Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is expanding their presence in Web3 space with Animoca Brands. Notre Game, their subsidiary, announced a partnership with ONE Championship, biggest MMA organization globally, to develop ONE Fight Arena, an NFT game. Player testing is likely to begin during Q4 2023 while the game will officially be launched next year.
Mobile Gamers Dominating The Gaming Sector
The game will also feature first person perspective for an immersive user experience. Moreover, the ones unwilling to engage with blockchain or Web3 activities can go for a free-to-play version. Non-fungible tokens have met with backlash from traditional gamers in the past. Ubisoft, a video game company, became the first mainstream gaming organization to integrate NFTs, but failed at large.
ONE co-founder, Hua Fung Teh, says “They are thrilled with the partnership as it will provide them with opportunities to engage with a global fan base through a unique experience. Yat Siu, Animoca Brands co-founder, said that “The collaboration will help ONE fans to experience true ownership.” Furthermore, Notre Game CEO is looking forward to pushing the boundaries of mobile gaming.
Mobile gaming is spreading like Wolffia with half the global gaming population representing mobile gaming. Data shows the number of daily active users have increased by 8% last year. The United States remains the biggest segment in the sector. Consumer spending in the country has managed to stay above $5.5 Billion in each quarter between 2020 and 2022. Additionally, role playing games (RPG) and strategy games generated over $30 Billion in revenues collectively.
Though a majority of renowned games offer free gameplay, they also provide the users with an option for in-app purchases. It allows users to spend on premium items including skins, avatars, equipment and more. Battle Royale titles like PlayerUnknown’s BattleGrounds, Fortnite and more are common titles players prefer to spend on.
The sector is also seeing streaming giants entering the game. Netflix allows its subscribers to access Netflix Games. The strategy enables developers to focus on content instead of monetizing different gaming aspects. Experts believe the future will see the advent of more streaming companies in this market.
Animoca Brands is among the most renowned companies investing in web3. Recently, their edtech subsidiary, Tiny Tap, raised $8.5 Million to expand into the next iteration of internet. To this date, The Sandbox creators have raised over $800 Million. Last year only, the organization received over $550 Million in funding.
Crypto gaming is still a growing market that too is struggling to enter the mainstream considering the majority of the traditional gaming community isn’t in favor of such integration. Companies including Yuga Labs, Sky Mavis and more currently leading web3 gaming space with the former’s metaverse game, Otherside, is due this year.
Anurag is working as a fundamental writer for The Coin Republic since 2021. He likes to exercise his curious muscles and research deep into a topic. Though he covers various aspects of the crypto industry, he is quite passionate about the Web3, NFTs, Gaming, and Metaverse, and envisions them as the future of the (digital) economy. A reader & writer at heart, he calls himself an “average guitar player” and a fun footballer.
Source: https://www.thecoinrepublic.com/2023/04/27/animoca-brands-becomes-one-with-the-biggest-mma-organization/