The co-founders of The Sandbox believe that the future of the metaverse will be determined by individual creators and brands rather than a centralized entity.
On November 3, the team behind the Ethereum-based metaverse announced that The Sandbox Map is now accessible to everyone, allowing “LAND” owners to publish their own experiences without the need for an application process, which was previously required.
Sebastien Borget, co-founder of Sandbox, stated in an interview during Hong Kong FinTech Week, “Now anyone can open their experience to the public and make it accessible, which will increase the amount of experience and content that people can play and discover on the platform.”
The idea that users can create and own content and property in Web3 is central to Sandbox’s strategy.
Sandbox plans to update its Game Maker tool before 2024, introducing new gameplay mechanics, templates, and social interactions to make content production easier. They will also “reignite” their 100 million SAND Game Maker Fund in 2024, with the goal of driving engagement across various industries, including music, fashion, sports, entertainment, art, and culture on the platform.
Borget explained that Game Maker’s tools have simplified the process for new creators to get started, acting as a gateway to introduce a new breed of creators to design new experiences and eventually monetize them by selling on the marketplace.
Sandbox co-founder and CEO Arthur Madrid mentioned the firm’s recent efforts to connect brands with fans through contests to rebuild New York’s Times Square and recreate architectures from The Walking Dead, among other things. The company is working to incorporate multiplayer capabilities to enhance audience engagement, although integrating multiplayer capabilities on a blockchain at scale presents challenges.
The Sandbox has already attracted over 400 partners, including Warner Music Group, Ubisoft, Gucci Vault, Snoop Dogg, Invincible, and Adidas. Looking ahead, the founders acknowledge that metaverse adoption will only take off once well-defined use cases are established in virtual worlds, as users are ultimately seeking memorable experiences to gravitate toward.
