Futureverse News - October 2023
Welcome to Futureverse News, your monthly update on everything from the Futureverse ecosystem. For this first edition, we’ll cover everything across July-September before moving into a monthly cadence from the start of November.
Message from Leadership
I’m excited to welcome you all to the first issue of Futureverse News. We’re now coming up on 6 months since we officially completed the rollup of 11 different companies, and while it’s been a monumental undertaking to align everyone towards our new unified vision, I’m more confident than ever that we are on the right track.
With so much uncertainty in the market at the moment, it’s important to reinforce that our plan at Futureverse remains solid. Fads come and go, but our vision to build the open metaverse's foundations and change how people engage online will live well past the current market cycles.
I want to take a moment to personally extend a huge thank you to everyone who has engaged with MARK beta launch over the last two weeks. Working with our partners at HaloLab to bring the first marketplace to The Root Network has been a milestone achievement as we move from being core builders to enabling others to build with us. With almost 3000 feedback form submissions so far, this has been an incredible case study of how we can mobilize our passionate community using FutureScore Quests to test and validate product launches. And of course, you all get rewarded with some sweet ROOT tokens for your input. Win-win!
As we approach the end of the year, you’ll start to see some significant updates across our platform and experiential products and partnerships. Additionally, we are nearing the final stages of launching our new Futureverse content series to provide everyone with regular long-format content, covering both broad company updates to keep you all up-to-date, as well as product-specific deep dives for those of you itching to dig deeper into our platform and products’ inner workings.
Whether you’ve been with us since the early days or joined with the launch of FLUF World and ASM, or you’re just starting to dip your toes in the Futureverse ecosystem, we thank you for being on this journey with us and can’t wait to show you what we have coming in the near future!
Aaron McDonald - CEO, Futureverse
Products
FutureScore and FutureScore Quests Launch
In July we witnessed the launch of two highly-anticipated experiences, FutureScore and FutureScore Quests. FutureScore is a unique points and loyalty system which determines the size of the rewards FuturePass holders receive from completing FutureScore Quests. Additionally, FutureScore Quests invite the community to help test various products and experiences whilst giving the opportunity to earn ROOT rewards. The response from our community has been overwhelming and we are thrilled that FutureScore Quests will continue to reward our community for continued engagement within the Futureverse ecosystem.
Quest 001: The Score was straightforward - all you needed to do was login or create a FuturePass and then generate your FutureScore. This Quest finished on 8 Aug 4pm PT.
Quest 002: The Stake involves helping us secure The Root Network by staking ROOT and remaining staked through the 90-day reward cycle. This Quest is still active and scheduled to finish on Nov 20 3pm PT.
Quest 003: The MARK kicked off alongside the beta launch of MARK, the first marketplace on The Root Network, developed by our friends at HaloLab (more info below). This Quest is scheduled to finish on Oct 13 4pm PT.
JEN-1: Revolutionizing Music Generation
Futureverse has also made waves in the realm of artificial intelligence and music generation with the publication of our JEN-1 Research Paper. This universal high-fidelity model for text-to-music generation aims to revolutionize how music is created and experienced.
Futureverse's JEN-1 is the result of extensive research, surpassing industry giants like Google and Facebook in terms of music generation capabilities. The model boasts a notably higher perceptual quality compared to existing methods and operates at an impressive 48kHz stereo audio quality. The team behind JEN-1, led by Futureverse's Innovation Department, has already released preliminary audio demos, showcasing the model's potential to transform the music industry.
Futureverse Co-Founders Shara Senderoff and Aaron McDonald shared their excitement, stating "We are incredibly proud to publish a first look into our team's significant progress in the advancement of music AI that will benefit creators and progress in the music industry."
Stay tuned for more updates in our journey to empower creators with a suite of AI tools including JEN.
Read more: https://www.futureverse.com/wtf?index=jen
AI League: FIFA Women’s World Cup AU·NZ·2023™ Edition
In conjunction with FIFA, Futureverse launched AI League, an innovative AI-driven football strategy game, early this year. Following a successful open beta launch on Android earlier this year, which garnered an impressive 50,000 downloads within the three month beta, AI League made its debut on iOS in July, coinciding with the FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
We’ve seen incredible engagement during the FIFA Women’s World Cup AU•NZ•2023™ Season and are rapidly closing in on 500,000 downloads across Android and iOS. Although the final whistle has blown on FIFA Women’s World Cup, there’s a lot more AI-powered football manager action on the cards. Get ready for the new Season launching soon, featuring additional prizes and another opportunity to showcase your football manager skills and climb the leaderboard.
Download on Android or iOS today!
International Rabbit Day
To celebrate International Rabbit Day, the eminent Scrooge McFluf took to the skies to surprise our loyal collectors with a surprise gift of ROOT tokens for everyone who had created a FuturePass with a wallet containing at least one Fluf. How much did you get?
Ecosystem
MARK Beta Launch
At the end of September, our friends at HaloLab launched the beta version of MARK, the first marketplace built on The Root Network. MARK combines video streaming & commerce into one immersive experience that allows users to discover, trade & create content all in one place.
MARK is the first of many third-party applications being built on The Root Network to unlock a whole new world of utility in the journey towards an open metaverse. The community feedback received to date has been invaluable for the HaloLab team to work through the final bugs in preparation for taking MARK live to the world, so thank you to everyone who has helped us test so far.
