The metaverse may be the most important concept of not just 2022, but the entire decade. Created by science fiction author Neal Stephenson in his 1992 novel Snow Crash, the concept of the metaverse has inspired movies like Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One and games such as Blizzard’s World of Warcraft. Mark Zuckerberg’s pledge to build a metaverse, and the renaming of Facebook to Meta Platform, introduced millions of people to the concept of the metaverse. The metaverse is simply a network of 3D virtual words focused on connections. Many predict that the metaverse will play a key role in the Web 3.0 era, and will be facilitated through virtual and augmented reality headsets. This brings us to The Sandbox, one of the biggest and most promising metaverses in the entire NFT landscape.
What Is The Sandbox?
The Sandbox initially launched in 2012 as an open-world mobile game. The game was later released for PC on Steam in 2015. The alpha version of The Sandbox was launched on November 29, 2021. In 2018, NFT-gaming giant Animoca Brands acquired the game in order to create a voxel-based, blockchain version of the game. Animoca Brands has achieved enormous success with Pokemon-style NFT game Axie Infinity, which reached over $1 billion in sales. Animoca Brands has achieved the rare status of being a unicorn company, and is valued over $5 billion by investors.
The Sandbox has voxel-based graphics, reminiscent of the 2011 open-world phenomenon Minecraft. The game empowers users to design and edit their own voxel creations via the VoxEdit tool. The Sandbox’s game builder feature allows users to build upon their own purchased land and create interactive gaming experiences. Users can also buy, sell and trade their creations at a marketplace and earn SAND. The Sandbox is one of the top-selling NFT projects on OpenSea. The cheapest LAND in The Sandbox can currently be bought on OpenSea for roughly $11,000.
Who are the partners behind The Sandbox?
The Sandbox has cultivated over 200 partnerships over the past few years. Some of the biggest IPs in the Sandbox metaverse include Hell’s Kitchen, Skybound Entertainment’s The Walking Dead, Care Bears, and The Smurfs. The Sandbox gained broader recognition after its partnerships with hip-hop legend and entrepreneur Snoop Dogg and Warner Music Group, both of which will be building upon virtual land in The Sandbox.
The Sandbox’s incredible ability to form partnerships has been key to generating investments. In November 2021, SoftBank led a $93 million investment into The Sandbox metaverse. Billionaire Hong Kong businessman Adrian Cheng also announced that he is building virtual LAND in The Sandbox.
Who is the team behind The Sandbox?
The Sandbox was founded by Arthur Madrid, who is the company’s CEO. The COO of The Sandbox is Sebastien Borget.
What is the roadmap for The Sandbox?
In 2022, The Sandbox will launch a DAO with staking and voting mechanisms for SAND, LAND, and AVATAR holders. The Sandbox DAO will allow holders to participate in major decisions on the gaming platform. The Sandbox’s team is planning on hosting the first virtual concerts (Deadmau5, Richie Hawtin) in the metaverse, as well as the launch of the first Walking Dead game. There will be a mobile version launch of The Sandbox during the last quarter of 2022. There will also be major updates to the VoxEdit tool, the Game Builder feature, and more LAND public sales as well. Expect far more partnerships with The Sandbox in the coming years.
Is The Sandbox worth it?
You can either buy ASSETS or LAND from The Sandbox on OpenSea. ASSETS can include weapons, monsters, and even digital art. Those who buy LAND on The Sandbox can become virtual neighbors with an enormously popular brand or celebrity. LAND in The Sandbox is not a cheap investment, but it is likely to be a profitable one, as the value of LAND in The Sandbox has dramatically increased overtime.
The Sandbox has a great team, is backed by NFT gaming giant Animoca Brands, has already built an incredibly impressive list of partnerships, and has millions of dollars in investments. The Sandbox is a far more ambitious project than Axie Infinity, which is currently the biggest game in the NFT space. The Sandbox is also more gaming-oriented than its closest competitor, NFT metaverse Decentraland.
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