Reality Gaming Group and Mana Partners unlock the blockchain for APAC brands

Mana Partners has selected Reality Gaming Group to provide best-in-class blockchain and NFT content solutions to its brand clients in the games and entertainment space, as demand for Web3.0 services booms in Asia Pacific.

Singapore-based Mana Partners is the leading consultancy in the region for Web3.0 marketing strategy and solutions, helping brands, startups, and rights owners unlock new communities and opportunities through partnerships and programmes.

UK-based Reality Gaming Group develops innovative content and marketplaces that combine the best of traditional entertainment with new technology based on the blockchain and Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs).

Ground-breaking games and blockchain collectibles created by publishing arm Reality Studios include Doctor Who: Worlds Apart, Reality Clash and Smighties Universe, plus non-game NFT content with the likes of Toikido toys and boxing legend Floyd Mayweather.

Crucially, all of Reality Gaming Group’s projects are created and managed by its Digital Asset Trading (DAT) Platform, which builds NFTs, online stores and marketplaces connected to its own “side-chain” of the Ethereum mainnet. This enables the creation of environmentally friendly NFTs that offer substantial reductions to the amount of energy used to produce and trade digital collectibles.

Matthew Zatto, Managing Partner at Mana Partners, said: “Brands are only starting to discover the potential value that can be unlocked through blockchain technology. It’s important to us at Mana Partners that we provide our brand clients with nothing less than the best-in-class solution and that is exactly why we chose Reality Gaming Group. No one compares to them in terms of experience, blockchain capabilities and offering a true full-service solution. We’re proud to be partnering with them in the APAC region.”

Reality Gaming Group Co-Founder Tony Pearce said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to be working with Mana Partners to offer its clients the most innovative blockchain and web3.0 content solutions. This partnership is a ringing endorsement of the DAT platform, further expands our presence in Asia Pacific and highlights the growing importance of NFTs to brands. We can’t wait to get started on what promises to be some tremendously exciting projects.”

Reality Gaming Group and Mana Partners unlock the blockchain for APAC brands

Mana Partners has selected Reality Gaming Group to provide best-in-class blockchain and NFT content solutions to its brand clients in the games and entertainment space, as demand for Web3.0 services booms in Asia Pacific.

Singapore-based Mana Partners is the leading consultancy in the region for Web3.0 marketing strategy and solutions, helping brands, startups, and rights owners unlock new communities and opportunities through partnerships and programmes.

UK-based Reality Gaming Group develops innovative content and marketplaces that combine the best of traditional entertainment with new technology based on the blockchain and Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs).

Ground-breaking games and blockchain collectibles created by publishing arm Reality Studios include Doctor Who: Worlds Apart, Reality Clash and Smighties Universe, plus non-game NFT content with the likes of Toikido toys and boxing legend Floyd Mayweather.

Crucially, all of Reality Gaming Group’s projects are created and managed by its Digital Asset Trading (DAT) Platform, which builds NFTs, online stores and marketplaces connected to its own “side-chain” of the Ethereum mainnet. This enables the creation of environmentally friendly NFTs that offer substantial reductions to the amount of energy used to produce and trade digital collectibles.

Matthew Zatto, Managing Partner at Mana Partners, said: “Brands are only starting to discover the potential value that can be unlocked through blockchain technology. It’s important to us at Mana Partners that we provide our brand clients with nothing less than the best-in-class solution and that is exactly why we chose Reality Gaming Group. No one compares to them in terms of experience, blockchain capabilities and offering a true full-service solution. We’re proud to be partnering with them in the APAC region.”

Reality Gaming Group Co-Founder Tony Pearce said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to be working with Mana Partners to offer its clients the most innovative blockchain and web3.0 content solutions. This partnership is a ringing endorsement of the DAT platform, further expands our presence in Asia Pacific and highlights the growing importance of NFTs to brands. We can’t wait to get started on what promises to be some tremendously exciting projects.”

Where’s the fun in fungible? | Could the toy industry be key to unlocking the potential of the NFTs market?

