The first and largest NFT, Metaverse and GameFi conference took place over the Labour Day weekend in the heart of Metro Manila, Philippines. The event drew masses of GameFi, NFT and Metaverse enthusiasts alike from all over Southeast Asia and even parts of East Asia, where attendees congregated to discuss the future of Web3 in the region.
As guests arrived at the event, they were greeted by a picturesque balloon arch with photographers at the ready to help out with photos. To everyone’s delight, guests were treated to an endless number of booths — throughout the night — that hosted various projects from all over the world, including CoinEx, Arcus, OpenBlox and Gala Games.
Held at the Cove Manila, the event’s opening remarks were delivered by Emmy Lou Versoza-Delfin, Director at the Department of Information and Communications Technology which was followed shortly by an Opening Prayer and the national anthem of the Philippines.
The agenda for the evening was nowhere short of bullish vibes and empowering projects. Here are some of the highlights and takeaways from the stellar event:
Bullish Panels & Projects
From panel discussions around the future of blockchain and the opportunities NFTs & metaverse worlds hold to GameFi and the trends that are yet to emerge in the space.
There were also plenty of product presentations ranging from holistic gaming ecosystems to financial apps and cutting edge P2E platforms.
The Perfect Combination
Bringing together the best of both worlds, Frank Yun, Director of Baby Shark BubbleFong Friends (BFF) explained the marriage between the world-renowned South Korean Pinkfong Baby Shark IP and popular game genres. For those who are unfamiliar with the South Korean sensation, Pinkfong’s Baby Shark is the most viewed video on Youtube and the company is recognised globally as an inescapable cultural phenomenon.
BFF is a take on the classic bubble shooter game with a battle royale game style that will accomodate multiple users to compete against each other in real-time. Through this unique offering, the project aims to give people more opportunities to enjoy the realms of P2E games through the use of iconic characters and vintage gaming models.
Frank further explained the model behind the NFTs; characters, equipments and items acquired will be issued as NFTs which can be traded between players, thus igniting the GameFi ecosystem. Furthermore, the project intends to introduce and operate virtual currencies including its very own governance coin and utility coin.
BFF also surprised the crowd during their presentation with the emergence of their celebrity guests…Pink Fong and Baby Shark! Guests had a chance to meet & greet the characters after which was fun for all.
One Stop Crypto Wonder
Another interesting project that was presented is Roseon WonderApp. Headquartered in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Roseon is a licensed, mobile-first one-stop crypto app that offers a package to cater to all your CeDeFi, GameFi, NFT and Metaverse demands.
Roseon aims to be the hybrid solution that will bridge the gap between centralised and decentralised financial services by providing the gateway to DeFi through its app that is designed to be customer-centric, making it easier for new users of DeFi.
Not only does it have a wallet and supports crypto swapping, users will also be able bridge tokens from BSC to ETH (vice versa) and access yield farms to earn more with their crypto holdings. Roseon Wonderapp also offers an NFT gallery and marketplace where users can buy,sell and view digital collectibles as well as a Game Centre that will showcase all its mini-games with P2E aspects. Through its very own LaunchPad known as RoseonPad, users will also gain early access to new GameFi and Metaverse projects all through the same app.
The idea behind this one stop solution is very promising and I look forward to seeing it lead the charge on the onboarding of new users to the decentralised space.
The endless opportunities in the metaverse
Highlighting not only the benefits of the metaverse and NFTs but also the impact they have on lives, this panel was exceptionally informative.
Moderated by legal expert and partner at Gorriceta, the panel played host to experts from an array of projects including Exnetwork Capital, Kaloscope and Ownly. The speakers complemented each other well, bouncing off each other, keeping the flow fluid.
A showcase of creativity
Besides the conventional list of panels and presentations, the crowd was plenty satisfied with the entertainment lined up throughout the night. Everyone was entertained by the LED Showcase by one of the top dance groups in the Philippines.
As a mark of appreciation for the metaverse and each project that was present at the conference, hosts paid tribute to the space with a fantastic fashion show of NFT characters from their respective metaverses and projects as well as a few iconic cosplay characters including Captain America and Naruto.
To end the night on an upbeat (pun intended), the crowd was surprised with a live concert by rock sensation and widely loved Filipino band, Kamikazee. The crowd went wild and everyone rocked out for a solid hour by the water beds and cabanas all around the hall. What a way to end the night!
Southeast Asia set to dominate the P2E arena
The success of Vietnamese NFT-based video game, Axie Infinity was the start of the mass adoption of P2E in the Philippines. The stigma of playing video games is slowly being eradicated in the region and more people are coming onboard to embrace the potentials of GameFi.
The event played host to several Southeast Asian based projects including Arcus, AFK and Placewar.
Crypto-news had the pleasure of interviewing Rommel Carlos, Founder & CEO of Arcus, Filipino-based P2E project.
When asked his thoughts on the rapid adoption of GameFi and the rise in local P2E, he said, “It is time that we as a nation rose to the occasion and built our very own P2E projects that will benefit us as a community, as a country, as a region. In order for a metaverse to exist, it needs to have a community, an existing circle that bonds in a world that is parallel to the actual physical world that we live in. Each and everyone here in this room is what makes that circle; we are the arc, the arc is us.”
I believe that a lot of us will be able to relate to Rommel’s sentiments. He was not the only one to share his thoughts and passion for the space, it was heartwarming to see Web3 enthusiasts from all walks of life in the same space, embracing and sharing passion for it with one another at the first ever in-person NFT, Metaverse and GameFi in the region.
From Vietnamese DeFi protocols to Indonesian NFT projects, Filipino P2E ecosystems and more, Southeast Asia is waking up to the wonders of Web3 and will be at the forefront of the race in no time. The hype is real, the passion is evident, the community is growing.
Our team at Crypto-news will be travelling to all the biggest Web3 events around the world, so stay tuned for more here. If you would like to connect with me on LinkedIn to discuss more about the space, feel free to reach out – I am always up for a coffee and discussion, both in-person and in the metaverse!