The Sandbox, a leading decentralized gaming virtual world and subsidiary of Animoca Brands, in collaboration with Hanjin Tan, a renowned Asian singer-songwriter and Hong Kong Film Awards winner, just announced the launch of a new metaverse avatar collection: Hamsterz Doodles

"Stepping back into The Sandbox has allowed me to blend my deepest passions for music and digital innovation, creating a new universe of possibilities that resonates with my fans and the global community alike," said Hanjin Tan.

Hamsterz Doodles NFTs

Hanjin Tan introduces the Hamsterz Doodles collection in The Sandbox, seamlessly merging art with fun gaming experiences. This collection showcases 1,500 avatars inspired by hamsters, including eight unique NFTs crafted as tributes to renowned artists.

These avatars are meticulously designed to offer players avenues for self-expression and enjoyment, featuring "emotes" for expressing emotions through customizable animations. Additionally, they boast various collectible traits that contribute to shaping a user's digital persona.

Web3 Growth In China

Hanjin has made a notable mark already in web3, particularly within the Chinese community. As one of the earliest celebrities to venture into blockchain, he has established himself as a trailblazer in the industry. In 2022, Hanjin initiated Hamsterz as a limited NFT collection exclusively accessible to his early dedicated supporters. He champions direct relationships between fans and artists, bypassing intermediaries. This direct engagement is facilitated by NFTs. 

Hanjin further expanded his presence by introducing an interactive gaming endeavor titled "Hanjin Music Palooza: The Monstrous Multicolor Guitar" within The Sandbox. This move solidified his position as the first celebrity in the region to embark on such a metaverse venture. A fresh experience, "Hamsterz Art Odyssey," is slated for launch in Q3 of this year. Owners of the Hamsterz Doodles avatars will enjoy exclusive access to partake in quests, share in a $SAND token prize pool, and participate in special community activities.

More About The Sandbox?

The Sandbox, a decentralized virtual world boasting over 27,000 landowners in its alpha phase, now hosts nearly 700 live player-created games with 50,000-100,000 monthly active users. Fueled by the $SAND token, The Sandbox features a user-friendly Game Maker, empowering creators in game design, asset creation, and world-building.

Recent partnerships with over 400 top brands, including FaZe Clan, The Walking Dead, Snoop Dogg, and Ubisoft, have broadened the platform's appeal. The metaverse now boasts over 20 branded avatar collections, allowing players to express themselves through digital identities.

UGC and $SAND Tokens

The Sandbox has achieved several noteworthy milestones, such as hosting over 1,000 user-generated experiences and over 5.7 million accounts created. To celebrate this achievement and further fuel creativity within its community, The Sandbox has introduced a substantial addition of 500,000 $SAND tokens into the reward pool of its Builders' Challenge creator program. This move aims to incentivize creators while fostering an environment conducive to innovation and exploration.

The infusion of $SAND tokens, distributed among the top ten creators based on final rankings, brings the total reward pool to an impressive 1.5 million $SAND, equivalent to approximately $950,000 USD. This enhancement presents a lucrative opportunity for top creators to potentially earn over $100,000 within a ten-week timeframe, reaffirming The Sandbox's commitment to nurturing its creator ecosystem.

Exceptional Growth

Despite being in an alpha state, The Sandbox has experienced exponential growth, with 330,000 creators and over 200 professional studios now part of its vibrant community. The recent launch of the Marketplace on Polygon has further accelerated momentum, with creators listing over 3,300 unique assets and minting over 500,000 copies.

The Sandbox Map, once sparsely populated, now boasts a plethora of experiences, showcasing a vibrant tapestry of user-generated content and brand collaborations. Sebastien Borget, COO and co-founder of The Sandbox commented on the platform's evolution, citing over 5.7 million accounts have been created. Borget emphasized the platform's evolution, highlighting its transition from a nascent community to a bustling hub of creativity and interaction.

Partnerships and Sales

The standout performance is evident in the non-LAND NFT sales, which experienced a substantial 43% increase during the final quarter of 2023. This surge is attributed to a significant uptick in non-LAND mints, totaling 30,194 and marking a noteworthy year-on-year surge of 246%.

Key contributors to these mints were avatars from collaborations such as Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix with Ubisoft, as well as the Extraordinary Attorney Woo and The Notorious B.I.G. Big Poppa NFT collections.

Interestingly, public LAND sales took the lead in driving overall sales in Q4, constituting 44% of the total volume. Nevertheless, private LAND trading also saw a commendable 19% increase during the same period. However, auction sales, public LAND sales, and estate sales all experienced a decline, resulting in a 42% decrease in total revenue, primarily due to a drop in primary sales volume.

Despite a modest 8% decrease in $SAND staking during Q4, The Sandbox witnessed a substantial recovery, with the $SAND market cap soaring by 89% to reach an impressive $1.2 billion by the end of 2023. This boost can be largely attributed to an 86% surge in the price of $SAND, climbing from $0.31 to $0.58.

Future Roadmap

Looking ahead, The Sandbox remains committed to empowering its creator community through interactive programs such as Game Jam contests, which have attracted over 2,500 participants in 2024 alone. These initiatives not only appeal to creators but also attract brands seeking to engage with the burgeoning creator economy and web3 gaming culture.

As 2024 unfolds as a pivotal year for web3 gaming and metaverse experiences, The Sandbox stands poised for continued success with its ambitious roadmap and growing creator ecosystem. With a steadfast focus on investing in the creator community, The Sandbox remains optimistic about the future as it continues to evolve and expand its platform.

While challenges persist, including improving onboarding speed and enhancing user experience, Borget remains confident in The Sandbox's trajectory. With ongoing initiatives such as game jams and partnerships with brands, the platform is well-positioned to shape the next generation of the creator economy within the metaverse.

Final Thoughts

Sebastien Borget, co-founder of The Sandbox, expressed his enthusiasm regarding this achievement, highlighting the burgeoning creator economy within the metaverse. With over 5.7 million accounts created, the platform has seen remarkable growth and engagement since its inception, attracting both individual creators and professional studios alike.

The Sandbox's achievement of reaching 1,000 user-generated experiences marks a significant milestone in the evolution of the metaverse. As the platform continues to grow and innovate, it remains a beacon of creativity and collaboration in the ever-expanding digital landscape. 

The Sandbox aims to drive mass adoption by 2025, with short-term goals including transitioning from alpha to beta and enhancing features around achievements, battle passes, and creator monetization. Long-term plans involve expanding to mobile, embracing cross-chain interoperability, and leveraging AI for procedural content generation.

More About Animoca Brands?

Animoca Brands is a Deloitte Tech Fast winner, a Fortune Crypto 40 company, and one of the Financial Times’ High Growth Companies Asia-Pacific 2023, and stands as a leading force in the web3 landscape. Harnessing blockchain technology, the company is dedicated to empowering consumers worldwide with digital property rights, contributing to the establishment of the open metaverse.

With a diverse portfolio, Animoca Brands develops and publishes a wide range of products, including original games like The Sandbox, Phanntom Galaxies, Life Beyond, and Crazy Defense Heroes. Additionally, it creates products featuring popular intellectual properties from the realms of sports and entertainment, such as The Walking Dead, Power Rangers, MotoGP™, and Formula E.

With numerous subsidiaries under its belt, including The Sandbox, Blowfish Studios, Quidd, GAMEE, and more, Animoca Brands maintains a strong presence in the industry. Notably, the company is among the most active investors in web3, boasting a portfolio of over 400 web3 investments, both directly and through Animoca Ventures. Notable investments include Yuga Labs, Axie Infinity, Polygon, Consensys, and many others.