Let's start with the negative news. We are witnessing layoffs in Web3 companies – just as we see them in Web2 tech companies. This is because growth was probably too fast and not healthy.
Polygon reduces their staff by 20%:
In addition, Dapper Labs laid off another 20%:
https://www.theblock.co
On the brighter side, we still see significant investments, such as this one in Web3 Gaming:
https://www.theblock.co
How do Web3 games work?
https://cointelegraph.com
Metamask has also opened its doors to Web3 Gaming with two news.
First, an SDK in the Unity Asset store that allows developers to connect their games to the Metamask Wallet:
Second, Hyperplay.xyz - a game launcher that brings Metamask into native games (something I have to delve deeper into to understand in depth):
Spotify is testing token-enabled music playlists:
https://www.coindesk.com
Coinbase is launching "Base," an Ethereum Layer 2 blockchain. Their goal is to onboard the next billion users:
Ledger announced a partnership with RTFKT during NFT Paris:
Yuga is jumping on the BTC NFT craze with an art project. I'm pretty sure prices will be crazy. It will be interesting to see if and how this fits into Yuga Labs' overall strategy. However, with Cryptopunks, they are already in the art world:
Dookey Dash, Yuga Labs' game in the Bored Ape Ecosystem, had a winner. The winner received a golden key, which is now sold for $1.63 million:
https://decrypt.co
Metaverse Fashionweek 2.0 is kicking off on March 28th, and Adidas is joining for the first time:
https://www.forbes.com
Puma launched an NFT:
Cathy Hackl is launching her luxury label:
Are you in NY on April 12th? Then you can go on a 9dcc treasure hunt and win an unminted Artblocks NFT:
Meta keeps working on their AR / VR strategy. Some info from an internal presentation was leaked:
https://www.theverge.com
And finally, a nice thread about why it might be a good idea to buy art PFP collectibles:
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I am hosting my revamped Web3/Metaverse masterclass again in April! I will discuss how brands have entered the space, what learnings have been made, how brands can take their first steps, and how to build a winning strategy, among other topics. All the details can be found here:
https://www.alker.io/nft-masterclass
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Thanks for the read. Have a great rest of the week!
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