Animoca Brands - The leader in the field blockchain gamification

Company Background

Founded in January 2014 by Yat Siu and David Kim, Animoca Brands is one of the leading tech companies in digital entertainment, blockchain, and gamification. The company and its various subsidiaries develop and publish a broad portfolio of blockchain games, traditional games, and other products.

In addition to, they also developed original games including The Sandbox, Crazy Kings, and Crazy Defense Heroes. Moreover, they are also a prolific investors with over 150 investments in NFT-related blockchain companies, including Sky Mavis (Axie Infinity), Dapper Labs (NBA Top Shot), OpenSea, Harmony, Bitski, Metamask, Polygon and Alien Worlds.

Animoca Brands has grown a lot since its inception in 2014 and is constantly innovating and expanding. They also operate from seven countries(now ten) which is headquartered in Hong Kong with offices and subsidiaries in the United States, Canada, Argentina, South Korea, Finland, Estonia, France, Germany, Australia, and the Czech Republic, employing over 250+ team members starting from offering casual titles to delivering an expansive catalog of products ranging from simple and quick type of games up to strategic, midcore games.

As the company who jumped on NFTs before time, Animoca Brands saw the potential offered by blockchain and NFTs as early as 2017 through CryptoKitties, which is an online game where players collect NFTs represented by digital cats. Animoca Brands became the shareholders of the game’s studio, Dapper Labs in 2018. Since then, further investment in the NFT space has pushed their company to a new heights with a recent evaluation of over $5 billion dollars.

Ranked #5 on BlockchainGamer’s top 50 blockchain companies 2020 list, Animoca Brands core mission is to offer true digital ownership to the world’s gamers and internet users, thereby creating a new asset class, play-to-earn economies, and a more fair digital framework contributing to the building of the open metaverse.

Not only that, they are also revolutionizing the way mobile games are being played by finding ways to incorporate blockchain and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) into some of their products.

On January 19, 2022, Animoca Brands announced it had raised around $360 Million in Fresh funding at a valuation of more than $5 billion. This announcement has raised several eyebrows in the NFT and metaverse gaming industry given that just four months ago, the company was given a $2.2 billion evaluation.

Whats even more impressive is that just last July, the company was valued at $1 billion. Currently, its total amount raised stands at an estimated of $604 million according to crunchbase data.

On the other hand, Australian Securities Exchange delisted Animoca Brands in March 2020 which according to the founder, Yat Siu, “It didn’t like the fact that we were dealing with crypto” as Australia’s relationship with crypto and blockchain-related products has been shaky although overall, it seems to be open to the idea of incorporating this relatively new technology with its existing economy, although with government regulation. The finer details of which are being worked on and should be finalized later this year.

Team

Let’s start off with the founder and Executive Chairman of the Animoca Brands, Mr. Yat Siu. He’s also the founder and CEO of Outblaze Limited, a digital media company specializing in gaming, cloud technology, and smartphone/tablet software development.

Mr. Siu is a director for TurnOut Ventures Limited, a partnership between Outblaze Investments Limited and Turner Entertainment Holdings Asia-Pacific Limited, and he is co-founder of Appionics (known by the consumer brand ‘Animoca’), a major developer and publisher of smartphone games. In 2012 he set up ThinkBlaze, the research arm of Outblaze Limited dedicated to investigating socially meaningful issues related to technology. Mr. Siu has earned numerous accolades including Global Leader of Tomorrow at the World Economic Forum, and Young Entrepreneur of the Year at the DHL/SCMP Awards. He is a supporter of various NGOs and serves on the board of directors for the Asian Youth Orchestra.

Mr. David Kim, also a co-founder and Chairman of Animoca Brands, who had been the CEO of Lycos, Mail.com, and Techpacific Venture Capital. He’s also a Board Director for Daum and Outblaze with over 30+ other investments. However, Mr. Kim has already resigned from the company’s board of directors in order to focus on business ventures located closer to his family.​

David Brickler and Chris Whiteman arethe Non-Executive Directors of the company. Before this, David was a Senior Director of Applications for World Vision International, one of the world’s largest non-profit organizations. Prior to that, he served as Asia Pacific CIO for Mizuho Securities Asia Ltd., was an Executive Director of Ernst & Young in Hong Kong, and Global CIO for the Noble Group, one of the largest commodities traders in the world. Mr Brickler was the founder and CEO of Emergent Technology Limited, a venture-backed Hong Kong supply-chain company, and a Vice President of Information Technology at Caspian Securities. Prior to his 14 years in Hong Kong, he spent 15 years in Japan, including several years as the Vice President of Equity Technology at Goldman Sachs Securities Co. Ltd, Japan. Mr. Brickler also served in various engineering positions at EDS Japan LLC, Sundai, and Fujitsu Limited. He holds an MBA from Kellogg-HKUST and a BA from Princeton University and is a fluent speaker of Chinese and Japanese.