For those who remember typing BRB into their MSN chat box, or anyone still wrestling with the WFH concept, there’s a new acronym in town, and it’s potential to shape the future of entertainment and the collectables space is boundless. It’s probably time we all got to know NFTs a little better.

Here’s The Insights Family to help talk us through the concept and what the arrival of Non-Fungible Tokens could mean for the toy industry.

We all know this generation of children are like no other, growing up in a world with an unprecedented level of access to technology.

Even by the age of three, an average 51 per cent of children globally own a tablet device, and by the age of 12, 69 per cent of kids globally own a mobile phone. This generation are as comfortable existing in a virtual world as they are the physical, and they expect a seamless integration between the two.

We have seen many key development milestones just as likely to be reached today in a virtual world as the physical; a child’s first concert for example could just as likely happen within the gaming platform, Fortnite as it could in a real-life venue.

As the physical and digital worlds blur for this generation of kids, we are also seeing children spending and earning money digitally via gaming platforms like Roblox, Minecraft and Fortnite. Kids’ identity now lives online, whether that be on a social media feed or materialised through digital purchases. For these kids, a cosmetic skin they purchased in Fortnite is as much about self-expression and personality, as the t-shirt they put on the same morning.

The speed of innovation in this sector continues to accelerate and its important brands stay ahead of the latest trends and opportunities.

Non-Fungible Tokens (NFT) are currently one of the most popular trends within the cryptocurrency market. A token which verifies legitimacy and singularity of a digital asset, they have primarily been used to sell digital art or assets, such as the first ever Tweet, selling for over $2.9m. The technology has since been adopted by major art auction houses such as Sotheby’s and Christie’s.

According to The Insights Family data, from Q1 2020 vs Q1 2021, there is a 11 per cent increase in kids as young as six to nine who have heard of cryptocurrencies. While information about blockchain is permeating throughout the kids ecosystem, it is still a relatively niche market.

However, as global adoption of cryptocurrencies continues to increase, brands are using the NFT as a real-world use-case for the technology. It’s currently mostly fashion brands – such as Gucci experimenting with NFTs, enabling consumers to buy and ‘wear’ their products via Augmented Reality or in-game on Roblox.

In fact, these fashion sales of clothing for digital versions of yourself are not news anymore. It is a long-standing practice, and a lot of video generate their main income through it. For example, one of the most popular games of recent years – Fortnite, is monetised entirely through cosmetic microtransactions.

What this means to you…

One example of potential NFT integration in the kids’ ecosystem could be as an extension of collectable items – for example, trading cards, a digitised version could be available as a token. The popularity of trading cards in general increased throughout the pandemic – from six per cent of kids aged three to 12 purchasing in Q1 2020 to nine per cent by December.

Within the toy space, in theory, anything in the digital world which has scarcity and value derived from that scarcity could be reimagined as an NFT.

For instance, some collectors are already spending millions on ‘NBA Top Shot’ – a website that allows people to buy, sell and trade basketball highlights as NFTs.

Every year the number of younger kids who spend more of their money online increases. In the UK, since the pandemic began in March 2020 the number of three to 12 year olds has almost doubled from 17 per cent to 28 per cent in February 2021. This, along with fast-paced innovation, means that it’s important brands stay ahead of the latest trends and opportunities.

Therefore, The Insights Family team of researchers, data scientists and developers have created the latest version of our platform, Portal 4.0, which will open more possibilities for brands. The new tools will enable brands to understand the attitudes, behaviours, and consumption patterns of kids, parents, and families.

To learn more about the attitudes, behaviour, and consumption patterns of kids, parents, and families, and to get freemium access to The Insights Family real-time data portal, please visit: https://try.theinsightsfamily.com/toynews

“Game changer” | Funko celebrates potential for NFT market with TokenHead acquisition

Funko is strengthening its position amid the global collectables scene by making a play for the NFT space through the acquisition of a majority ownership stake in TokenWave, the developer behind TokenHead.

TokenHead is recognised as a leading mobile app and website for showcasing and tracking Non-Fungible Token or NFT, a blockchain platform for digital collectables that has picked up steam among audiences and media over the course of the year.

