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First-Ever NFT Cricket Game Debuts On GuardianLink

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NFT finally made its way into one of the world’s most popular sports. Recently, Chennai-based decentralized launchpad GuardianLink has rolled out a play-to-earn [P2E] NFT cricket game which is the first of its kind for the sport. For a cricket frenzy nation like India, there could not be a better tribute.

Sources revealed that the newly launched product is a multiplayer game that would go live in the first quarter of FY23. The firm expects it to garner a positive response from cricket buffs all over the world.

Jump Trade, which is GuardianLink’s NFT marketplace is hosting the game. As per the post, supporters and interested buyers can join the waitlist, with registrations open for the next 27 days. Currently, the website is offering users a chance to win a “premium NFT collection” and “unlock exclusive items.

Founded in 2016, GuardianLink is credited with fuelling 45 NFT exchanges, launching 40 crypto tokens, and generating a market capitalization of $3 billion through operations in 30 countries. Speaking on the launch Ramkumar Subramaniam, co-founder, and CEO of GuardianLink stated,

Watching cricket in India has always been a treat for every buff, especially nowadays, with the new formats. We consider this the best time to announce the launch of India’s pioneering NFT cricket game, which will serve as a unique product for every cricket enthusiast.

The exec also said that GuardianLink plans to create the first Indian metaverse dedicated to cricket. The game will let users choose between two playing modes “which could be pure entertainment or earning a passive income,” he explained.

NFT Start-Up Gets A Major Backing

Even as the Indian cricket ecosystem slowly wakes up to the world of non-fungible tokens, one of football‘s biggest names Cristiano Ronaldo has already thrown his weight behind an Indian NFT startup. Ronaldo-led CR7, in association with several leading global investors, has poured funds worth $100 million in FanCraze.

The Series A funding round is touted to be one of the largest-ever funding rounds in the digital token space in Asia. Besides that, FanCraze has sealed a partnership with Cricket’s official governing body, ICC to build exclusive non-fungible tokens.

Over an Alleged $1M NFT Scheme, the Department of Justice Sued Two 20-Year-Olds

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For their roles in a $1.1 million NFT scam, the Department of Justice charged two 20-year-olds with fraud and money laundering. It is one of the first steps taken by federal authorities to rein in the burgeoning asset class.

The project was dubbed “Frosties” by Ethan Nguyen and Andrew Llacuna, both of Los Angeles, and promised investors future giveaways, more tokens, and a metaverse game based on the brand.

Prosecutors claim the duo engaged in a “rug pull” in January, in which they advertised Frosties on social media and then vanished with the money they earned.

“Wherever there’s money to be earned, fraudsters will find a way to get it,” said Damian Williams, a US attorney in New York.

Frosties- the cute NFT scam

Ethan Nguyen and Andre Llacuna are accused of making $1.1 million selling non-fungible tokens (or NFTs) based on the cartoon character “Frosties.”

They shut down the initiative and shifted its cash to a variety of different crypto wallets after selling the NFTs, leaving Frosties owners without the promised benefits.

The Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), according to the criminal complaint, began investigating Frosties in January, immediately after receiving complaints about the fraud.

Frosties was a popular initiative, with 8,888 NFTs (equal to $130 in Ethereum) selling out within an hour of its public introduction.

It was quickly abandoned by the creators. When buyers sought to resell their NFTs, they only received a few bucks, and they gave up all prospects of seeing future promised benefits, such as 3D copies of their avatars and a Frosties video game.

(However, some con artists in the community sought to resuscitate the Frosties as a different NFT lineup.) Frosties’ two perpetrators have since been apprehended in Los Angeles, California.

“Hello, Garry. This project is coming to a close, which I realize is startling. I had no intention of continuing the project, and I have no plans for the future. As a result, the project is drawing to a close. You were a fantastic moderator with a big heart” – An alleged message from Ethan Nguyen to a Frosties community moderator.

Floyd Mayweather Enters the Ring With His NFT Project – Ready for Another Ko?

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Floyd Mayweather’s NFT and crypto track record appear to be the polar opposite of his boxing career.