Mr. Whiteman on the other hand is a Corporate and Commercial Adviser with experience across multiple sectors including energy, resources and wealth management. Mr. Whiteman has specific expertise in commercial negotiations, equity capital markets and deal structuring, investor and public relations, and strategic planning, gained through assignments with both public and private companies in Australia, the United Kingdom, and China. At leading independent corporate advisory firm Taylor Collison, Mr. Whiteman originated and managed investment opportunities for an extensive client network, including inbound investment from Asia. Within the corporate landscape, Mr. Whiteman has worked in senior roles with a number of Australia’s leading energy companies, including Santos Limited and TXU Australia, and international companies Royal Dutch Shell and Credit Suisse First Boston. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the University of Adelaide and a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investment from FINSIA.

As for their Company Secretary, John Madden which has over 30 years of experience in financial reporting in both small and large listed entities. He has performed company secretarial roles for Indophil Resources NL (ASX:IRN; 2003 to 2008) and Aura Energy Limited (ASX:AEE; 2016 to present), as well as Indian Pacific Resources Limited (2009 to present). He brings an extensive knowledge of business analysis, taxation and financing, budgeting and planning, governance, and implementation of strategic initiatives.

All in all, Animoca Brands is filled with amazing and talented people. They’re also continuing to expand their team and as of January 2022, Animoca Brands employs around 600 people across all of its subsidiaries.

Games Portfolio

Animoca Brands have been continuously developing different types of NFTs and blockchain games which will be launched soon. Let’s check out all the list of the games that the company can offer. Take note that some of the game products are not incorporate with blockchain and not play to earn.

Blockchain Games

REVV Motorsport

The associated ecosystem of blockchain motorsport games including the F1 Delta Time, REVV Motorsport NFTs, and other fungible assets can be obtained through the REVV Motorsport ecosystem. Each and every REVV Motorsport content such as REVV Racing and F1 Delta Time will be making use of the larger ecosystem to guarantee value in ownership to authorize the Play-to-Earn notion.

REVV Racing

The first-ever arcade simulation car racing game on blockchain equipped with a first and third-person view 3D gameplay is becoming a lot more promising than it already is! Infusing two new tokens($CATA and $SHRD) and a new system, Revv Racing will cater to a new style of enabling true digital ownership of game assets as it also gives players the freedom and control over their NFTs in-game items across the metaverse of racing games. Animoca Brands establishes the REVV token which utilizes the primary current of purchase and action across all REVV Motorsport blockchain games.

Diving more into the establishment of the gameplay, four Sprint Sessions will be introduced, this will run for a much shorter time period and has fewer free attempts, However, the top 100 finishers are rewarded with REVV tokens. Although there is only one race course available at present, plenty of competition awaits for getting to the top ranks. In addition, Revv Motorsport originates a new way for gamers to acquire money from their in-game races. The game will be divulged into the usage of Catalysts ($CATA) and Shards ($SHRD) to authorize players in customizing or improving their NFT cars. Moving on to the newly obtained Fusion System, Animoca Brands ensured that this will bring a notable change in the updates of car rarity in REVV Racing.

Substantial improvements of the players’ performance in-game will bring light to the Fusion system, as it will be able to combine common cars into a productive type of NFTs that will also have an effect on their earnings. A restricted amount of free tries with every car should be noted by players due to the specification of REVV that after the free trial comes to the payment of REVV tokens to give the cars again a try.

Moreover, players will be needing $CATA Tokens and car NFT blueprints to create or fuse a new car. $CATA Tokens will be gained through completing the laps on the REVV Racing track, it will then be used to create CATA. Shards may be earned directly on how many races you have finished in REVV Racing. The number of Shards will be determined by the number of laps and length of the track.

Going back to the fusing of new cars, if a player has enough requirements such as the $CATA, $REVV token, and the blueprint for a common car, they may now mix the components and turn it into a brand new, rarer, and faster-enhanced car NFT. Developing this will greatly affect the chances of winning and completing the laps resulting in earning more into the gameplay!

F1 Delta Time

In partnership with the motor racing championship Formula 1, F1 Delta Time is an Ethereum blockchain-based game developed by Animoca Brands that Makes use of both NFT and fungible tokens for the in-game collectible items that may be used in the racing game. Given that Formula 1 is the most-watched and adored motorsports in the world, Animoca Brands has taken the opportunity to give light and brought this established sports to the blockchain platform and finally merge the two most sought virtual collectibles.

