Their first collaboration will be to link KDDI’s new “αU” metaverse project with the Play-and-Earn (P&E) games on DEA’s PlayMining GameFi platform.
Digital Entertainment Asset (DEA), a Singapore-based global blockchain entertainment company and owner of the popular PlayMining GameFi platform, has secured funding from the “KDDI Open Innovation Fund III” operated by Tokyo-based Global Brain Corporation (KDDI). The fresh funding will help DEA pursue new business collaborations in the Web3 space, including KDDI’s own “αU” metaverse project.
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“We are very proud to announce our new investment and collaboration agreement with KDDI,” said DEA co-founder and co-CEO Naohito Yoshida. “We look forward to working together with KDDI to offer various Web3 incentives to a wider audience, including the use of PlayMining assets in the αU metaverse and joint efforts to promote DEA’s ‘GameFi-for-Good’ social impact initiatives.”
Pronounced “Alpha U”, KDDI’s αU metaverse Web3 service launched in March 2023 with the aim of providing advanced immersive experiences that merge the real and virtual worlds. KDDI’s Open Innovation Fund is a corporate venture fund that has a total investment size of around US$139 million in various industries including AI, fintech, B2B SaaS, data marketing, IoT and entertainment.
“DEA’s achievements in the rapidly growing Web3 field are a solid testament to its trustworthiness. The company has steadily produced results and achieved global expansion,” said KDDI’s Head of Web3 Promotions Shunpei Tatebayashi. “We also deeply empathize with their vision of promoting both entertainment and sustainable social contribution.”
Rogue Roll Ruler’s: The New Dungeon Exploration Game Coming to PlayMining
DEA’s fresh round of funding comes on the heels of a new P&E game announcement for “Rogue Roll Ruler’s” which will launch soon on PlayMining. A dungeon exploration-themed board game RPG with a competitive treasure hunting focus, Rogue Roll Ruler’s features Adventurer, Equipment and Monster NFTs which impact gameplay in a wide variety of ways.
As opposed to other strategy exploration games, Rogue Roll Ruler’s uses dice to control character movement. “I thought it would be interesting to have moments where luck is on your side and you can earn a substantial amount. With that in mind, I consolidated the ideas for this game,” said Rogue Roll Ruler’s Director, Yuma Ito. “Rogue Roll Ruler’s not only focuses on the ‘earning’ aspect, but also incorporates the enjoyment of discovering, combining and deciphering the story woven into the game.”
Rogue Roll Ruler’s GameFi NFTs are on presale now on the PlayMining NFT marketplace, and the game is expected to launch around September, 2023.
Widening PlayMining’s Community of Collaboration Partners
DEA has been busy in recent months, forging new partnerships that primarily focus on joint-development collaborations. DEA is dedicated to seeking out business opportunities that further their dual goals of accelerating mainstream adoption of GameFi and Web3 technologies and promoting social good through Web3.
In June, DEA announced a new joint development project with Rita Technology to create a P&E game that allows players to remotely control real robot arms installed in waste removal facilities. DEA also recently signed an MOU with TEPCO Power Grid to co-develop a P&E game that incentivizes players to inspect aging electric power infrastructure in their local communities. Both collaborations help to alleviate labor shortages by fractionalizing work in their respective industries, thereby creating a positive social impact that will have lasting benefits for the people, corporations and the environment.
DEA has also partnered with Oasys, a game specialized blockchain based in Japan. Through their partnership, DEA is supporting other GameFi projects to launch on Oasys, the first of which will be -KAMIYAGURA-, a next-generation NFT trading card game.
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Another collaboration that will see DEA further Web3 adoption is a joint development project with TV Tokyo Corporation to launch seven AI virtual idols whose personalities can be configured by holders of linked “Developer NFTs”. The idols will be featured on television shows broadcast on TV Tokyo.
Expanding the Ever-Growing PlayMining Platform
PlayMining has six P&E titles in their game catalog, including Job Tribes, Menya Dragon Ramen, Cookin’ Burger, Lucky Farmer, Graffiti Racer and Lost Archive +, all of which are focused on casual play. The platform also features the Kamui Fujiwara Verse metaverse project that sees players collaborate with a famous Japanese manga artist to co-create new content.
Launching this summer with four collaborative tie-in projects is another co-creative game, SOUL Fusers, which allows players to contribute to the game’s design and development in various ways.
In addition to P&E games, the PlayMining platform is also home to two NFT marketplaces and DEA’s own cryptocurrency token, DEAPcoin ($DEP).
“As part of our mission to create social good through our products, we also team up with third-party game development studios to launch their new games on PlayMining,” Yoshida said. “In addition to charging very modest fees, we offer our partners full access to our NFT marketplaces and to integrate DEAPcoin in their games. This can be a massive boon for indie game companies looking to monetize their new IPs in what is otherwise an exceedingly competitive industry.”
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