Floyd’s performance in the crypto market may be familiar to those who follow the crypto space and the celebrity endorsements and intervention in the industry.

If his prior results in crypto and similar areas are any indication, the renowned Boxer may find himself in yet another unpleasant brush with financial regulators.

The beef between Mayweather and SEC

Mayweather and cryptocurrency initially crossed paths in 2018, when the boxer was involved in the marketing of Centra Tech’s initial coin offering, or ICO.

The initiative later proved out to be a hoax, and Mayweather was fined $100,000 for his involvement. Despite the fact that many saw this as a low punishment for him as the creator of the crypto debit card fraud, Centra Tech Sam Sharma was sentenced to eight years in jail.

The Boxer then took part in additional questionable ICO campaigns such as HubiiNetwork and STOXX in a similar time zone. Floyd’s involvement benefited him nearly $300,000 to market the ventures, according to the SEC investigation.

Then came the struggle between the commission and Floyd, in which the regulatory body stayed tough on the world-famous boxer.

Mayweather’s $300,000 profit was initially seized by the SEC, which then issued a $300,000 punishment and provided a $14,775 interest refund. Finally, the Boxer had to pay $614,775 to the SEC.

He was also barred from advertising any securities for three years by the Securities and Exchange Commission. So, in the end, the famed mister I never lose, lost the duel with the regulatory authorities by a score of 3-0.

Mayweather’s mayweverse

Mayweather is back at NFT with mayverse. The NFTs will bear Floyd’s picture and will offer different utilities and prizes to holders, depending on the item’s rarity. At the time of writing, nothing is known about the project beyond that it will include a boxing gym in the Metaverse.

The debut date and pricing are yet to be announced, but the initiative is generating a lot of buzz. The project’s dedicated Discord channel already has over 5,000 members.

Web3 related trademarks found in new filings of Meta

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Meta, formerly known as Facebook, intends to enhance its position in the Web3 space. The social media behemoth has applied for eight trademarks to offer Web3 services, including a dating app tailored to cryptocurrency investors.

The social media giant’s attempts to improve its standing in the crypto and metaverse worlds will benefit from the move. Cryptocurrencies and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) will be key aspects of blockchain-based Web3, the next phase of the Internet as we know it, which will boost the metaverse sector. Meta is seeking to bring in new blockchain-based products and services to match with the Web3 market.

According to local media, the company’s future goals include the launch of additional social networking platforms, computer software, e-commerce services, telecom services for digital asset owners, and a metaverse-focused advertising platform.

Meta is also interested in Virtual Reality (VR)-enabled entertainment and digital publishing services, as well as a line-up of VR wearables.

The social media titan is also exploring developing software for e-wallets. However, the corporation has not made any official announcements about its trademark filings. It could take months for Meta to receive permission. However, according to statistics, the typical time for the US Patent and Trademark Office to consider an application is roughly nine and a half months.

8 Web3 related trademark applications

The United States Patent and Trademark Office, or USPTO, has received eight trademark applications from Meta, previously Facebook, relating to blockchain technology and its projected metaverse.

1200px Seal of the United States Patent and Trademark Office.svg

The following are the applications and their fields of interest, sorted by serial number:

  • 97320155: Online social networking and dating services, along with a branch dedicated to cryptocurrency investor networking.
  • 97320153: Design and development of Web3-related computer hardware and software, including gaming, e-commerce, and blockchain transactions, among other things.
  • 97320149: Entertainment and electronic publishing services, partly within virtual reality.
  • 97320147: Telecommunication services for electronic assets held on its platform.
  • 97320146: Financial transaction processing services relating to tokens, blockchain assets, cryptocurrencies and other virtual assets.
  • 97320144: Advertising services via virtual or augmented reality networks and the metaverse. 
  • 97320140: Wearable peripherals for video games connected to virtual reality. 
  • 97320136: Downloadable software in the nature of a mobile application, such as for user authentication, online charitable fundraising and most notably, for hardware or e-wallets.

