We’ve been keeping a keen eye on the GameFi industry all week to bring you the most exciting news. Here’s a rundown of the most captivating GameFi updates this July 10-14, 2023, that you should be aware of.
Supermoon and Sparx Set to Host the Largest Startup Event of Paris EthCC Week
Supermoon, a prominent community of crypto and Web3 founders, builders, and investors, is joining forces with Sparx, a state-of-the-art tech lab, to host Startup Day Paris EthCC on July 17. This event, marking the beginning of EthCC Week, is projected to be the week’s largest startup pitching session.
The event will take place at the renowned Salesforce building’s glass-ceiling auditorium, offering attendees the chance to network and engage while taking in views of the Eiffel Tower. Startup Day Paris ECC aims to draw in 20 carefully selected startups, over 50 VC funds and individual investors, and 250 special guests.
Among the distinguished attendees and VC judges will be partners from Cointelegraph Accelerator, Fabric Ventures, Animoca Brands, Gumi Cryptos, Draper Dragon, Outlier Ventures, Republic Crypto, and more. Each startup will have three minutes to present their projects, followed by comprehensive comments and feedback from the VC judges.
Following the pitch session, Supermoon will invite selected guests to its exclusive location for the private opening ceremony in the fourth arrondissement. This event will assemble Supermoon members and its close community of founders, builders, and investors, along with Near builders preparing for the Near Base launch on July 18.
NFT Games Now Permitted on Google Play Store, Gambling Not Allowed
Google Play Store has officially opened its doors to NFT games, according to a recent blog post by the store’s group product manager, Joseph Mills. This move signifies a shift in policy, allowing new ways to transact blockchain-based digital content within apps and games on Google Play, including using unique NFT rewards to enhance user loyalty.
However, the policy update comes with stipulations. Developers must indicate in their game descriptions whether users can earn or purchase NFTs or cryptocurrencies. They are also prohibited from glamorizing potential earnings from playing or trading activities. Additionally, the sale of loot boxes or gambling is strictly forbidden.
This policy change follows previous actions by Google Play, including the ban on crypto mining apps in 2018 and the removal of the Bitcoin Blast video game in 2020 for deceptive practices. The new policy clarifies that NFT games are welcome on Android devices, provided they adhere to the specified rules.
Razer User Data and Encryption Keys Reportedly Hacked and For Sale
Razer, a leading gaming hardware manufacturer, is reportedly dealing with a significant security breach. A post on a hacker’s forum on July 8 claimed to have stolen the source code, encryption keys, database, and backend access logins from Razer. The hacker allegedly offers a list of 404,000 user email addresses for sale for $100,000 in Monero (XRM), a privacy-focused cryptocurrency.
Razer confirmed via a tweet on July 9 that it is investigating the potential breach. BleepingComputer, a technology news website, claimed to have verified the authenticity of the exposed email addresses. In response to the breach, Razer has reset all user accounts and advised users to change their passwords.
This incident comes as Razer is still addressing the fallout from a 2020 data leak, which exposed the personal details of approximately 100,000 users. The leak was attributed to a compromised line of code by a programmer from IT vendor Capgemini. The data allegedly stolen in the July 8 hack reportedly relates to the old version of this system.
Web3 Gaming Startup Xterio Receives $15M Investment from Binance Labs
Binance Labs has pledged to invest $15 million in Xterio, a Web3 gaming platform and publisher. The funding will be used to advance game and technology development, including integrating artificial intelligence (AI) and launching Xterio’s tokens.
Despite increasing regulatory scrutiny, Binance Labs continues investing in companies and recently expanded its assets to $9 billion. Xterio offers a free-to-play gaming platform and a GameFi-as-a-service product that aids developer partners in creating third-party games. The startup aims to broaden its AI-driven interactive experience and develop an AI toolkit for generating consistent production-quality 2D and 3D assets.
Yi He, the co-founder of Binance and head of Binance Labs, expressed excitement about expanding the Xterio ecosystem, which merges free-to-play genres with on-chain gaming enhanced by AI capabilities. As part of the strategic partnership, Binance Labs will support Xterio’s growth, and the startup’s token will become part of the BNB Chain ecosystem.
Missed out on last week’s GameFi updates?
That’s all the most interesting GameFi updates this July 10-14, 2023! Missed the GameFi updates last week? Click here for the GameFi updates from July 2-7, 2023.