Jumping further into the racing game, the NFTs consist of collectible tokens based on Ethereum’s ERC-721 standard and are currently existing in the categories of driver and car. Crates are created for the players to avail for themselves as it consists of a randomized assortment of collectibles. This may result in receiving gear, car components, tires, even a car or a driver. However, take note that cars and drivers on the common and rare levels are all exclusive to F1 Delta Time except from formal Formula 1 seasons.

Secondary NFTs that can also be attached to the player’s primary NFTs may also bring an impact on the driver’s performance. An example of this would be the glove, boot or helmet that could be attached to the NFT driver. Fenders, throttles and side mirrors may also be attached to the NFT car, remember that each item attached on the NFT will cause high repercussions to the car’s performance.

Imitating the real-world Formula 1, players also get to meet some of the benchmarks to compete in the forthcoming races or even get the chance to compete with them one-on-one! The future aspects will comprise additional locations of Spa-Francorchamps, Silverstone, and Monza. In connection with the location, players also get to be real with the weather as the race weather encompasses hot, dry, light rain, and heavy rain.

The Sandbox

Releasing the popular game in the platform of IOS and Android back in 2012, The Sandbox is more popular than ever! Discovering The Sandbox, a simulated Metaverse where players can play, build, own and monetize their virtual interactions and experience has evolved into a refined gaming platform. The development was focused on disrupting existing game makers such as Minecraft and Roblox with the idea of providing true ownership of their creations as NFTs and a reward for participation in the ecosystem.

Reviewing the In-depth gameplay further, the Sandbox uses different token types to make sure that the circular economy between all the users will only go around with players, creators, curators, and landowners. SAND is the ERC-20 token used within the Sandbox as the starting point of the ecosystem’s transactions and interactions.

LAND on the other hand will serve as a real estate in The Sandbox metaverse, to make their land inhabitable, players have to avail LAND to obtain games, assets, and interactive experiences. ASSETS on the other hand is a token created by the players themselves who build and assemble user-generated content (UGC), this can be traded off to the marketplace as long as their main utility serves as a creative element in The Sandbox Game Maker.

Over 166, 464 LANDS exit within The Sandbox, every land will be designed in a map that will form the metaverse of The Sandbox. LAND will encompass 96 x 96 meters in the gameplay that is rightly adequate for the blockchain to be manageable. Moving on into another type of parcel on The Sandbox map, the ESTATE is the combination of numerous LANDS, prospective teams of creators are meant to create larger and enveloping online surroundings.

Going back to the main utility token of The Sandbox, as SAND token being the essential part of the gaming platform and at the same time being built on the Ethereum blockchain it will soon serve as the foundation for transactions within The Sandbox and has the uses such as Accessing The Sandbox platform, Governance token, Staking and Fee Capture model.

Generating Revenue with this game revolves around the three following steps, Creating Voxel ASSETS, building ASSETS on Voxedit, importing and selling them on the Marketplace as NFTs. Building games with the Game Maker, create and monetize games at the same time have interactive experiences with the Game Maker using your LANDS. Finally, owning land means that you can rent them or populate them to escalate their value. Liquidity Mining is also present here in The Sandbox as well, as it is a metaverse, investing in your current cryptocurrency will earn you more SAND.

Phantom Galaxies

Developed and published by Blowfish Studios with the subsidiary of Animoca Brands, a third-person, open-world mecha space opera action RPG together with the mechanics of Blockchain is here! A thrilling science fiction escapade to defend human colonies on the boundary of known space, recruiting an elite ranger squadron, and a pilot mechanized starfighter will be appointed to secure against the attack of the Sha’Kari.

Getting more specific in the game date release, you may kindly refer to the road map below:

Although the game hasn’t been fully released yet, some currently known features are: Action; mech piloting combat, NFTs; advantageous avatars with the expandable scale of mechs, Map; exploring of the universe, and discovering alien species, Guilds; organizations, and corporations to join forces with. Transforming your Mech Starfighter comes with four choices of classes, Lancer, Buster, Assault, and Breacher.

If you are a fan of Gundam, or the mecha anime in general like Neon Genesis Evangelion and Aldnoah Zero then you will probably be interested in Phantom Galaxies.

NON-NFT GAMES

Crazy Kings

A card-based tower defense developed by Ticbits back in 2015 and published by Animoca Brands, the original tower defense game remains one of the most favored games by the players is now currently transitioning to enable the game from Free to play to Play to Earn! Defending villages from incoming waves of wicked underlings, Players guide their avatar using a battle deck filled with hero and tower cards which you can used to defend your base, while the equipment cards may be used to enhance your avatar and tower. In addition to, spell cards may act as your offensive or defensive approach to your opponent.

