LAUNCH OF WOMEN-FOUNDED 8SIANTOWN IN THE SANDBOX

LAUNCH OF WOMEN-FOUNDED 8SIANTOWN IN THE SANDBOX | Landmark partnership between Smobler and 8SIAN to jointly develop the world's first Southeast Asian inspired experience, 8SIANTOWN into The Sandbox

Two female founders of Southeast Asia’s most successful NFT project and a top-tier Metaverse architect have joined forces to create 8SIANTOWN underscoring significant strides taken by women in the tech industry to foster a stronger commitment towards diversity, inclusivity and creativity.

Nicole Yap, founder of 8SIAN has successfully demonstrated her command of blockchain technology space and her ability to spearhead innovative projects. Her sold out NFT project, 8SIAN is the only Malaysian & Southeast Asian NFT project to have trended among the Top 10 projects on OpenSea, generating secondary sales of over 3,000 ETH (approximately USD 9 million) within a span of 24 hours.

Joining Nicole in this landmark collaboration is Loretta Chen, a respected media personality and award-winning author who has been dubbed Asia’s Anna Wintour and Top 100 Women of the Future. Her metaverse architecture firm headquartered in Singapore, is a leading builder in the Web 3 space and most recently launched the Kingdom of Bhutan into the open metaverse.

Both founders have jointly launched 8SIANTOWN which will stand as the world's first Southeast Asiantown in the open metaverse, offering a unique virtual environment that celebrates and promotes Southeast Asian culture on a global platform.

Yap, a proud Malaysian, wishes to introduce globally recognized landmarks such as the Twin Towers, Sultan Abdul Samad Building and Batu Caves into 8SIANTOWN while Chen endeavors to bring the best of Singapore’s multicultural heritage as well as Southeast Asia’s diverse landscapes into The Sandbox, a leading decentralised gaming virtual world and a subsidiary of Animoca Brands.

Loretta Chen, Co-Founder and CEO of Smobler and Nicole Yap, Founder of 8SIAN NFT

Both founders envision this project as the first step in a series of collaborations that aim to revolutionize the Web 3 industry and place Southeast Asia at the forefront of digital innovation by incorporating popular IPs into a 8SIANTOWN. This opens a sea of creative opportunities, including new businesses such as Digital Tourism.

Drawing inspiration from the involvement of celebrities like Snoop Dogg and Paris Hilton in The Sandbox, the collaborative venture between Smobler and 8SIAN intends to open avenues for Southeast Asian celebrities, providing them with a novel platform to expand their influence.

Says Chen, “There is no lack of creative talent in Southeast Asia and the region is very digitally savvy. According to Yahoo, close to 75% are aware of the Metaverse and look forward to creating and making social connections in the space. They espouse the freedom of building a virtual world different from the existing real world and want to make connections globally even without leaving their homes.”

Yap adds, “The collaboration between Smobler and 8SIAN highlights the strength of Southeast Asia's tech sector and sets the stage for groundbreaking projects that push the boundaries of what is possible in the Metaverse and blockchain spaces.”

8SIANTOWN aims to be a leading voice and creative pioneer in the Southeast Asian Metaverse space with upcoming collaborations with celebrities, brands and IPs proving that the Metaverse is not just a Western concept, but one that transcends geographical boundaries.About 8SIAN

8SIAN is the most successful NFT project in South East Asia. Established by Nicole Yap, 8SIAN has made significant strides in the NFT space, trending among the top 10 projects on OpenSea and generating over 3,000 Eth+ in secondary sales within a single day. With its unique Asian-themed content and vision, 8SIAN is leading the way in integrating NFTs with broader tech applications, including the Metaverse.About Smobler

Smobler is a turnkey metaverse architect headquartered in Singapore with representative offices in Japan, USA, Canada, Indonesia, Australia, Africa, and Brazil. It is a The Sandbox endorsed metaverse agency with a strong emphasis on blockchain based gaming, event production, outreach and education.

Smobler has created a suite of world’s first projects such as a The Sandbox wedding, the Tools of Rock concert venue and a disability park. It works with legacy brands such as Airbus, Carnegie Mellon, Mahindra, DBS, Starhub and also creates innovative projects such as Metaverse for Good, the inaugural cross chain project with Clay Nation and is curating a series of proprietary IPs such as 3VEREST, Cobble Land, Ichorium Wars and Aloha Surfer. Smobler is backed by The Sandbox and Brinc. For more, log on to www.smoblerstudios.com

About The Sandbox

The Sandbox, a subsidiary of Animoca Brands, is one of the decentralized virtual worlds that has been fueling the recent growth of virtual real estate demand, having partnered with major brands including Warner Music Group, Ubisoft, The Rabbids, Cut the Rope, Tony Hawk, Gucci Vault, The Walking Dead, Invincible, Snoop Dogg, Adidas, Deadmau5, Steve Aoki, SM Entertainment, The Smurfs, Care Bears, and Atari.

Building on the existing The Sandbox IP that has more than 40 million global installs on mobile, The Sandbox metaverse offers players and creators a decentralized and intuitive platform to create immersive 3D worlds and game experiences and to safely store, trade, and monetize their creations.

For more information, please visit www.sandbox.game and follow the regular updates on Twitter, Medium, and Discord.