Playful Studios has raised $46 million to launch The Wildcard Alliance subsidiary and bring fun into Web3 gaming. The team is now working on blockchain-based title Wildcard, which combines elements of MOBA, RTS, and collectible card games.

Neal Stephenson is known for defining the term “Metaverse” in his cyberpunk novel “Snow Crash” back in the early 90s. The writer has now decided to bring his own vision of this concept to life by announcing a new project titled LAMINA1 aimed at helping creators realize their ideas.

The value of the cryptocurrency market has fallen below $1 trillion for the first time since January 2021. It happened amid a global industry shakeup, with investors ditching riskier assets.

Metaverse has become the buzzword for tech companies and startups across the globe over the last year. Despite the skepticism around this sector remaining high, some analysts think that it might turn into a $13 trillion industry by the end of this decade.

Gala Games has announced a partnership with Unity to drive the creation of the upcoming social metaverse titled VOXverse. The Sims creator Will Wright is also involved in the development of the project, which is described as a blockchain version of Minecraft.

Blockchain startup Ryu Games has announced its own store Flame, which is described as Steam for Web3. The company also hired former Valve engineer Rick Ellis, who is known as the founder of the biggest distribution platform for PC gaming.

Animoca Brands has completed the acquisition of Notre Game, a Czech studio behind mobile card game Scratch Wars. It will develop a new P2E title based on its business model combining digital and physical experiences.

Solana has decided to invest in the South Korean crypto market following the recent Terra collapse. The blockchain platform has established a $100 million fund to back the country’s Web3 startups, including the ones developing NFT and GameFi projects.

Tim Sweeney has criticized the so-called “Fortnite Token,” a cryptocurrency named after Epic Games’ battle royale. He called it a scam, warning that his company is now preparing legal action against it. However, the Fortnite Token creators argued that it was a “fair-launch” and “fans-created” project.

Supercell has made its first step into the blockchain gaming field. The Clash Royale maker has participated in a $4.5 million funding round raised by UK-based studio Oxalis Games, which claims to “redefine people’s perception of crypto games.”

Animoca Brands has shared its latest unaudited financial report. The company, which owns games like The Sandbox and Phantom Galaxies, stated that it now holds $1.5 billion in crypto and blockchain gaming assets.

Blockchain gaming platform Gala Games has announced its partnership with Epic Games as part of its strategy to bring Web3 into the mainstream. The company’s upcoming battle royale GRIT will become the first NFT game on the Fortnite maker’s store.

Yuga Labs has suffered another attack on its Discord server. As a result, hackers managed to steal around $380k worth of Bored Apes NFTs, with the project’s founder later blaming Discord for the lack of security.

WAX Studios, which created the WAX blockchain network, has raised $10 million in funding. The company will use the money to improve the functionality of in-game NFTs as part of its ongoing push for the GameFi market.

The US Attorney’s Office has opened the first-ever insider trading case involving NFTs. Former OpenSea product manager Nathaniel Chastain is named as the main defendant, facing up to 20 years in prison.

Based in the Philippines, Playdex is a new marketplace allowing players of P2E titles to rent in-game NFTs. The team has raised $2 million in a seed round with participation from PDAX, iSeed Ventures, and other investors.

Meta Apes, a free-to-play MMO strategy game, has become the first title to launch on the BNB Chain Application Sidechain (BAS). It opens new opportunities for the developers, who claim to mix the benefits of a decentralized economy with the fun of traditional Web2 gaming.

Blockchain gaming has been struggling to retain users after an explosive growth that happened last year. As a result, the number of active players of top Ethereum games has collapsed by almost 100%.

Game companies across the globe have been trying to integrate blockchain into their titles for a while. The latest example is MMO Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds from South Korean developer Netmarble, which has already caused backlash over in-game crypto elements.