The financial terms of the investment have not been disclosed, but the move has gone to highlight the potential the NFT space has for licensing, as Funko approaches the market with a ‘clear strategy for its pop culture content across TV, film, sports, music, anime, video games, and comic books.’

TokenHead is currently available on iOS and Android and displays over 10 million NFTs, with more than 100,000 visits per day.

The investment accelerates Funko’s initial entry into the NFT market and will extend the Company’s pop culture platform to include digital assets. Funko expects to launch its initial NFT offerings in June, featuring a unique property each week at a starting price point of $9.99.

Products will be sold on the WAX platform, the leading decentralized wallet on the blockchain, which provides verifiable authenticity for purchases of Funko NFTs.

“Funko is thrilled to advance another platform that our fans and collectors will love and find valuable,” said Brian Mariotti, chief executive officer of Funko. “Our strategy in this space is clear – bring the value-added NFT opportunity to our licensing partners to leverage our broad range of existing pop culture content across Television, Movies, Sports, Music, Anime, Video Games and Comic Books.

“Our amazing licensing partners are excited about our entry into this new digital space and we believe the diversity of our licensing portfolio sets us up for long-term success.”

Mariotti has highlighted the ‘game changing potential’ that the deal now lends the pop culture specialist as the firm begins to draw clear plans to combine its new Funko Pop! digital NFTs with exclusive Funko Pop! Vinyl Figures.

“The marriage of digital and physical using WAX’s patented NFT technology known as vIRLs™ is powerful,” said Mariotti. “By backing the rarest of the Funko NFTs with exclusive redeemable Funko Pop!, we are poised to enter the NFT market in a very unique manner.

“Importantly, we plan to make Funko NFTs broadly accessible to our fans by providing affordable entry pricing. Utilizing WAX Blockchain technology, we have the opportunity to eventually bring Funko collectible NFTs to our millions of fans around the globe. The NFT world is all about content, and Funko has been connecting fans to the content they love for over 20 years.”

Terra Virtua lands digital collectables deal with Warner Bros for Godzilla vs Kong

A pioneer of the immersive collectables platform, Terra Virtua, has landed a new licensing agreement with Legendary Entertainment to create a line of digital collectables based on Warner Bros Pictures and Pegendary’s upcoming Godzilla vs Kong.

The new partnership will allow fans across the world to bring the titans to life in full 3D virtual reality through a platform that will allow them to experience the brute strength of Kong and the behemoth Godzilla. The Titans and other characters from the franchise will being rolling out on to the Terra Virtua marketplace in time for the film’s release this March 31st.

The collaboration between Terra Virtua and Legendary first began in 2019 with the launch of digital collectables based on Legendary Television and Netflix’s reboot of the science fiction classic Lost in Space and continued with a collection based on the blockbuster film Pacific Rim Uprising.

Terra Virtua’s marketplace includes a number of digital collectibles, featuring characters from both Season One and Season Two of Lost in Space, along with full-size and fully animated versions of Pacific Rim Uprising’s Jaegers, including Gypsy Avenger. One such Jaeger sold on New Year’s Day for $5000 and now resides in a superfan’s TerraDome, which is accessible via Terra Virtua’s app on a PC.

“Digital collectibles allow fans to interact with their favorite characters in a way never experienced before, and to be working with the pioneers in the industry is truly exciting,” said Sam Rappaport, director of Interactive Media at Legendary Entertainment.

Directed by Adam Wingard, Godzilla vs. Kong is the long-awaited face-off between these two mighty titans, and the fate of the world hangs in the balance. With spectacular fight scenes and an unforeseen force drawing them together, it’s the ultimate showdown and therefore the ideal opportunity to be  bringing these Legendary monsters into the Terra Virtua ecosystem.

“This franchise is one of the most recognizable brands in the world; these characters have been on our screens for over 88 years; so to say we’re excited about bringing this film pairing on board would be an understatement,” said Gary Bracey, co-founder of Terra Virtua.

“And, what’s more exciting is that we’re also releasing a full VR experience on Oculus Quest, so when we say we’re fully immersive, we really mean it.”