Last week, Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, announced that NFTs would be integrated into Instagram’s numerous products in the near future. However, not all of Web3’s crypto projects have been successful. About the same moment, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission filed a lawsuit against Meta, alleging that it engaged in “false, misleading, or deceptive conduct” by running fake celebrity crypto adverts on its platform, resulting in investment losses.

PUBG Developer Krafton Strikes a Deal With Solana

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KRAFTON, Inc., the makers of the worldwide popular PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS battle royale game, announced a partnership with Solana Labs to help the development and promotion of blockchain-based games and services.

KRAFTON and Solana Labs have entered into a long-term collaboration agreement for the creation and management of blockchain- and NFT-based games and services.

The two businesses will collaborate on the marketing and creation of blockchain games and other blockchain technologies, as well as on investment prospects.

Krafton eyeing to take over blockchain gaming

“As we strive toward developing our Web 3.0 ecosystem, KRAFTON will look for methods to collaborate closely with blockchain startups like Solana Labs,” stated Hyungchul Park, Lead of Web 3.0 Roundtable at KRAFTON, Inc.

“As one of the greatest worldwide high-performance blockchains, Solana represents the best of the Web 3.0 ecosystem and its technology, with a focus on high speed and low costs.”

“KRAFTON will get the knowledge needed to increase its investment in and output of blockchain-based experiences as a result of our collaboration.”

KRAFTON’s commitment to advancing new business prospects in 2022 is reaffirmed by this agreement.

Last month, the firm stated that it will enter the web 3.0 and NFT sectors, leveraging its game development and operations expertise gained from PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS, a popular game with gamers all over the world.

Since then, Seoul Auction Blue, XX Blue, and NAVER Z have announced investments and cooperation with the firm in additional industries connected to NFT, metaverse, and blockchain (Zepeto).

PUBG, which allegedly reached 70 million players in July 2020, may soon be able to link its massive userbase to more advanced virtual reality levels.

According to a Forbes forecast published in January this year, the blockchain gaming business would grow by 765 percent by 2021.

Last month, FTX announced the introduction of FTX Gaming, a “crypto as a service” platform that would allow gaming firms to generate tokens and provide customer support for NFTs.

Zynga, a San Francisco-based online and mobile game producer best known for its FarmVille and CSR Racing franchises, has revealed ambitions to enter the blockchain gaming market.

According to a recent DappRadar survey, there were 804,000 unique active players linked to blockchain-based games in July 2021.

Portugal Emerges As A Top Crypto Hub For Ukrainians

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Portugal, like its neighbors, has opened its doors to thousands of fleeing Ukrainians, particularly attracting crypto workers. This is due to the fact that the nation has been able to position itself as a tech hub. One of the primary advantages is its zero-percent taxes on digital-currency gains. This combined with the affordable living costs and temperate climate makes it one of the most preferred destinations for crypto-adherents.

Besides that, the country is already home to an established community of Ukrainians. In the past three weeks, the nation received more than 13,000 Ukrainian refugees after the government undertook measures to speed up and simplify the entry process of those fleeing the war. As per sources, Ukrainian nationals in Portugal have climbed to about 40,000 from about 27,200.

Valentin Sotov, a software developer who is working on a crypto-based metaverse game called Amber has fled from his native Ukraine’s city of Mukachevo to Lisbon. Despite the grim situation back at home, he sees the move to the south European nation as “a big opportunity for our product because we can work with a lot of IT people in one place.”

Portugal – land of crypto unicorns

Portugal has a thriving business community as many foreign entrepreneurs have succeeded in establishing a handful of unicorn startups, worth more than $1 billion. One such example is Anchorage Digital, a U.S.-based digital asset bank with offices in northern Portugal, is the latest of these unicorns and was co-founded by Diogo Monica, a Portuguese national. There has been a steady flow of people across nations not just limited to Ukrainians.

The one who is bearing the brunt of the brain drain is neighboring Spain, which shares a similar climate. Crypto enthusiasts from Spain began crossing the border into Portugal after their government made it mandatory for its citizens to declare their crypto holdings in an effort to combat tax fraud. 

