Animoca Brands
Animoca Brands is a Hong Kong-based software company and venture capital firm that focuses on developing blockchain and non-fungible token (NFT) games and applications. Founded in 2014 by Yat Siu and Maxim Blagov, the company has since become a leading player in the NFT space.
The company’s mission is to use blockchain technology to advance digital property rights and create a more open and accessible metaverse. Animoca Brands aims to enable creators, gamers, and businesses to participate in the growing blockchain economy and build a decentralized future.
Animoca Brands has acquired several companies over the years, including Pixowl, the creator of The Sandbox, a virtual world built on blockchain technology. In 2021, the company acquired Eden Games, Darewise Entertainment, and Grease Monkey Games, further expanding its portfolio of games and applications.
The Sandbox is one of Animoca Brands’ most successful projects, with over 40 million downloads and more than 2 billion user-created assets. The game allows users to create, share, and monetize their own virtual worlds using NFTs, providing a platform for creators to showcase their talents and earn revenue.
In addition to The Sandbox, Animoca Brands is involved in several other projects, including F1 Delta Time, an NFT-based game that allows players to own and trade virtual cars, and MotoGP Ignition, an NFT game that lets players collect and trade digital motorbikes.
The company is known for advancing digital property rights through Web3 technologies such as non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Animoca Brands has expanded through acquisitions and joint ventures with partners such as Formula 1, Atari, and Sandbox. Recently, the company collaborated with the Planet Hollywood Group through a joint venture, Meta Hollywood, to launch Club 3, a members-only club in Los Angeles.
Animoca Brands activity
Animoca Brands has acquired several gaming and tech companies, including Eden Games, Darewise Entertainment, and Grease Monkey Games. In 2018, the company acquired Pixowl, the creators of The Sandbox, one of the popular virtual platforms in the metaverse. The Sandbox enables players to create and monetize their gaming experiences using NFTs. Animoca Brands has collaborated with other companies to create games that utilize NFTs. For example, the company teamed up with Atari to create Atari Token, a cryptocurrency used for in-game purchases in their mobile games.
In 2021, Animoca Brands collaborated with Formula 1 to create F1 Delta Time, a blockchain-based racing game where players can own, trade, and race NFTs representing F1 cars, drivers, and tracks. The game is part of a broader strategy by Formula 1 to appeal to younger fans through digital initiatives. Animoca Brands is also involved in other blockchain-based gaming initiatives, including TOWER Token, a play-to-earn game where players can own and trade digital assets represented by NFTs.
Animoca Brands launched OliveX in March 2018, which creates mobile games for the fitness industry. In August 2018, the company secured a $1 million investment from Sun Hung Kai and $0.5 million from Lympo. Later that year, Animoca Brands completed a US$547,000 placement to fund its investment in Zeroth.ai. In May 2019, the company raised $2.5 million to develop a blockchain version of The Sandbox, and in March 2019, it raised an additional $2.01 million from investors such as Square Enix, B Cryptos, and True Global Ventures.
On March 9, 2020, Animoca Brands was delisted from the Australian Securities Exchange. In September 2020, it launched the REVV blockchain racing ERC-20 utility token on Uniswap, which was later listed on other exchanges. In May 2021, the company raised a first tranche of US$88,888,888, followed by a second tranche of $50 million in July 2021, both based on a valuation of $1 billion. In October 2021, it raised $65 million at a valuation of $2.2 billion from Ubisoft, Sequoia Capital, and others. In November 2021, SoftBank led a $93 million investment in The Sandbox.
In December 2021, Animoca Brands and Binance launched a $200 million investment program for blockchain games. However, on March 15, 2022, Animoca Brands announced the shutdown of F1 Delta Time, with plans to replace its non-functional NFTs with equivalent tokens for REVV Racing. In April 2022, Animoca Brands acquired Eden Games.
In June 2022, Animoca Brands was convicted of failing to lodge annual and half-yearly financial reports with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission. In July 2022, it hit a valuation of $5.9 billion, and in August 2022, it raised $110 million in funding from Temasek and GGV Capital to become “pre-IPO ready.” In December 2022, Animoca Brands acquired a majority stake in Pixelynx, a music metaverse platform founded by Deadmau5 and Richie Hawtin.
Club3
Recently, Animoca Brands announced a new project in collaboration with the Planet Hollywood Group. The two companies are launching a members-only club in Los Angeles called Club 3, which is part of the joint venture Meta Hollywood.
Meta Hollywood aims to bridge the gap between real-world and virtual memberships, with Club 3 being the first physical meeting place for the global community involved in Web3, NFTs, and open metaverse industries.
The Club 3 venture is centered around ClubID, a new identity, membership, and commerce platform that will power Meta Hollywood’s communities. The platform will launch in beta in 2023 and will offer members access to various amenities based on their membership type.
Club 3 will consist of a 10,000-square-foot facility on the iconic Sunset Boulevard and will include a restaurant, bars, cocktail lounge, meeting rooms, and karaoke rooms for in-person and virtual events. The first location is set to open in the second half of 2023, with plans to expand globally to cities such as New York, Miami, Tokyo, London, Paris, and Hong Kong.
Club 3 will offer four types of memberships: Founding, Social, Global, and Corporate Memberships. Members will be able to communicate with each other through Club 3’s exclusive closed community chat, and they will be able to participate in community voting on seasonal menus, perks, and promotions.
Minting a Club 3 NFT will give collectors membership in the group across the four tiers of membership. The one-time membership fees for Social and Founding Memberships are $2,500 and $7,500, respectively. Members will be able to access amenities based on their membership type and will be able to communicate with each other through Club 3’s exclusive community chat.
Club 3 is a unique social club that offers fully programmable areas for in-person and virtual experiential events such as industry events, community meetups, talks, seminars, AMA sessions, and more. The club plans to expand in popular cities around the world, including New York, Miami, Tokyo, London, Paris, and Hong Kong. There are four types of memberships available: Founding, Social, Global, and Corporate, with each type offering access to amenities according to the membership level. All members will be able to communicate with each other through Club 3’s exclusive community chat. Memberships are available as mintable NFTs, and the one-time membership fees for Social Membership and Founding Membership are $2,500 and $7,500, respectively, while all memberships can be upgraded to Global Membership for $1,500.
Club 3 will integrate Web3 mechanics into its operations, allowing community voting on seasonal menus, specialized perks, and collaborative promotions for certain NFT projects and membership holders. The club aims to foster and galvanize the broader Web3 community and serve as a launchpad for those wanting to learn more about this new world. The club is part of Meta Hollywood, a community-first ecosystem for entertainment fans and creators, offering exclusive access and utility, both online and in real life, at the intersection of Hollywood and Web3.
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