Tag: thesandbox

Hong Kong's MTR Becomes World's 1st Transport Operator to Enter The Sandbox Metaverse

Hong Kong’s MTR Corporation has become the first global transport operator to join The Sandbox metaverse to create new and immersive experiences in the virtual world.

The Corporation announced its partnership with The Sandbox on Thursday, April 21, and said that it will explore the metaverse and create new and immersive experiences in the virtual world.

The Sandbox is a decentralized gaming virtual world and a Hong Kong-based Animoca Brands subsidiary.

“We are excited for the strategic partnership with The Sandbox to embark on our new journey in the metaverse and engage customers in a brand-new way,” said Dr Jacob Kam, Chief Executive Officer of MTR Corporation.

The MTR Corporation plans to build a railway-focused virtual space in the metaverse to create unique immersive experiences through gamification and engage creators to collectively build this new community platform.

In a phone interview with Blockchain.News, the Corporation said that details about the future plans are yet to be released and currently the partnership is building a bigger roadmap for the coming years.

The future potential of the metaverse in enhancing Hong Kong’s transport system is also yet to explored, Blockchain.News added.

The Corporation has also acquired a plot of land in The Sandbox metaverse where the company plans to build an immersive virtual station. By doing so, the Corporation is particularly targeting to increase interaction with the younger generation through Web3 and metaverse.

The gamified virtual station will be built in replication to the physical railway environment and players will experience an MTR journey that will be more than taking a ride, the Corporation said.

“There will be endless new possibilities, including driving a train or even operating a railway station and unlocking exciting adventures in this constantly evolving space,”

The MTR also plans on building a museum and exploring ways to facilitate STEM education in the metaverse.

“There may also be a railway museum to showcase the moments that MTR intersects with the communities and cultures of Hong Kong. Meanwhile, the Corporation will explore making use of the virtual environment to facilitate STEM education,” the MTR announced.

Source: The Sandbox

“This foray into the metaverse allows us to venture into the virtual space to build a fun place to interact with our community while at the same time also seize opportunities that would add to our real-world experience beyond bounds,” Dr Kam said. 

Animoca Brands deals with digital entertainment, blockchain, and gamification. The company is also working to advance digital property rights.

Recently, The Sandbox metaverse announced its negotiations with investors to raise $400 million in a new funding round.

Bloomberg reported citing anonymous sources close to the transactions, that the blockchain startup has been seeking a $4 billion valuation. The size of the offering and the market worth may change as deliberations continue

Image source: The Sandbox

Standard Chartered Enters The Sandbox Metaverse

Banking giant Standard Chartered has entered the metaverse with The Sandbox to build a virtual space for its clients and supporters.

The UK-based multinational banking and financial services company said that its virtual land for the Hong Kong branch will be located in The Sandbox’s Mega-City district.

The Sandbox is a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based Animoca Brands.

Standard Chartered said that the plan to enter The Sandbox metaverse is to experiment and develop immersive experiences for its customers and attract creatives and sports enthusiasts.

Mary Huen, Chief Executive of Standard Chartered in Hong Kong said in a statement “having acquired virtual land in Mega City, a natural choice for the Bank given its distinctive Hong Kong theme, perfectly fits with our promise of strengthening our continued presence in Hong Kong, whether physical or virtual”.

The Sandbox announced in January that it has created Mega-City – a cultural hub – following a successful partnership with multiple Hong Kong partners from various sectors. 

It said that the partners joined The Sandbox’s virtual real estate by acquiring LAND NFTs similar to the one secured by Regal Hotels in the open metaverse.

Until now, The Sandbox has secured over 165 partnerships, including Adidas, Snoop Dogg, The Walking Dead, South China Morning Post, The Smurfs, Care Bears, Atari, CryptoKitties, Shaun the Sheep, Mcdull, and Hanjin Tan, to build a fun, creative play-to-earn platform that offers virtual worlds and game experiences owned and created by players.

Other prominent partners include Hong Kong tycoon Adrian Cheng, alternative investing leader Sun Hung Kai & Co, professional services firm PwC Hong Kong, blockchain-related investment and asset management company TIMES CAPITAL and other local investors.

Many other banks have also planned to enter the metaverse.

According to a report from Blockchain.News, HSBC Bank announced a partnership with The Sandbox on March 16, 2022, to build its presence in the Hong Kong-based company’s metaverse.

Through the partnership, HSBC acquired a plot of LAND, virtual real estate in The Sandbox metaverse, which it will develop to engage, entertain, and connect with sports, esports and gaming enthusiasts, the report added.

Another banking giant JP Morgan has also stepped into the metaverse with the Decentraland platform, which has allowed visitors to interact with the digital space of the company and other clients.

In its most recent development, Hong Kong’s Regal Hotels Group announced its entrance into the metaverse with project MetaGreen in partnership with The Sandbox, scheduled for completion by October 2022.

Regal Hotels has said that MetaGreen is a project to build an environmental, social and governance (ESG) themed plot of “LAND” in Animoca Brands’ subsidiary, The Sandbox – a decentralised gaming virtual world.

More details regarding MetaGreen’s pioneering decarbonise-to-earn model will be released in the coming months. Regal hotels also has plans to invite additional ecosystem partners to join its initiative.

PANGU Announces 'PANGU ECOLAND' NFT drop from June 14

Hong Kong-based Metaverse startup agency PANGU by Kenal (PANGU) announced that it will be launching the ‘PANGU ECOLAND’ NFT drop from June 14 at 11 pm local time.

The announcement added that non-fungible token (NFT) lovers can view 30 assets from the PANGU ECOLAND experience, which will be exclusively available on The Sandbox – which has appointed PANGU as the company’s metaverse agency.

PANGU ECOLAND is an eco-energy rescue adventure where players have to restore a metaverse and its voxel world. During a Q and A session, PANGU also announced that there will also be a “buy one get one tree” campaign.

PANGU ECOLAND will be the first sustainable LAND in The Sandbox metaverse as the company taps into its stated belief in environmental sustainability and its environmental awareness. During the Q and A session, the company also announced that it will plant a tree for every purchase.

Among various NFT products with various classes based on their rarity, The Sandbox said in a blog that the NFTs will grant owners special rewards while playing the game.

Pangu further added in the announcement that it will announce more NFTs and further expansion of the PANGU ECOLAND experience for NFT collectors in the coming future.

The metaverse development solutions provider also provides metaverse-centric strategic planning, business development and marketing solutions, NFTs and trading, gaming and social experience creation.

The Kenal Group is a comprehensive creative agency that has been providing all-rounded marketing solutions since 2008.

Image source: PANGU by Kenal

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