Maria Extremadouro, a lawyer in the Spanish city of Vigo, who specializes in blockchain and crypto legislation lamented, “Two out of every three people who come to consult me leave. There’s lots of talent leaving for Portugal.”

Meta accused of propagating ‘deceptive’ crypto ads

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Meta Platforms, Inc, which was formerly Facebook is in troubled waters after Australia’s consumer protection commission declared that it had initiated criminal proceedings against the tech firm for “false, misleading or deceptive conduct” in violation of consumer or securities laws.

The Australian watchdog accused Meta of failing to do enough to prevent scam advertisements for cryptocurrency or money-making schemes, despite being alerted by celebrities who had been misrepresented by similar ads published on Facebook.

According to the commission, the ads carried pictures of well-known Australians, including former New South Wales premier Mike Baird and businessman Dick Smith. But the high-profile personalities featured in the ads had never approved or endorsed them, it said. Rod Sims. who served as chair of the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission stated,

Meta failed to take sufficient steps to stop fake ads featuring public figures, even after those public figures reported to Meta that their name and image were being featured in celebrity endorsement cryptocurrency scam ads.

The consumer protection authority said it was seeking orders from the court including injunctions, penalties, and the payment of legal costs.

In its defense, Meta released a statement vowing to defend itself and asserted that it has taken steps to stop scam ads by using technology to detect and block them.

“We don’t want ads seeking to scam people out of money or mislead people on Facebook, they violate our policies and are not good for our community,” a representative reiterated. The social media giant said it had cooperated with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s investigation.

Meta’s ‘strict’ ads enforcement inadequate?

Meta’s advertising policies have provided guidance on how ads are reviewed on its platform. In it, the firm mentioned how it uses a combination of AI and human moderators to flag advertisements. Paul Bischoff, the editor of Comparitech, a site that rates security software and has monitored illegal Facebook ads has a completely different take. 

According to him, the firm’s human moderation is “entirely inadequate,” and it’s unclear how many scams its AI flags before they reach users.“We don’t really know how big the problem is,” he said, “but there’s obviously still a lot of them getting through.”

Microsoft joins $450M funding of crypto start-up ConsenSys

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Tech giant Microsoft Corp co-led a $450 million funding of New York-based start-up ConsenSys. The financial round was backed by ParaFi Capital, Temasek Holdings, and SoftBank Group Corp which doubled ConsenSys’s valuation to $7 billion.

ConsenSys was founded in 2014 by Joseph Lubin, a co-founder of Ethereum, the world’s second-biggest cryptocurrency. The firm’s most popular products include the MetaMask digital asset wallet and Infura, a suite of tools that helps developers build Ethereum apps.

The recent capital injections highlight the firm’s positive outlook by investors who see the former as one of the companies that will power Web3. It has also managed to secure funds into areas such as decentralized finance, or DeFi, and nonfungible tokens, NFTs.

Besides that, ConsenSys said all the proceeds from its latest round would be converted into the ether. The funds will be utilized for recruiting additional 600 employees, an updated version of MetaMask that would be launched later this year, and expanding its NFT business.

That said, Microsoft’s involvement underscores the growing interest from the world’s largest tech firms in Web3. Last year, its venture fund M12 led a $27 million early-stage funding round in Palm NFT Studio, a start-up also co-founded by Lubin.

Microsoft ‘s Rendezvous With Crypto And Metaverse

The software firm began its first step by working towards integrating blockchain and cryptocurrencies in its business structure. The company last month announced a new job opening for a “Director of Business Development – Cryptocurrencies” on its career website. The role is integrated into its AI and Emerging Technologies business development team, which is the company’s spearhead division for emerging new technologies. 

Next, Microsoft’s acquisition of $68.7 billion gaming giant Activision Blizzard made it clear that the tech firm’s ambition was not limited to video game domination. In fact, gaming is the crucial vehicle to help power Microsoft’s metaverse plans.

In a press release published in January, the firm wrote that buying the “Call of Duty” and “Warcraft” maker “will provide building blocks for the metaverse.” Later Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella reportedly said that gaming “will play a key role in the development of metaverse platforms.”