The artistic design of the characters and impeccable game balance with a mix of action is now considering to offer a utility TOWER token ERC-20 on Ethereum blockchain that can be used in Crazy Kings and Crazy Defense Heroes. The game will allow players to earn TOWER just by playing the game. NFTs such as game cards and paying for the tournament entry fees are the way to start earning!

Crazy Defense Heroes

Extending the version of Crazy Kings, Crazy Defense Heroes was launched on IOS in 2017 and featured a more complicated card upgrade system rather than that of Crazy Kings. The game offers more than 500 levels of hyperactive gameplay and is also available to turn it into a P2E.

To earn in Crazy Defense Heroes, linking your account to the Ethereum wallet is the way to go. If the player failed to link their game account to their wallet, it will forfeit their right to claim the following rewards and would be further distributed among the qualified players that were able to linked their account.

Maintaining the balance and equitability in terms of a Free-to-Play game, the tower experiment or the Crazy Defense Heroes is a tower defense game with RPG elements, card collectibles, and multiplayer mode blending the Free-to-play to Play-to-Earn aspect of a game. If you like the games like Plants vs Zombies or Bloons TD then this game is for you.

Crazy Defense heroes is a game where the goal is to clear the wave of monsters that spawns by obstructing the enemy attackers or by stopping enemies from reaching the exits by using your heroes and construct an offensive towers to defeat the monster waves.

There are diverse types of cards that you can use in the Crazy Defense Heroes game, keep in mind that every card comes with a “Mana” which can only be obtained by killing minions or by surviving another wave of minions.

Inserting the features of blockchain including the NFTs, DeFi, and governance, the starting point of the tower experiment will be the TOWER Token and TOWER Platform.

Going further into the gameplay of Crazy Defense Heroes, players will be able to prove their skills with the four different difficulty modes such as Normal, Hard, Crazy, and Nightmare. Players will be using an extensive variety of heroes, spells, towers, and equipment. Comparison to the extent of Crazy Kings many believed that the difference between the two is the content and updates, but both are continuously improving.

Torque Burnout

Combining the best part of every racing game, top “driving” is here to deliver some burnout. Published by GREASE MONKEY GAMES, the free-to-play driving game merges the gripping of the wheel and completing the drifts like a winner! If you want to become the best car drifter in the world or just want to enjoy pure driving and having fun then you can try out Torque Burnout.

Torque Drift

Displaying the stunning graphics during the gameplay, the GREASE MONKEY GAMES have developed another remarkable driving free-to-play game that caters the players to build their reputation. A triple-A quality drifting game will earn you different sponsors and parts that will let you customize your own car!

You can download and play the game in Steam. Drifting through the ranks will also enable the elements such as professional drivers with teams. Aside from that, real track and branded sponsors are also introduced in the aftermarket parts!

If you want to build your car, earn sponsors, and compete in online multiplayer drift battles then you might wanna check this out.

Base One

Base one is a space station simulator with survival and RPG mechanics developed by PixFroze and published by Blowfish Studios. Divulging into the role of fearless explorers, they will now seek a new home across the cosmos. Establishing colonies to build a space station, gaining vital needs such as heat, oxygen, and power altogether while also hunting for resources in undiscovered wilds of space.

A story-driven campaign includes a bunch of range trials in terms of socio-political drama where personal interest and power are gained from the final frontier. Players are tasked to balance the station’s need and unlock new technology that will help stabilize the viability of human presence in the region.

You can purchase the game in Steam, GOG.com, and MAC.

Siegecraft Commander

Blending a combination of twitch mechanics and positional tactics, the objective is to build a fortress in a branching structure of specialized towers connected with giant indestructible walls. Siegecraft Commander is a real-time strategy game of single or multiplayer where teams expand their bases and release ground and air units to destroy the enemy base and claim the victory.

On the other hand, the single-player mode will be able to unlock a new level and a new chapter in the storyline. Diversely the Multiplayer will put a spotlight on local or online play.

The game is available on Steam, XBOX ONE, PS4, and Nintendo Switch.

WWE Undefeated

The first real-time head-to-head WWE game on android and IOS is quick-session matches that blend arcade-style action with planned strategical gameplay of a collectible card game. Collect and upgrade wrestling move cards to build up your WWE Superstar’s arsenal to dominate your opponents. A Free-to-play developed by nWay and a subsidiary of Animoca Brands, the game is all about a skill-based mobile game where players compete with actual live players from all around the globe to claim the WWE Championship.

