Binance Labs, Binance’s venture capital arm has invested $4M in Ultimate Champions, a Web3-based sports game platform built on the BNB Chain. Ultimate Champions will use the funds to develop its games and secure new sports partnerships.
Ultimate Champions will eventually be available on the BNB Chain. They will also land on the Binance Fan Token Platform. This will allow players to enhance their fan experience and engage with their favorite teams.
Ultimate Champions also has an exclusive partnership with EuroLeague. This top European professional basketball management company will be expanding into fantasy basketball next season.
Yi He, Co-Founder of Binance and Head of Binance Labs, commented: “The world of Web3 gaming is expanding and Binance Labs is looking for Web3 gaming projects that have missions of providing real entertainment to the users rather than the ones focusing on giving out more opportunities to ‘earn’.”
The Ultimate Champions platform was released in April 2022.
It initially focused on football and offered enhanced gameplay. Each player assumed the role of a manager. More than 45 European football clubs have partnered with the team, in nine leagues including Arsenal F.C. and VfL Wolfsburg.
All games will be in sync with real-world sporting events calendars. Each athlete’s live performance will be converted into a virtual score.
Charlie Guillemot, Co-Founder of Ultimate Champions, said: “Ultimate Champions’ ambition is to bring Web3 sports gaming to a wider audience with a fun, accessible, and free-to-play experience. We are extremely happy to innovate and expand the Web3 sports gaming ecosystem with Binance Labs. Also, we believe that BNB Chain can be the robust platform on which our game can flourish.”
Alex Odagiu, Investment Director at Binance Labs, commented: “We see the massive potential that Web3 brings to the way sports clubs, players and their fans connect with each other online. On top of using digital collectibles as a medium for fan engagement, Ultimate Champions supports a player-centric gameplay and a walletless onboarding. This mechanism not only facilitates more flexible and long-lasting ways for players to engage with their favorite sports clubs, but also makes blockchain gaming ever more accessible. We look forward to working with the Ultimate Champions team to bring greater benefits to gamers of all stripes.”
Lots is going on in the web3 x sports world currently.
Nike launched Swoosh, a Web 3.0-enabled platform that will allow people to design and own virtual creations.
• THE HOLT XCHANGE is raising a $100M fund to invest in Web3 startups within the sports media & entertainment sectors.
• Lionel Messi is investing in the digital collectible NFT company Sorare.
• Web3 sports entertainment company, eterlast, has left stealth mode to announce $4.6M in seed funding.
• Steph Curry filed the trademark “CURRYVERSE’ with the intent to use it in the metaverse.
• Knights of Degen, a sports gaming community in Web3, has entered into an agreement to acquire the blockchain-based fantasy sports platform, LeagueDAO.
• With plans to build the ultimate Web3 gamefi sports ecosystem, RealFevr has raised $10 million.
• Data Vault Holdings, a metaverse data tool, announced they have started minting branded NFT tokens for colleges across the US.
While the focus is on FTX…
The adoption of Web3 continues to INCREASE ─ especially throughout sports, media, and entertainment.
