Futureverse News - January 2024

Message from Leadership

It’s hard to believe that it’s been less than a year since Futureverse was officially formed. We’ve achieved more in one year than what many companies achieve in 5-10. Our 2023 highlight video below gives a high-level overview of most (but not even all!) of it. We’re incredibly proud and we have no plans to take our foot off the gas.

In our first week of 2024, we announced our Readyverse Studios venture, Co-Founded by the legendary creator of Ready Player One, Ernest Cline and the producer of the film, Dan Farah. The Ready Player One franchise speaks to the foundation of the open metaverse we set out to be a part of creating and we couldn’t be more excited to have publicly revealed our plans to do just that.

2024 is going to be a busy one, I hope you’re Ready.

Shara Senderoff - Co-Founder, Futureverse

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2023 in Review

The best way to start a new year is by reflecting on the previous one, and what a 2023 is was!

It all started when Futureverse was born from 11 companies merged into one. Since then, with 30+ products, games and experiences released, world-class partnerships announced, and the launch of The Root Network, it was an incredible year for the Futureverse ecosystem.

To round out the year we had a very special episode of Futureverse TV’s | The Vision with Shara and Aaron. You can watch it here: Futureverse TV: The Vision Holiday Wrap Up

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Readyverse Studios Announcement

On January 4, 2024 we were honoured to announce the formation of Readyverse Studios, a first-of-its-kind studio co-founded by Futureverse Co-Founders Shara Senderoff and Aaron McDonald, as well as Ernest Cline, the best-selling novelist and renowned creator of the groundbreaking franchise Ready Player One and Dan Farah, Ready Player One film producer.

Readyverse Studios is laying the groundwork to bring the promise of the open metaverse depicted in Cline’s Ready Player One novel and the blockbuster film adaptation into a tangible reality; a multi-world, multi-IP, interoperable open metaverse experience for mass consumers.

“The future has arrived even more quickly than I imagined,”  said Ernest Cline, Co-Founder of Readyverse Studios. “With Readyverse Studios, we have the opportunity to leverage the revolutionary technology Futureverse has been building for several years to bring to life the best possible version of the metaverse. I’m confident with this team, we have the brightest minds and biggest hearts in place to lead us into the next chapter of our collective future… a future that would make Wade Watts and James Halliday proud.” Dan Farah, Co-Founder of Readyverse Studios continued, “Readyverse Studios will offer exciting new metaverse opportunities for Hollywood studios, talent, and brands to create new revenue streams and creative outlets for brand expansion while offering consumers the ability to engage with their beloved IP and to enjoy the promise of an open metaverse.”

“The launch of Readyverse Studios is an unprecedented venture in that the writer and producer who first brought the iconic Ready Player One IP and universe to Warner Bros are passionately involved in bringing the ideas from the property to reality through web3 and metaverse technology,” said Josh Hackbarth of Warner Bros.

Check out this short clip of Ernest Cline discussing his excitement with the Readyverse Co-Founders, or watch the full version linked in the Podcast section below.

Make sure you follow Readyverse on X (Twitter), Instagram, and YouTube, and check out the new Readyverse website to sign up for early access.

Read more about the launch of Readyverse Studios in the following press articles: The LA Times, The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, Forbes, VentureBeat, Variety

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Products

Swappables Engine Launch

Interoperability is a fundamental pillar of the open metaverse, so we were delighted to introduce Futureverse’s Swappables Engine in December, with the Party Bear collection taking centre stage for the first showcase of accessory swapping.

Designed for developers crafting apps, games, and digital experiences, the Swappables Engine is an ideal solution for those seeking to provide users with the freedom to personalize their collectibles. Whether it's linking or delinking wearable accessories, weapons and other cosmetics from characters or other types of primary collectible items such as vehicles, this engine offers developers a versatile toolkit to seamlessly integrate customizable features into their collections while being interoperable and not data heavy.

To find out more, check out our technical documentation on the Swappables Engine.

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Party Bear Swappables

As a flagship demonstration of Futureverse’s Swappables Engine, Party Bear owners were invited to a first-of-its-kind experience with Party Bear Presents: Swappables in December alongside Quest 006: The Swap.

Exclusively on The Root Network, the experience involves bridging eligible collecibles and completing the Split & Bundle, a process that renders a customizable new on-chain collectible, and separate swappable accessories. Now, you can switch up your Party Bear’s look whenever inspiration calls, unlocking new levels of personalization, and the ability to trade accessories on supported marketplaces, soon.

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Gods & Goblins - Grumble Beta Launch

After unveiling the fresh new Gods & Goblins look late last year, the beta launch of Grumble, the brand-spankin’ new auto-battler game from Gods & Goblins has been unleashed into the world!

Grumble is the first of a new class of game using our stream-to-play technology, allowing spectators to wield the power to influence the game by introducing ‘god mode’ actions; such as summoning lighting or meteors. You can check out the Grumble livestream on MARK now!

As always, community feedback is essential in our journey to crafting the best possible products and experiences we can, so be sure to let us know what you think, and what you’d like to see from Grumble in future updates, by using the feedback form on the website.

Head over to the new and improved Gods & Goblins website to get involved - It’s BRAWL or NOTHING!

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Sylo Protocol Update

As one of the founding companies within Futureverse, Sylo launched as a decentralised network, protocol and communications platform. Now, Sylo is reimagining the way data and assets work together. Built on The Root Network, Sylo has evolved to become an infrastructure layer for data, powering interoperability for assets and users throughout the open metaverse.

Sylo’s infrastructure drives interoperability of data profiles, networks, things and events. Delivered by the Seeker Network, a layer 2 where the Sylo protocols run and are powered by the SYLO token.

