Ready Player One fans, get ready for an immersive experience! Futureverse, in collaboration with novelist Ernest Cline and film producer Dan Farah, has birthed Readyverse Studios. The studio has inked a deal with Warner Bros. Discovery for the rights to Ready Player One’s intellectual property, setting the stage for a metaverse inspired by the popular virtual reality novel and its cinematic adaptation.
If you’re not familiar with Ready Player One, it’s a tale set in a slightly dystopian future, where much of humanity escapes into a virtual reality wonderland called OASIS. The protagonist, Wade Watts, embarks on a quest following clues left by OASIS’s creator, unfolding as a global contest. The novel, born in 2011 and later brought to life by Steven Spielberg in 2018, has now paved the way for an RP1-inspired metaverse.
Variety reports that Readyverse Studios aims to launch this metaverse sometime in the coming year, promising an exciting venture into the realm of immersive storytelling and virtual experiences.
Ernest Cline expressed his enthusiasm, stating, “With Readyverse Studios, we have the opportunity to leverage the revolutionary technology Futureverse has been building for several years to bring to life the best possible version of the metaverse.”
Visa Ventures into the Web3 Waters
In other Web3 news, Visa is dipping its toes into the space by experimenting with a customer loyalty program. The initiative allows brands to introduce digital wallets enabling customers to accumulate points and unique experiences. Kathleen Pierce-Gilmore, Visa’s senior vice president and global head of issuing solutions, envisions a future where customers can earn digital collectibles through activities like purchasing sports event tickets or engaging in augmented reality treasure hunts.
Shifting Tides in the NFT Marketplace
A noteworthy development in the NFT space: OpenSea has slipped to become the fourth most-used NFT marketplace in weekly trading volume. The current leaders include Blur, OKX, and Magic Eden, according to DappRadar.
Additionally, influencer Logan Paul is making headlines by planning a substantial refund for individuals who invested in his never-launched NFT game, CryptoZoo. This move, amounting to $2.3 million, is part of Paul’s effort to repurchase the NFTs acquired by those eagerly awaiting the game’s launch. CryptoZoo faced scrutiny in a multi-part YouTube investigation, where allegations of misconduct surfaced. Paul attributes the project’s setbacks to “bad actors” who interfered with the development process.
Paul clarified, saying, “This buy-back is a way for me to make whole those who intended to play CryptoZoo. The buy-back is not intended to compensate those who gambled on the crypto market and lost.”
