Quidd, GAMEE, nWay, Pixowl, Bondly, and Lympo.