The game is free-to-play and you can download it on their website.

Power Rangers: Legacy wars

Characters from the movie back in 2017 and the TV Show Power Rangers, a fighting video game also developed by nWay. Power Rangers: Legacy Wars paved way for the Free-to-play online tag team-based fighting game. Real-time and head-to-head combat gameplay for the Rangers and villains to challenge the top-tier players around the globe!

Giving light to the actual gameplay, players will select a primary leader and two supporting characters that can be called anytime in the middle of the action. Move-sets will be based on color-coded cards and each card will contain different attack types, these may range from Strike, Defense, and Breaker.

The game is free-to-play and you can download it on their website.

Power Rangers: Battle for the grid

Taking the graphics up a notch, Power Rangers: Battle for grid developed by nWay was first released digitally on Xbox and Nintendo back in 2019. The fighting game features a battle style mechanics which uses a cards to create an action which allows you to attack and defeat your opponent. Players will start their game with a fixed set of character starting with red ranger, eventually unlocking the remaining characters in the game.

The Free-to-play game will feature Ranked online, arcade, versus, casual online, training, and tutorial modes.

Given the 25 years of rangers, the generation of ever-power rangers across the multiverse’s history will be reimagined with a battle sequence! Like the first release of Power Rangers: Legacy wars, the picking of teams will consist of three characters to engage in a one versus one combat. A meter will now be included to take the damage and eliminating the three is the focusing goal for the players.

Battlepalooza

Fast reflexes and triggering of tactical thinking will be the main goal of Battlepalooza, published by nWay is now conquering the game of strategy and not just skills.

Competing in real-time with live contestants from around the world in a 24-player battle royale, collecting coins without getting busted, and surviving until the end to win prizes.

Chances of winning coins and gears are possible every game, however, the last player standing will win much bigger prizes than that of others! Apart from that, you can also play with your friends, a showdown just might earn you an alliance against others! Made for every player’s skill determination, strategy, skill, and luck will be your reaction time.

Gunscape

Another genius creation from Blowfish Studios and a subsidiary from Animoca Brands, Gunscape is a FPS world-building hybrid that players get to create, share and enjoy at their own respective levels. The game style is like Minecraft but with shooting. Maps that were created by other players can be played as well.

A toolbox full of well-known weapons, monsters, and different elements will be the main foundation for the player to construct a co-op, single-player, FPS levels, or even multiplayer arenas. Offering a sequence of the block-placement interfaces that many of the players will surely be familiar with.

The game is available in Steam, XBOX ONE, and PS4

Projection: first light

A story of Greta living in the mythological shadow puppet world, she commences to a journey of enlightening herself with the help of mythical heroes from the culture she gets to explore. Projection: First Light was developed by Blowfish Studios, Shadowplay Studious, Sweaty Chair, and Sweaty Chain Pty. Ltd. with the publisher Blowfish Studious and Animoca Brands sails as they release the 2-dimensional platform and puzzle game.

The quest of going through cultures such as Indonesia, China, Turkey, and 19th century England will take place as the ambiance and feels, especially the music will make you indulge in the story of Greta!

The game is available on Steam, Apple, XBOX ONE, PS4, and Nintendo Switch.

The Addams Family: Mystery mansion

The famous Addams Family is now playable through Android and IOS, developed by PixOwl Inc. the free-to-play game was based on the 2019 animated film The Addams Family. An isometric view is places with the characters strolling around inside and outside of the mansion, players will be purchasing object and placing it into the numerous rooms of the family. Quests will then be converted to experience point, money, rubies and spooky spirits!

Players will be immersed into the key feature of collecting all the characters, expanding the house and unlocking new content that comes with every level, decorating and getting to personalize the mystery mansion, crafting spooky and enjoyable items to tend the needs of the Addams Family, and enjoying the family’s entertaining actions throughout the story!

What we can see in the future

We see Animoca Brands as one of the key part of the big revolution in gaming industry. By reaching out to all the gamers around the world and bridging them to the metaverse, we can assure that the company is preparing for more innovative type of products that they will be releasing in the near future.

Moreover, as Siu pointed out recently in an interview with Forbes that the real value in companies like The Sandbox or Axie Infinity are bounded by the fact that these are spaces within the metaverse, an online space that is only just beginning to take form. Also, looking at the bigger picture, we are seeing that gamers are transitioning quickly into the metaverse. At the end of the day. Only we can decide and shape the future of gaming.

And that’s it for our game review for the Animoca Brands! We hope everyone learnt a thing or two from the article.