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Animoca still bullish on blockchain games, awaits license for metaverse fund

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Blockchain-based games have been a hot topic in the cryptocurrency space over the past two years, accounting for considerable growth and daily activity on a number of protocols despite prolonged bear market conditions.

Market research estimates that Web3 gaming pulled in around $4.5 billion in funding in 2022 as asset managers, investment funds and venture capitalists look to cash in on the burgeoning sector.

In an exclusive interview with Cointelegraph, Animoca Brands co-founder Yat Siu highlighted the firm’s renewed optimism in the blockchain gaming sector and gave an update on its anticipated metaverse fund which grabbed headlines in late 2022.

Metaverse fund awaiting license

Animoca Brands originally earmarked up to $2 billion for a proposed metaverse fund in November 2022 which intends to invest in a variety of mid to late-stage startups building metaverse products and experiences.

The company was forced to scale back on its original investment target as per reports in 2023, reducing the amount to $1 billion in January. Reports citing unnamed sources in March then indicated that the fund would be further reduced to $800 million due to volatility affecting the cryptocurrency space.

Related: NFT games are ‘only scratching the surface’ of what’s possible — Animoca’s Yat Siu

When queried about the current state of the proposed metaverse fund, Siu told Cointelegraph that the firm was still awaiting a license before it can begin to put its money to work.

“That’s the gating factor. But Animoca has made many investments this year and we are over 450 portfolio companies today. That doesn’t come from sitting back and being passive.”

Siu added that Animoca continues to invest in a variety of early stage startups through its venture arm while the majority of investments still come directly from the company’s balance sheet.

Upcoming ‘AAA’ blockchain games on the horizon

While licensing remains a hurdle for Animoca’s Metaverse fund, Siu expects a number of ‘AAA’ titles in which the company has invested in to hit the market by the end of 2023 or early next year.

“That’s one of the reasons we’re so bullish about the segment, hopefully at least one of them will work out.”

Siu added that the quality of titles that Animoca is backing is sound and that blockchain-based games don’t necessarily need to have immediate breakout success to be sustainable, stating, “Most importantly, all these games are built on open protocol systems, like Ethereum or Polygon, meaning they’re on chain, which allows third parties to do some pretty cool stuff.”

Animoca’s co-founder sees a generation of AAA-level blockchain games coming out by the end of 2024, highlighting the shift in focus, capital and talent from mainstream gaming to the sector.

“They’re built by people who know how to make games whereas maybe three years ago, a lot of games came out built by excited blockchain guys, but who knew very little about what it takes to make a game,” he said.

Blockchain games need to do business in the biggest markets

Another factor that has ramped up the development and quality of upcoming blockchain games and those in beta has been the advent of scaling protocols like Polygon and technological advances like zero-knowledge proofs.

Siu highlighted the likes of layer-2 platform Immutable which has made use of zkEVM to reduce costs and improve transaction speeds of NFT generation for blockchain games. The infrastructure alone has made a difference, but Siu added that choosing the right chain also has a massive role to play in the success of a title.

“Because it’s a blockchain game, you need to do business in the biggest market there is and that happens to be Ethereum.”

Siu added that early blockchain games were hamstrung by game design that held onto “Web2 thinking” which was focused on monopolizing network effects of Web2. Siu said bootstrapping to decentralized protocols like Ethereum had an upside and a downside: “The more you open up your network effects. And the more inclusive you become, actually, the more value you end up generating, but there is a loss of control when you do that.”

He also admitted that taking a potential AAA, first-person shooter completely on-chain would be “really hard.” Adopting a hybrid on-chain approach might be better suited as the industry moves towards truly decentralized games.

Magazine: 2023 is a make-or-break year for blockchain gaming: Play-to-own

“Provenance, skins and certain things that don’t requireall the time and data is probably a good starting point,” he said.

Siu said that the established culture of gaming around the world could allow for gaming firms to design and implement blockchain elements as audiences continue to come to grips with Web3 functionality:

“There’s interfaces that we can design that are familiar to the gamer, and essentially introduce the whole experience of crypto and Web3, which comes also with financial literacy onboarding.”

Cryptocurrency

Stablecoins Emerging as The Dominant Force in Crypto: Coinbase

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Sixteen years after Bitcoin’s launch, stablecoins are emerging as the key force in crypto’s mainstream adoption, particularly for payments and financial operations, said Coinbase in a research report on June 10.

It noted that there was a soaring interest from companies, with 81% of crypto-aware small and medium businesses (SMBs) expressing interest in using stablecoins.

Additionally, Fortune 500 companies showing stablecoin interest have tripled compared to 2024, and 82% of SMBs said crypto can solve at least one major financial challenge.

Stablecoins: The Future of Finance

The firm also reported that organic stablecoin transfer volume has reached unprecedented levels, with the two highest monthly volume transfers in history over the past year in December and April.

The stats don’t stop there.

There are more than 160 million stablecoin holders worldwide, and global stablecoin supply grew 54% year-over-year. Additionally, stablecoin transfer volume in 2024 hit $27.6 trillion, surpassing Visa and Mastercard combined.

“Regulatory clarity is the unlock for crypto’s next chapter,” the report noted, citing the GENIUS Act and other bills that are making their way through US Congress.

“An overwhelming 9 in 10 Fortune 500 executives agree that clear, consistent US regulation around crypto, blockchain, and onchain technologies is essential to support ongoing innovation. “

The United States is not the only nation pushing for stablecoin regulation. This week, the newly elected president of South Korea, Lee Jae-myung, made good on his campaign pledge by proposing the Digital Asset Basic Act.

