Leading decentralized metaverse platform The Sandbox announced today that it had welcomed new Hong Kong partners to create Mega City, “the latest expansion of The Sandbox map.”
The new cultural hub features players from the real estate, gaming, film, entertainment, music, acting, professional services, and even finance sectors. According to the official blog post, these partners have already acquired land on The Sandbox open metaverse and “have committed to build experience in Mega City.”
The new entrants include Hong Kong tycoon Adrian Cheng, PwC Hong Kong, Sun Hung Kai & Co, international star Shu Qi, blockchain-related investment and asset management company TIMES CAPITAL, renowned musician Dough-Boy, director/producer/actor Stephen Fung, local illustrator Dreamergo, and game IP Little Fighter.
Meanwhile, to celebrate its new HK partners, The Sandbox will be launching a new LAND on January 13. Users will be able to purchase plots around Mega City. Particularly, 61 lands will be on sale at 1,011 SAND apiece. There are also 95 premium lands priced at 4,683 SAND each, in addition to 7 estates that will be up for auction. The premium land will include exclusive NFTs and the possibility to host events, social hubs, or gaming experiences.
To date, The Sandbox has sold about 70% of its 166,464 LAND NFTs. The NFTs have been released in successive waves and typically sell out in seconds. Some notable landowners on the metaverse world include Binance, Pranksy, CoinMarketCap, and CoinCheck.
Since its recent partnership with South China Morning Post, The Sandbox has continued to gain ground in Asia. As for the new partners, Adrian Cheng is a Hong Kong-based entrepreneur and renowned strategic investor. His XL Estate on The Sandbox will be the innovation hub of Mega City. One of the major landmarks of his estate will be the GBA Pavilion, an area showcasing tech wonders and the achievements of the Greater Bay Area startups. Companies associated with the entrepreneur, C Venture, and Eureka Nova will be featured around the area.
Professional services firm PwC Hong Kong will build an ecosystem on the metaverse that will help onboard companies that are less familiar with the concept and technology. It will offer advice that companies need to tap into the fast-rising metaverse sector.
Meanwhile, Sun Hung Kai & Co., an alternative investment company headquartered in Hong Kong, made a foray into the metaverse space when it participated in a $93 million Series B funding round. Its estate on The Sandbox will offer an experience that combines sports, finance, art, and culture from around the world. A financial hub on the metaverse will showcase the firm’s portfolio companies and their services. There will also be a virtual museum that will feature SHK and Co’s art collections and an exclusive NFT of the firm’s iconic Scallywag racing yacht.
It is worth mentioning that SHK & Co has been a long-time investor in Animoca Brands, the parent company of The Sandbox, since 2018.
Overall, The Sandbox has secured a number of partnerships with the likes of Snoop Dogg, Adidas (OTC:ADDYY), The Walking Dead, The Smurfs, CryptoKitties, and Atari.