Token2049, Last Expedition's anticipated Early Access and more in This Week in Web3

Exciting Events and Tournaments

• TOKEN2049, the leading crypto event that took place on September 13 and 14, featured invitations extended to prominent figures in the cryptocurrency space. Among the participating projects was Earn Alliance, in collaboration with Ethlas, officiated 'The Builder's Playground.' During this event, they discussed the current state of Web3 Gaming, with Coop, the Founder of Earn Alliance, highlighting that we are still in the early phases of this transformation. Their distinctive vision centers on bringing together the Web3 community to forge a unified path for the future of this technology.

• The Sandbox hosts an event known as the Meloverse Rematch. The event is running from September 14 to September 27, 2023. Three thousand LaMelo Ball avatars, each one created by hand and with its own personality, will be revealed at the event. Using these characters, players may create their own unique game experience that reflects LaMelo's exciting on-court activity and off-court personality.

• Players of Synergy of Serra can now participate in the first phase of the Base Set Crate Unlocking Event, where they can deposit their unopened Base Set crates into a randomly created queue to increase their chances of receiving new cards with low mint numbers. On September 24th, they will begin unlocking the containers that have been deposited.

• The Esports Grand Tournament for Cards of Ethernity has begun, and players have until Monday, October 23 to fight for a $10,000 prize pool. In order to raise their rating, which is determined by the elo and MMR systems, players can play as much as they like. Winners of the tournament's cash prize pool must finish in the top 50 players.

New Launches and Game Updates

• The highly anticipated first-person shooter "Last Expedition" is now available in Early Access. This landmark marks the beginning of a new era for the game by making it available to Early Access Token holders, who were previously restricted to Node Operators. These tokens grant early access to the game prior to the Beta release.

• Pegaxy released the first open alpha version of their reworked mechanical Pegasus racing game. No longer spectators, players now actively participate in the race by directing their horse to victory or defeat.

• The Tembazar Open Beta Test for SIDUS Heroes, a third-person, space shooter playable in a web browser, has begun, bringing with it a number of tweaks and new features to try out. You may now complete quests and view player statistics among the new features.

• Chainers Universe, a voxel-based, free-to-play MMO, will soon enter alpha testing, at which point it will be accessible to purchasers of the Chainers Universe Offer and the winners of a forthcoming, free social competition. At present, there are 2 options for players to gain early access. Both seem to involve either entering a free Twitter/X competition or paying for a Chainers Universe Offer.

• Unity, the widely used game engine, created a wave of frustration and confusion among developers with its recent fee announcements on September 13. The changes outlined a fee for every game installation, which developers are now required to pay to Unity. This development has garnered predominantly negative sentiments, with many expressing concerns, particularly for smaller developers who may be at risk due to these changes.

• Space Striker AI, a mobile space shooter blending classic arcade action with personalized artificial intelligence, made its debut in the mobile gaming realm, marking its official release on September 11. Developed by NFT Gaming Co., the team is keen on leveraging the Google Play Store and App Store to ensure accessibility for all players.

• Move-to-earn title Genopets just got a new feature called Step Battles, now live in alpha. As the name may allude, Step Battles are essentially PvP competitions where players try and get the highest number of steps every day, so instead of just focusing on beating your personal best, you get to compete against everyone in the whole world.

• Patch 1.4 for the tank brawler Spider Tanks Arena by Gala Games has just been released. Significant enhancements were rolled out, primarily focusing on user experience and gameplay mechanics. Improvements to the Drop Pods v2 and the Play & Earn (P&E) View are two examples.

• Eternal Dragons, the auto-battle saga featuring Dragons, unveiled a series of game-changing updates on September 11 aimed at significantly elevating the gaming experience for its players. These updates encompass a diverse range of aspects within the game, including improvements to unit animations, enhancements to room creation features, and the introduction of a formidable AI opponent. These changes were implemented in response to challenges such as time zone differences, making it challenging for players to engage in immediate matches with others.

• On September 9th, Heroes of Mavia, a mobile strategy game akin to Clash of Clans, introduced its innovative web3 game model. This project has boldly declared that the Play-to-Earn (P2E) concept is no longer the focus. Instead, they've adopted a fresh approach, which excludes the use of exchangeable tokens. Instead, players will utilize an in-game token similar to what's seen in traditional games. However, the unique twist is that they can leverage this in-game currency to craft and subsequently sell their NFTs for potential profit.

• Chumbi Valley announced that it will adopt a unified token system. The Chumbi token (CHMB) will serve as the in-game token for basic game activities and as the governance token for the game's breeding system.

• Chrono Games, the studio behind the free-to-play turn-based strategy game Forest Knight, has launched a new patch that adds a new game mode called Sanctum of Mysteries, along with a new boss system, a new Battlepass, new Mythic Skins, and other tweaks and changes.

• The release of the Beastie collection by Arc8, in which players raise and evolve a pet from an egg, presents a new possibility for play and minting. Beasties can be minted into an NFT after they reach max level.

Collaborations, Funding, and Big Moves

• Pahdo Labs, the creative force behind Halcyon Zero, an anime-inspired gaming universe, made a significant announcement on September 11. They successfully secured $15 million in funding to empower players with AI tools, enabling them to craft their own anime games. Their vision is to provide players with the means to create impactful gaming experiences, leaving a lasting mark on the game world.

• On September 10th, Animoca Brands took a significant step forward in advancing its Mocaverse Project by securing $20 million in funding, a leading role played by CMCC Global, one of Asia’s first venture capital investors focused solely on blockchain. The Mocaverse, an NFT collection developed by Animoca Brands exclusively for the company's portfolio members, is an innovative motion game powered by their cutting-edge full-body 3D motion engine.

• The street basketball skirmish game, Rumble Kong, has recently unveiled an exciting partnership with Stance, the well-established American apparel brand known for its global sales of over 36 million pairs of socks. This collaboration has given rise to the intriguing "HyperSocks" collection of in-game NFT socks. Adding to the excitement, the renowned basketball player Paul George has joined the fray and became a part of the HyperSocks Event that happened on September 9.