Malaysian animation studio Monsta has entered the metaverse by partnering with The Sandbox for its debut creation, Mad Mecha. With this partnership, it will enable Monsta to bring its exclusive virtual game, Mad Mecha, into the metaverse platform, joining over 165 existing partnerships which include The Walking Dead, Snoop Dogg, deadmau5, Richie Hawtin, The Smurfs, Care Bears, Atari, ZEPETO, and CryptoKitties. Monsta is also known for popular icons such as Mechamato, BoBoiBoy, Papa Pipi, and Fly With Yaya.
According to The Sandbox, the Mad Mecha universe will exist inside The Sandbox and feature exclusively-designed digital assets to collect, as well as a full line-up of unique in-game robot avatars with special fighting abilities. As a first step, The Sandbox said it will be giving users the possibility to obtain pieces of virtual real estate close to Monsta’s spot in the metaverse, enabling fans and gamers to be close to the brand.
A+M has reached out to The Sandbox for additional information regarding the partnership.
“We believe that Mad Mecha has the potential for immense growth on this platform, especially with such a passionate and dedicated community,” said Monsta’s co-founder and COO, Kee Yong Pin. Kee added that it will offer a unique experience for both its existing and future audience base, something which was very different from its previous projects.
Meanwhile, COO and co-founder of The Sandbox, Sebastien Borget said the brand was pleased to welcome the Mad Mecha IP into The Sandbox metaverse. Borget added The Sandbox was hoping to see if it could attract new audiences from Southeast Asia to its gaming virtual worlds.
The Sandbox, a subsidiary of Animoca Brands, has been on a roll when it comes to bringing partners into the metaverse. It recently helped Havas Group stake a claim in the metaverse with a plot of virtual land on its platform. The Group plans to inaugurate its first virtual Village in the metaverse. The Sandbox also added eight partners in Hong Kong to create its cultural hub Mega City. The partners are from the film, music, entertainment, acting, professional services, finance, real estate, and gaming sectors.
According to a recent report by Gartner, 25% of people will spend at least one hour a day in the metaverse for work, shopping, education, social and/or entertainment by 2026. Because no single vendor will own the metaverse, Gartner expects it to have a virtual economy enabled by digital currencies and NFTs.
Meanwhile, it also found that 35% of consumers have never heard of the metaverse. The survey of 324 consumers found that 58% of respondents have either heard of the metaverse but do not know what it means, or think they understand the metaverse but would struggle to explain it to someone else. Only 6% of people identify as being comfortable enough in their understanding of the metaverse to explain it to others.
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