The legislation allows local companies to issue stablecoins with a minimum equity capital of 500 million KRW ($US368,000), and they need to guarantee refunds through reserves and get regulatory approval.

However, the wheels are turning much more slowly in Europe, where the European Central Bank wants its own central bank digital currency (CBDC) and regional governments want to maintain their tight grip on monetary flows.

Stablecoin Ecosystem Outlook

The current stablecoin ecosystem is dominated by just two players, Tether and Circle.

Tether has a 61% stablecoin market share with $155 billion in circulation. USDT supply has surged around 38% over the past 12 months to an all-time high on June 10.

Circle’s USDC has also surged with a circulation of $61 billion, giving it a market share of 24%. The two companies produce 85% of the stablecoins in the market at the moment.

Maker’s USDS, formerly DAI, is the third-largest with $7.2 billion and the only true high-cap decentralized stablecoin.

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Bitcoin at $105K: Breakout or Breakdown Next? Experts Split

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Bitcoin (BTC) is once again testing the nerves of traders worldwide, hovering just above $105,000 today as forecasts split the crypto community in half.

Will the king cryptocurrency explode to $175,000 this cycle, or nosedive to under $80,000 if fear grips the market?

The $175K Dream

On the bullish side, pseudonymous chart-watcher Egrag Crypto supercharged hopium this week, predicting a huge breakout in the next few months. According to the analyst, BTC’s historical cycle data suggests the asset is primed for a 102% surge, which would catapult it to $175,000 from its current levels.

“The average of three major pumps this cycle is 102%, hitting $175K!” they tweeted, pointing to eerily similar patterns in previous bull markets.

The way Bitcoin shrugged off the effects of recent geopolitical upheavals has only bolstered Egrag’s bullish case. After Israel struck multiple Iranian nuclear and military assets, the cryptocurrency cratered, going from a daily high near $108,500 to just under $103,000, before clawing its way back to around $105,000 today.

Other optimists, like DeFiTracer, also highlighted similar war-driven dips in April and October 2024, when each was followed by 48% and 74% explosions upward. “Don’t let whales and news manipulate you,” he wrote on X, suggesting June’s 4% dip is merely fuel for the next bump upward.

The Bear Trap

However, not everyone is buying the hype just yet. Seasoned analyst Ali Martinez has tempered the euphoria, warning that the market could be on the brink of a sharp correction if key levels don’t hold.

He backed his pessimism, pointing to whales offloading nearly 30,000 BTC in the past week as well as a weakening support floor around the hundred grand level. If this floor gives way, Martinez predicts a drop to as low as $78,500.

His sentiment was echoed by crypto strategist Michaël van de Poppe, who noted that BTC just failed to hold above $106,000, triggering a liquidity cascade southwards. “Two options,” he warned: A sub-$100,000 buying opportunity or a fresh rally if prices hold at around $102,500.

Market observer Axel Adler Jr. also weighed in, drawing attention to BTC’s OBV (On-Balance Volume), which is still stuck in the red near $100,000. According to him, it means that any bullish momentum could be paper-thin.

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Cryptocurrency

BTC Rejected at $106K as Middle East Attacks Intensify and Trump Threatens Iran: Weekend Watch

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Bitcoin’s price rose to over $106,000 hours ago, but the latest developments in the Middle East conflict, as well as Trump’s threats against Iran, pushed it south by over a grand.

Most larger-cap alts are slightly in the red, including HYPE, which has dumped by 5%, while PI is up by a similar percentage.

BTC Stopped at $106K

The primary cryptocurrency was riding high at the beginning of the previous business week as it pumped above $110,000 on several occasions by Wednesday. However, each attempt was met with an immediate rejection, and the last one pushed BTC south to under $106,000.

Although the bulls managed to recover some ground on Thursday and pushed bitcoin to $108,400, the quickly escalating tension in the Middle East resulted in an immediate price drop that drove the asset south to under $103,000.

Although the attacks continued in the following 48 hours, including a few retaliations by Iran, BTC’s price recovered some ground and even jumped above $106,000 hours ago.

However, US President Trump weighed in on the matter once again at that point and threatened Iran with “the full strength and might of the US Armed Forces” if Tehran decides to retaliate against the US in some form.

Bitcoin slipped once again, but it’s still hovering above $105,000. Its market cap remains below $2.1 trillion, while its dominance over the alts is at 61.7% on CG.

BTCUSD. Source: TradingView
BTCUSD. Source: TradingView

Alts React

Most alternative coins are slightly in the red once again on a daily scale. Ethereum is still above $2,500 after a minor decline, and similar price drops of around 1% are evident from DOGE, BNB, LINK, XRP, and SOL. HYPE has dumped the most from the larger-cap alts, having lost 5% of value.

In contrast, Pi Network’s native token has jumped 5% and now trades above $0.6 after the recent flash crash experienced on Friday.

The top 100 alts have a new member, as AB has skyrocketed by 20% and has entered the biggest crypto club.

The total crypto market cap is down by around $20 billion since yesterday to $3.380 trillion on CG.

Cryptocurrency Market Overview. Source: QuantifyCrypto
Cryptocurrency Market Overview. Source: QuantifyCrypto
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Disclaimer: Information found on CryptoPotato is those of writers quoted. It does not represent the opinions of CryptoPotato on whether to buy, sell, or hold any investments. You are advised to conduct your own research before making any investment decisions. Use provided information at your own risk. See Disclaimer for more information.

Cryptocurrency charts by TradingView.

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