Check out MARK and get involved!
Futureverse Base Camp & Born Ready
Born Ready, the venture fund and studio founded by Aaron McDonald and Shara Senderoff, is set to boost early-stage web3 and metaverse technology ventures. Futureverse Base Camp, backed by Born Ready, aims to accelerate the development of startups with strategic collaboration potential with Futureverse or The Root Network. This initiative invites talented teams working on diverse projects, from protocol infrastructure to consumer games and experiences.
Aaron McDonald emphasizes the potential of the metaverse, saying, "If we think of the metaverse as the internet that's more immersive and users are in control of those assets, their identity, and their data, then that is a killer proposition that is not going to go away." This commitment to nurturing innovation underscores Futureverse's dedication to fostering a thriving metaverse ecosystem.
If you’re interested in being part of the first Futureverse Base Camp, you can apply now here. Applications close December 2023.
Listen to the Futureverse Base Camp launch AMA here.
Crucible Partnership
Futureverse recently announced a significant collaboration with Crucible Technologies, a move that is set to catalyze the metaverse's growth. Crucible Technologies has integrated its Emergence SDK into Futureverse's Root Network, a pivotal step towards enhancing interoperability within the metaverse ecosystem. This integration empowers developers to create seamless and interconnected experiences in the metaverse.
Emergence, Crucible's cutting-edge technology, makes avatars, wallets, and inventory more interoperable across the metaverse, facilitating smoother user interactions. This partnership marks a significant milestone in the quest for an open metaverse, enabling Futureverse to provide new utility to all FuturePass holders. Born Ready Ventures is set to lead Crucible's new funding round, highlighting the strategic importance of this partnership.
Aaron McDonald expressed his enthusiasm for the collaboration, stating, "The open metaverse is here. Our partnership with Crucible will empower a new generation of developers to create memorable experiences, and to unlock new utility for all FuturePass holders." Ryan Gill, Crucible's founder and CEO, echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the importance of open systems and game worlds in the metaverse's evolution.
Listen to the Crucible x Futureverse Spaces here.
Events
WebX Conference in Japan
In July, Futureverse had the distinct honour of being represented at the prestigious WebX conference in Japan. Our CEO, Aaron McDonald, took the stage to join the panel - All the Ways AI and Blockchain Will Converge. With his knowledge and passion for future technology, Aaron left an indelible mark on attendees, capturing their attention with his insights into the work we are doing at Futureverse.
APEX XRPL Dev Summit in Amsterdam
In September, CEO Aaron McDonald was privileged to take the stage at the XRPL Developers conference in Amsterdam. This event brought together some of the brightest minds in web3 innovation and technology and provided an opportunity to discuss how Futureverse has partnered with Ripple to reshape the landscape. The conference provided a platform for visionaries to exchange ideas and insights, reinforcing our commitment to driving innovation in the metaverse.
Watch Aaron’s keynote - The Intersection of AI, Web3 and the Metaverse with Yana Novikova
Watch Aaron’s interview with Rachel Wolfson
TOKEN2049 in Singapore
Futureverse’s VP Partnerships, Dorian Johannink, along with the team from Immersve, attended TOKEN2049 Singapore in September to connect with some of the most influential names in web3. Stay tuned to find out where the team will be next!
Podcasts
- SBJTV - The Most Important Tech Powering the FIFA Women's World Cup - feat. Shara
- CraigO’s Crypto Corner Podcast - Scaling AI and Metaverse Technologies with Futureverse - feat. Aaron & Shara
- Outlier Ventures - Building the Ultimate Tech Stack to Shape the Open Metaverse - feat. Shara
- The Edge Podcast: DeFi Dad x Nomatic - Futureverse: Where Storytelling, AI, and The Metaverse Collide - feat. Aaron
Spotlight - Somnium
What is your role at Futureverse?
Community Manager for The Root Network
What were you doing beforehand?
Computer Science/Business degrees from Auburn University, Salesforce Project Management and Project Logistics Lead for a global supply chain company.
What is your favourite collection?
Seekers
What are your interests outside of work?
I enjoy spending time with friends & family, playing lacrosse, snow skiing, pickle ball, video games, water sports, spending time outdoors, trading both NFTs and crypto.
Content Creator of the Month
We are delighted to celebrate the remarkable talent within our community of content creators. Each month, we have the privilege of witnessing the dedication and creativity of our members, and this time, it is our pleasure to announce that CryptopunkLTD has truly shone, earning the distinguished title of Content Creator of the Month. Their commitment to providing valuable insights and helpful education within our ecosystem makes us incredibly proud of their contributions. Join us in applauding CryptopunkLTD's exceptional work, and be sure to check out, follow, and subscribe to their socials and the Cryptopunk YouTube channel to stay up-to-date with their incredible content. Let's continue exploring Futureverse together and support our amazing creators!
Looking Ahead
Futureverse is not just a vision; it's a rapidly evolving reality driven by innovation and collaboration. As we continue to explore the limitless possibilities of the metaverse, Futureverse remains at the forefront of this digital revolution. With partnerships that promote interoperability, initiatives nurturing emerging ventures, and groundbreaking advancements in music AI, Futureverse is shaping a metaverse that is both accessible and extraordinary.
Thank you for being a vital part of the Futureverse community. Stay tuned, stay connected, and together, let's continue shaping the future of the metaverse. The journey has only just begun, and the possibilities are endless.