Snoop Dogg Drops New NFT Collection – Supercuzz

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Snoop Dogg has been the most vocal proponent of cryptocurrency in Hip Hop, saying in February that as the new owner of Death Row Records, he will transform the business into the first-ever NFT label.

During a chat with Weinbach Media CEO Will Weinbach, he revealed, “Death Row will be an NFT label.” “We’ll be releasing artists via the metaverse.” I want to be the first major in the metaverse, just like we shattered the business by becoming the first independent to be major.”

Snoop Dogg dropping NFTs one by one

Snoop Dogg appears to be getting much more involved in the NFT now. MakersPlace, dubbed “the foremost marketplace for unique and original digital artworks,” revealed on Tuesday (March 15) that they’ll be collaborating with the iconic West Coast rapper for a big NFT collaboration dubbed SUPERCUZZ.

Original artwork created by BossLogic for the NFT collection displays animated comic book covers portraying Snoop Dogg as a famous superhero.

SUPERCUZZ, a flying superhero born in the streets of “Angel City,” is played by Snoop Dogg. Snoop is a “self-made crypto-trillionaire” by day, but SUPERCUZZ at night, “smoking the forces of evil and filtering out criminality,” according to the press release.

Snoop’s son, Cordell Broadus, was in charge of the creative direction for the five covers. Snoop Dogg will provide unique speech animations for the NFT drop, as well as five visual stills.

In a statement, MakersPlace CEO Craig Palmer stated, “Snoop Dogg and BossLogic are two legendary figures in their respective professions and are both pioneers in the NFT area.”

“It’s an honor for us to host the launch of the SUPERCUZZ collection on MakersPlace and provide art fans with the opportunity to purchase NFTs from their favorite makers.”

The NFTs will be released at 3:30 p.m. PDT on Thursday, March 17. You can read more about the drop on the MakersPlace website.

Snoop’s continued support in the NFT space has been evident on Twitter. He continues to grow as one of the significant powerhouses and creators in the NFT space. It will definitely lure other artists into jumping on the bandwagon.

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Snoop Dogg Drops New NFT Collection - Supercuzz 3

Mark Zuckerberg Reveals That Instagram Will Entail NFT Features Soon

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NFTs will be available on Instagram shortly. Mark Zuckerberg stated that digital artifacts would be coming to Instagram “in the near term” while speaking at SXSW.

“We’re working on bringing NFTs to Instagram in the near term,” he said. He didn’t go into specifics about how it would work, but he did say that individuals would be able to show off their current NFTs and maybe mint new ones.

“I’m not ready to announce exactly what that’s going to be today. But over the next several months, the ability to bring some of your NFTs in, hopefully over time be able to mint things within that environment.”

NFTs had already piqued the curiosity of Zuckerberg and other executives, with Instagram’s senior executive Adam Mosseri stating that the firm was “actively researching” the technology. The Financial Times reported that the business hoped to include NFTs into its crypto wallet Novi in January.

Mark Zuckerberg envisions NFTs as a part of everyday activities

NFTs might one day play a part in the company’s future metaverse, according to Zuckerberg, who spoke on Tuesday. “I’d hope that the apparel that your avatar wears in the metaverse can be basically minted as an NFT, and you can transport it between your different places,” he added.

“There’s like several technical stuff that needs to be sorted out before it can truly be smooth to happen.”

Zuckerberg, famed for wearing the same gray t-shirt every day, also said he now shops mainly on Instagram and Facebook. “I probably bought most of the items I wear through Instagram, Facebook Shops, or advertisements,” he explained.

Zuckerberg’s comments back up a January story from the Financial Times that Meta was looking at bringing NFTs to Instagram.

Both Facebook and Instagram were in the midst of the building and “readying” features that would enable users to show NFTs as profile images, as well as a prototype system that would allow users to mint new NFTs on either site at the time.

Although Mark did not comment on this specific feature of NFTs, there appears to be internal debate about establishing a marketplace for users to purchase and trade NFTs.

Last December, Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri stated that NFTs were an “interesting arena” in which Instagram might actively participate to “support creators.”