Terra Virtua (www.terravirtua.io), with global headquarters in London, England, has evolved the digital collectibles market from simply collecting virtual items to completing and showcasing collections through new, interactive and immersive experiences.

Smighties Universe launches its first digital collectables with Smighties Pods

Reality Gaming Group and Herotainment are moving in on the blockchain space with the launch of a new series of Smighties Universe digital collectables called Smighties Pods.

It is the latest move for the Smighties brand as it pushes forwards with building out a digitally-focused franchise. Already, the character-driven entertainment brand has landed digital and broadcast deals with over 40 channels across the globe, while its series of three successful mobile games has achieved a combined total of 2 million downloads.

In its most recent advance, Smighties is now taking on the blockchain digital collectables market. Fans can bow purchase their Smighties Pods via the Smighties Universe website. Each Pod contains a surprise variety of Smighties, as well as special Hotel Floors in which the Smighties characters will live.

There are 136 unique Smighties to collect, each with different personalities, powers, strengths and weaknesses, categorised by their elements of earth, water, light, air and magic, and by their rarity. There are Normal, Rare, Extraordinary, Legendary and Epic Smighties.

Users can also build up their own Smighty Hotel with more than thirty floors in which to house their collection of Smighties.

On top of this, Smighties Universe will continue to develop, with plans to launch a marketplace that will allow fans to buy and sell their collection of Smighties and Hotel floors, as well as games in which to use the Smighties.

Each Smighty character in the Smighties Universe is tokenised into a Non-Fungible Token (NFT), which means it is secured and protected on the blockchain, providing documented ownership indefinitely.

Moreover, Smighties Universe digital collectibles are one-of-a-kind and cannot be copied, which makes them scarce and potentially quite valuable.

The Smighties Universe experience will be localized into a number of languages in the coming weeks, including Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, German, and Russian.

Smighties Universe is developed and published by Reality Gaming Group in partnership with the New York-based entertainment company Herotainment.

Jake Scott, head of community at Reality Gaming Group, said: “Smighties Universe offers fans the chance to own a unique piece of Smighties history, quite literally. Digital collectables offer a new and exciting way for people to interact with their favourite Smighties characters and we can’t wait to see how the Smighties Universe evolves as players collect, trade and play.”

Wade Teman, co-founder of Herotainment, added: “What makes Smighties Universe different from other blockchain collectibles is that we are bringing a compelling backstory to the characters to engage and entertain our community. As our world becomes more digital, turning Smighties into one-of-a-kind NFTs puts direct ownership of the Smighties brand into the hands of collectors everywhere.”

BBC Studios launches digital trading cards collection Doctor Who: Worlds Apart on blockchain

Doctor Who has completed its jump into the realm of digital trading cards with the launch of Doctor Who: Worlds Apart, a digital platform that features more than 200 trading cards for Whovians and collectors to obtain.

Developed by a pairing of BBC Studios and Reality Gaming Group, the new collection features trading cards based on characters, scenes, and objects drawn from the entire 57 year history of Doctor Who. Digital card packs are available to buy from today on the Doctor Who Worlds Apart website.

 There are four different packs for fans to purchase, each containing between five and ten limited-edition cards with hand drawn images. Fans can also collect 13 different cosmetic card frames.

As with physical trading cards, some will be rarer than others, for example, the TARDIS will be rarer than the Silurian. Collectors will be able to trade their cards in the marketplace launching early next year, giving fans another opportunity to trade their favourite character with other collectors

Each card is secured and protected on the blockchain, which means there can be no copies or disputes about ownership.

From next year collectors will be able use their cards to go head-to-head with friends in turn-based contests in the Doctor Who: Worlds Apart card game, a free-to-play tactical card game which will be released for PC in 2021.

The game will be action-packed, with battles fought on digital tabletop boards depicting recognisable locations from Doctor Who. Collectors will play a Time Lord, strategically outsmarting their opponents by building decks that are able to combat a wide variety of tactics.

Morten Rongaard, co-founder of Reality Gaming Group, said: “We are tremendously excited to be working with BBC Studios to bring Doctor Who’s huge global community an exciting new digital experience based on a pastime we all know and love – trading cards.

