📝#91: Virtual Play, Real Pay
📝#91: Virtual Play, Real Pay
Roblox partners with Shopify. ENS integrates PayPal and Venmo. NFL partners with Bitpanda. Ford and Toyota file 43 blockchain patents. Animoca Brands Japan partners with Tokyo Stupid Games & more.
Hey, it’s Marc ✌️
Today we will cover:
Consumer: Roblox partners with Shopify. ENS integrates PayPal and Venmo. NFL partners with Bitpanda.
Gaming: Animoca Brands Japan partners with Tokyo Stupid Games. Skale partners with Moxy for gasless transactions. Planet Mojo migrates to Base blockchain.
Let’s dive in 🦈
⏱️ Read time: 4min
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📚 Our Top Reads
Why are brands building in Roblox? [live] Link
Roblox is Redefining the Future of Gaming. By Yon-Raz Fridman. Link
Meta Spark Shuts Down – Death of Smartphone AR? Link
time.fun & the State of SocialFi: What You Need to Know. Link
Key Insights from 3,200+ NFT Patents. By Marc Baumann. Link
✨ Web3 & Consumer
From Avatars to Aisles 🛒
Roblox is partnering with Shopify to let creators sell physical goods directly in the game using Shopify’s checkout, with a full launch in 2025.
Integration: Shopify's checkout system will let brands sell physical items directly in Roblox games.
Tapping into e-commerce: It will allow users to purchase real-world products, like clothing and accessories, directly within the game, rendering new avenues for brands and creators.
Win-win for both: Roblox’s 80M DAUs can give Shopify merchants a vast customer base with enhanced engagement while attracting brands to create experiences on the platform.
Why it matters: Shopify integrates seamless shopping into Roblox’s virtual world, tapping into its 200M monthly active users and offering new revenue streams for creators. This is a big leap for immersive commerce, blending digital and physical shopping experiences.
What they’re saying:
“We believe providing users with more ways to shop on Roblox will give creators another way to deepen their connection with their communities while driving business results.”
Stephanie Latham, Roblox’s VP of global brand partnerships and advertising
Meanwhile: Roblox has launched “The Brands Experience” with Sawhorse Productions to help brands create immersive activations. The platform features brand case studies, Roblox Tech Talks, and a quiz challenge to boost marketing knowledge.
By the numbers: With 200m+ daily active users, Roblox is the most popular virtual platform.
Half of them Gen Z, with an average user spending 2.6 hours on Roblox – every day.
It features over 400 brand activations, including custom items, limited-time integrations, celebrity events, and immersive experiences.
The Big Picture: Roblox is evolving beyond gaming to lead in the metaverse and immersive commerce, creating a dynamic ecosystem for brands, creators, and users. The platform is also broadening its appeal, with e-commerce integration and building a robust creators’ ecosystem while expanding demographics.
They are “trendsetters,” bringing content, community, gaming, metaverse, virtual experience, and e-commerce together in one place.
Boson Protocol – Real Web3 Commerce, with Web2 UX
As the next bull market emerges, so does a new crypto-rich, Web3-savvy demographic, who are demanding authentic Web3 commerce experiences. Uniquely, with Boson, you can sell physical things as NFTs, with a slick Web2 experience while running on a fully decentralized Web3 backend. No more Web3 washing is required!
Not Just Theory ⛓
Bertelsmann Investments, Deutsche Telekom, Lufthansa, and TUM are launching peaq genesis nodes, boosting DePIN's integration with major enterprises.
What you should know:
peaq: A Layer-1 blockchain powering Decentralized Physical Infrastructure (DePIN) Networks and real-world machine assets, with 45+ projects and 1M+ connected devices.
Enterprise Adoption Program: peaq revealed this program to connect DePIN innovators with global businesses, providing updates, consulting, and early funding opportunities.
Why it matters: The four entities involved have a combined valuation of over $170B and hence renders significant credibility to peaq Network and DePIN. Their participation in the network demonstrates the practical applications of DePINs in sectors like aviation and telecommunications.
What they’re saying:
“The DePIN model has interesting potential when it comes to supporting infrastructure for the airline industry, such as sourcing community-gathered flight tracking data. We are looking forward to seeing and supporting avionics-focused projects such as Hyperway and Wingbits.”
Steffen Boller, Tech Lead at Lufthansa Innovation Hub
Tune in to our recent podcast with Steffen Boller:
By the numbers: The DePIN ecosystem comprised 650+ projects with a market size of $2.2T.
The Big Picture: DePIN has been the big narrative of 2024 so far. The commitment of big corporates is a strong signal that this trend will continue.
👉 Want to get in front of 50k+ business leaders or accelerate your growth? Work with us here.
More Web3 Highlights:
ENS has integrated with PayPal and Venmo, allowing users to send and receive crypto using ENS names for easier and more secure transactions. Link
Ford and Toyota are focusing on blockchain technology, filing 43 patents in Q2 2024 to enhance vehicle ownership tracking and NFT management. Link
The NFL has partnered with crypto exchange Bitpanda as its official European partner, offering branding and media opportunities during upcoming games. Link
RB Leipzig has partnered with crypto platform Kraken as an Exclusive Partner for the 2024/25 season, marking another major U.S. collaboration for the club. Kraken will also launch a localized offer in Germany through DLT Finance soon. Link
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🎮 Brands & Gaming
Animoca Brands Japan has partnered with TOKYO STUPID GAMES to support its global Web3 expansion, focusing on integrating real-world assets (RWAs) with blockchain technology. The collaboration aims to promote Japanese brands and IPs through Web3 gaming and boost mass adoption of Web3 globally. Link
SKALE, a layer-2 scaling solution for Ethereum, partnered with Moxy, to eliminate gas fees and enhance Web3 gaming. Link
Planet Mojo is migrating to Coinbase’s Base network to improve transaction speeds, lower costs, and boost gameplay for its web3 gaming platform. Link
That’s all for now, folks.
The next edition on crypto, macro & AI will follow on Tuesday.
Talk soon,
– Marc & Team
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