NWD's Adrian Cheng invests in virtual real estate through Animoca Brands

New World Development's CEO and executive vice chairman Adrian Cheng has started investing in Animoca Brands' subsidiary and decentralised gaming virtual world The Sandbox, offering virtual real estate "LAND NFTs" in the open metaverse.

Cheng's "LAND" will be one of the biggest plots in The Sandbox, and form part of the "Mega City" virtual world, which will include his Innovation Hub. The landmark of the Innovation Hub will be the GBA Pavilion, a centre propagating creativity and futuristic vision to showcase the successes of various Greater Bay Area (GBA) start-ups, including include Aesir, Casetify, Lalamove, DayDayCook and Prenetics. 

"I'm excited to enter the Metaverse through The Sandbox. Providing platforms for the next generation to be empowered to create, innovate and feel part of something that's paving the way for the future is critical to progress. The digital world is constantly evolving and we need to stay at the forefront of these changes by continuously exploring and developing the metaverse," Cheng said. 

In conjunction with his personal investment portfolio such as venture capital company C Ventures and start-up accelerator Eureka Nova, Cheng has also funded, incubated and supported a range of companies across the GBA in reality. For example, he is now elevating these companies to the metaverse to promote their missions, expertise and visions for the future. The GBA Pavilion in The Sandbox will inspire and encourage next generation entrepreneurs by showing them real-life success stories. The featured companies will offer entertainment, exclusive NFTs and immersive experiences, making it a key attraction for anyone wanting to be inspired.

"Cheng is one of the most influential leaders in business, real estate, arts and culture in Hong Kong and the region, and we are thrilled that he is joining The Sandbox to bring his unique perspective and to help add and shape new transformative experiences to the open metaverse," said Yat Siu, co-founder and executive chairman of Animoca Brands. 

Meanwhile, Animoca Brands has entered into an exclusive worldwide joint venture with acehorse and equestrian business Aquis Farm to bring the physical equestrian world to the metaverse. The new joint venture will develop metaverse products, games, and NFTs directly related to real-world equestrian activities and assets, including the horses themselves, horse racing, showjumping, and other equestrian sports such as rodeo events.

Aquis Farm will be responsible for the provision of real-world equestrian intellectual property, commercial opportunities and conceptual development of equestrian NFT ecosystems and metaverses. On the other hand, Animoca Brands will be responsible for the development, marketing and sales of NFTs, NFT race products, metaverse games, and generally bringing the equestrian world to blockchain.

“This joint venture will enable Aquis Farm to partner with a world leader in digital entertainment, blockchain and gamification to bring real-world equestrian concepts, business ideas and assets to the decentralised finance world and the metaverse. The opportunities are endless," said Justin Fung, the co-founder and chairman of Aquis Farm. 

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