“The cards used in Doctor Who: Worlds Apart are both functional and collectible, so fans can actually own a piece of the game while they play.”

John Kavanagh, licensing manager, gaming and interactive, BBC Studios, said: “We’ve worked closely with Reality Gaming Group to deliver a fantastic opportunity to collect and own these beautiful cards and use them in a unique game experience.”

The digital card packs are available to buy now from $4.99 RRP on the Doctor Who: Worlds Apart website at https://doctorwho-worldsapart.com.

Reality Gaming Group partners with Herotainment to bring Smighties to blockchain collectables and gaming space

Reality Gaming Group has partnered with the New York entertainment company Herotainment to create a digital, blockchain-fueled collectables range based on Smighties.

The digital experience, called Smighties Universe, will enable fans to collect and trade digital versions of their favourite characters for the first time, as they build their own Smighty Hotel with themed rooms, or customise their characters with limited-edition accessories.

Their Smighties characters can then be traded with friends before, eventually, they go head-to-head in a groundbreaking game for the genre.

Each Smighty character in the Smighties Universe will be tokenised into a Non-Fungible Token (NFT), which is secured and protected on the blockchain, providing documented ownership indefinitely. They cannot be copied, which makes them scarce and potentially valuable.

The Smighties Universe story will follow the Smighties journey to our planet and their place in our own history. At launch, there will be 136 distinct Smighties to collect, with different attributes including superpowers, strengths, weaknesses, favourite foods and birthdays.

The Smighties will be categorized by their rarity and the elements of earth, water, light, air and magic.

Limited edition Pods, each containing surprise, digital Smighty heroes, will be available for fans all over the world to buy from www.smighties-universe.com in November 2020. Once these limited edition characters have sold out, they will not be available to purchase again, except by trading with others.

To reserve an initial free collectible, fans can sign up now at www.smighties-universe.com.

BBC Studios takes first steps in blockchain gaming with Doctor Who: Worlds Apart

Reality Gaming Group has secured an exclusive global license from BBC Studios to develop and publish a ground-breaking digital trading card game based on global hit television series Doctor Who.

The partnership will enable fans to collect and trade digital versions of their favourite characters for the first time, before adventuring through the Doctor Who: Worlds Apart game as the Doctor, battling friends in turn-based contests. The new title also marks the BBC’s first move into the blockchain gaming space.

Each trading card a player collects will be tokenised into a non-fungible token (NFT) secured and protected on the blockchain, which means there can be no copies or disputes about ownership. Doctor Who: Worlds Apart players will own unique digital collectable items which can be used in the game or traded with other players.

As with physical trading cards, some will be rarer than others, and all will feature Doctors, companions, allies, and enemies from across Doctor Who’s expansive history.

Limited edition packs containing five digital cards will be available for fans to buy from October 2020. Once these limited-edition cards have sold out, they will not be available to purchase again, except by trading with others.

The accompanying Doctor Who: Worlds Apart trading card game will be released for PC in 2021 with mobile to follow, allowing players to go head-to-head with their card collections. More cards will also be made available at launch.

UK-based publisher Reality Gaming Group’s Digital Asset Trading (DAT) Platform uses blockchain technology to turn any IP into a rare and collectable digital asset that can be traded between fans using dedicated marketplaces. Its debut title, mobile AR combat game Reality Clash, was released in 2019 and has been noted for pushing the boundaries of what’s possible when AR, VR, geo-location and blockchain technology are combined.

Tony Pearce, co-founder of Reality Gaming Group, said: “We are tremendously excited to be working with BBC Studios to bring Doctor Who’s huge global community an exciting new digital experience based on a pastime we all know and love – trading cards.

“The cards used in Doctor Who: Worlds Apart are both functional and collectible, so fans can actually own a piece of the game while they play.”

John Kavanagh, licensing manager, gaming and interactive, BBC Studios, said: “This is what BBC Studios does so well, exploring new technologies and bringing our most iconic brand to an area of the gaming industry which we’re sure will engage and thrill fans.”

More information about Doctor Who: Worlds Apart can be found at: https://doctorwho-worldsapart.com