Yoda Labs Weekly Digest: February 2 - 8

Is the limited token presale of the new gaming blockchain, Neon Link, an opportunity too good to pass up for savvy investors?

Also in our weekly digest:

• Immutable X passport is set to onboard masses into Web3 without any friction
• Super Bowl NFT giveaway planned for 2023
• Gen Z to drive Web3 gaming trends and Metaverse
• GitHub founder launches a Web3 gaming studio with its first title close to launch
• Axie Infinity starts offering loans for NFTs

Web 3 Gaming News 🎯🎮

• Passport System from ImmutableX lets Web3 gamers sign in with email and password, lowering user acquisition expenses and improving gaming by removing friction.
• Axie Infinity and MetaLend now offer in-game asset loans and MetaLend lists 1,587 Ronin-based NFTs as collateral on its website.
• Project Q, originally announced as a blockchain-based multiplayer warfare arena game is one of three Ubisoft games canceled being another setback for Ubisoft's entry into Web3
• Limit Break, Web3 partner of the NFL, is getting ready for its NFT giveaway during Super Bowl this year.
• Bluzelle (BLZ) upgrades stargate for cheaper and more efficient gaming making it the first pure Game chain on Cosmos.
• Paima Studios, a Cardano GameFi developer, part of Microsoft's new Web3 initiative, will help Japanese game developers use Paima Engine to create blockchain games as Layer 2 solutions in their apps.
• Neon Link, a new gaming blockchain, announces its limited presale Of $NEON Token To Power 1000 Blockchain Games and a full-on gaming ecosystem. Pre-sale access
• QORPO Studio presents Citizen Conflict—the new AAA MMO Web3 shooter that aims to Democratize Gaming and Esports
• Illuvitars are profile pictures launched to expand Illuvium's ecosystem, based on Illuvials from the games, players can customize their Illuvitar for a spot on the leaderboard.
• Binance-backed Web3 gaming incubator, NFTb, is set to launch its first official fan token of Parma Football team home to the legend, Gianluigi Buffon.
• Mini-Royale, a Solana-based, play-in-your-browser FPS, announces the public alpha for Faraway Land, a town-building game where players may make Gear NFTs to level up.
• My Neighbor Alice adds the final alpha season 2 community mission. the creation of season 3 buildings where players can choose a landmark based on the size of the team.
• Floki meme coin team is to release the Chinese Valhalla, a testnet metaverse game that utilizes FLOKI tokens to gain traction they’ll run a three-month airdrop campaign for users of Btok, a Chinese social media
• GitHub founder launches Null Games publishing studio and also announces the release of its first title Tape to Tape from developer Excellent Rectangle.

Web3 Gaming Trends 🔥🚀

• The ‘play-to-earn’ term could be the reason why Web3 gaming is being held back and a trend that we should be moving away from argues CoinWire
• Redefining the power of token incentives whilst creating balanced and resilient in-game economies could be the way to a more stable economy that can grow over time.
• Bet-to-Play (B2P) gambling at the gameplay level rather than at the in-game asset level is the new approach adopting a ‘Per-Game Fee Model’ states Messari.
• Gaming Content Creator of the Year Brycent believes product market fit is more important than high NFT floor pricing, and builders who can monetize digital assets like open editions can develop a sustainable business long term.
• The increased need for interactive digital engagement in collective spaces signals that the metaverse will grow and will Gen Z lead the way.
• Industry pioneer Steve Curran, who worked with Sony, Warner Bros and more, believes that history is about to repeat itself and casual gaming will lead the charge.

Yoda Explores the Metaverse 🛸🤖

• Significant win as Meta approved for acquiring virtual reality company Within and its app Supernatural putting to bed anticompetitive conduct complaints.
• Woodstock, the most iconic 1960s rock festival, announced its transformation into a digital world alongside metaverse creators Sequin AR.
• Microsoft will slow HoloLens and its metaverse goals as it restructures due to 10,000 layoffs.
• The International Boxing Association is preparing a global boxing metaverse platform that could reach over 540 million fans.
• Did you ever consider how to protect against crime in the metaverse? Privacy settings, VPNs, and Software updates are some ways, but there are more ways to stay vigilant.
• Search for Animera, a sci-fi MMORPG from ex-Konami, uses ImmutableX for a unique Web3 experience via the ‘never-ending sandbox’.
• Doritos Triangle Studios is ready to explode on the metaverse as it becomes latest brand to launch with Polygon-based NFTs
• LootMogul the global sports metaverse company's strategic cooperation with Six Sport accelerates Web3 gaming for sports fans, athletes, and companies in Europe.
• Although Meta lost 13.7 billion in 2022 it remains steadfast in its commitment to Metaverse by looking to introduce the next-gen VR headset very soon.

Funding in Gaming, and the Metaverse Space 💸💰

• OhBabyGames The team behind Battlefield and Call of Duty franchises, Announces a $6 Million Seed Round led by co-led by eGirl Capital and Synergis Capital.
• Hypersonic Laboratories, Creator of HELIX Metaverse, Raises $3.5 Million in Pre-Seed Round led by Play Ventures.
• Web3 game studio Overworld which specializes in making multiplayer role-playing games with digital collectibles received $2.5 million from blockchain gaming publisher Xterio.
• MYSTiC GAMES is on a mission to make blockchain gaming more accessible as it secures funding of $1.3 million which was led by Shima Capital.

This is a guest post from Yoda Labs that has been edited for style. Find the original publication here.

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