Sylo’s protocols are already in use across many of the games and experiences being produced by Futureverse, including being used within The Root Network’s Asset Register and Sylo Graph tools.

As we broaden the capabilities of Sylo, we have crafted a clear vision for our main objectives. You can find detail on this, our roadmap, and more on Sylo’s updated website.

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FutureScore Quests

We’ve had a steady stream of FutureScore Quests coming down the pipeline, offering more opportunities to reward our community for helping us test out tech, experiences and support those building on The Root Network. With the latest two Quests closing this month, make sure you’re following Futureverse on X (Twitter) to stay in the loop for upcoming Quests.

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Quest 005: The Trade

As mentioned in last month’s newsletter, Quest 005: The Trade was launched in December to reward our community for supporting those building on The Root Network. Those who completed trades on verified DEXs, Moai Finance and Dexter, will receive rewards based on the tier they reached. The Trade was also an opportunity for first time participants to be rewarded with FutureScore for completing the Quest, but there’s plenty more to come so keep an eye on future Quests for more opportunities.

Quest 005: The Trade closed on Jan 15th PT. Rewards will be distributed in the coming weeks.

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Quest 006: The Swap

Quest 006: The Swap rewarded the Party Bear community for helping to test the Swappables Engine. To complete this Quest, users needed to bridge their Party Bear to The Root Network, then follow and complete the steps to Split and Bundle.

Quest 006: The Swap closed on Jan 3rd PT and rewards will be distributed in the coming weeks.

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AI League: FIFA Women’s World Cup AU·NZ·2023™ Edition - Seasonal League #3

AI League is back with another seasonal league to kick off 2024. Now’s your chance to lead your squad of AI All-Stars to glory and compete for exclusive wearables, skill points, and coins!

Congrats to last season’s winners: youngalgy, freaknasti, and dropbear. If you want to be on the podium for the new seasonal league, make sure you download on Android or iOS today.

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Ecosystem

CENNZ → ROOT Burn to Swap Mechanism

At the end of last year the CENNZ community received an update on the CENNZ to ROOT burn-to-swap mechanisms for The Root Network, offering CENNZ holders the option to engage in the expanding ROOT community.

The burn-to-swap process allows CENNZ holders to access ROOT tokens in alignment with the ROOT token rollout, occurring every 90 days. During each cycle, 10% of the total circulating ROOT supply will be available, with payouts distributed in two tranches: a fixed 20% and a pro-rated 80%, ensuring fairness among holders.

Further details on participation will be released soon, for more information see: https://cennz.net/knowledge-hub/blockchain-101/cennz-to-root/

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Podcasts

Futureverse TV: The Vision Holiday Wrap Up

Futureverse TV presents the second instalment of the "The Vision" with Futureverse Co-Founders Aaron McDonald and Shara Senderoff.

Delve into topics such as the Grumble Launch, Swappables Engine, Reebok Partnership, Cool Cats Macy's Parade, The Root Network, the intersection of the metaverse with AI, and the Sylo Refresh.

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The Readyverse Vision w/ Co-Founders

Embark on a special conversation featuring the Readyverse Studios Co-Founders, Shara Senderoff, Aaron McDonald, Ernest Cline, and Dan Farah, as they unveil the origin and vision for The Readyverse.

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Shara at CES 2024

Earlier this month, Shara took to the stage at CES 2024 on their Monetizing Immersive Hollywood = Realtime AI + Advertising + Metaverse panel, with a special feature of our patented doughnuts (decentralised cookies) protocol. Stay tuned for more updates as we roll out our doughnuts protocol in 2024.

See what Ad Age thought here.

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Spotlight - Kyle

What is your role at Futureverse?

I’m Product Owner of Gods & Goblins – also known as ‘Lorde of the Horde’

What were you doing before Futureverse?

A multitude of things, I’ve been a General Manager/Sales Manager/Product Manager for the last 15 years. My career was mostly in new product development in the infrastructure space; I introduced the cycle counting network in NZ, and CCTV at traffic intersections among other things. I also ran a specialist surfacing company that did artistic projects and cycle lanes, I actually installed Te Ara I Whiti (the lightpath / bright magenta path) outside our office! Before joining FV I was a Senior PM at Auckland Transport and was managing around $30M of upgrades annually. Outside of that I’ve been dabbling in blockchain since 2017.

What do you enjoy most about about your role?

I love getting to work with every facet of the business, and learning how it all works. The skill level of people I work with never ceases to amaze me and I find it to be a constant environment for growth. Everything is people, so because my role allows me to interact with so many, it is a joy.

What is your favourite FV collection?

I may be slightly biased here, but Goblins! Seekers are a close second.

What are some of your interests outside of work?

Photography! I help run the Hibiscus Coast Photographic Club, take photos at festivals and last year got a bronze medal in a National Salon (nzkyled on insta). I also love to cook and to travel.

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Content Creator of the Month - Metabloxx

Hold on to your Twitter aka X handles, folks, because Metabloxx just unlocked the @Content Creator Of The Month achievement!

MetaBloxx, a true Twitter maestro and community stalwart, has an uncanny knack for seeing and sharing the "BIG Picture" with those around him. His relentless pursuits to bring awareness to our community are so legendary that even NFTNick gives him a nod of approval! IYKYK

His consistency, passion, and infectious enthusiasm to spread our message has earned him this month's well-deserved title Content Creator Of The Month.

Let's give Metabloxx a resounding round of applause for his outstanding dedication to our community!

To stay connected and support Metabloxx, follow him on X (formerly Twitter) and Discord.

Congratulations, MetaBloxx! Your tireless efforts make our community shine brighter.