Animoca Brands Corporation Ltd and digital chess company Play Magnus Group (PMG) have teamed up to bring PMG’s Meltwater Champions Chess Tour, the leading online chess tournament worldwide, into the metaverse.
As part of the partnership, Animoca-owned sports NFT ecosystem Lympo will create an NFT collection, social tokens, and a blockchain-based chess-inspired game for PMG’s Champions Chess Tour.
Decentralised gaming virtual world
For its part, PMG will build Champions Chess Tour experiences in The Sandbox, a leading decentralised gaming virtual world and another subsidiary of Animoca Brands.
Lympo will spearhead the development and launch of a Champions Chess Tour NFT collection over the next five years, creating custom-designed and animated NFT collections depicting top chess players such as world champion Magnus Carlsen, Anish Giri and Hans Niemann.
It will also devise individualised NFT digital collectible cards of varying rarity and supply for each eligible professional chess player. The Champions Chess Tour NFTs will be integrated into the existing Lympo NFT ecosystem.
Lympo will launch a social token for the Champions Chess Tour, which will allow fans to engage and interact with their favourite players. Champions Chess Tour NFT holders will have the opportunity to acquire the social tokens and use them to participate in voting sessions, lotteries, questionnaires and polls.
Chess in the open metaverse
The partnership aims to develop a blockchain chess-inspired game based on PMG's Champions Chess Tour. At the same time, Play Magnus Group will be entering The Sandbox to forge a virtual experience for fans and chess enthusiasts within the open metaverse.
“Chess has emerged as one of the fastest-growing esports,” said Yat Siu, co-founder and executive chairman of Animoca Brands. “By partnering with Play Magnus Group and its Champions Chess Tour, we will create unparalleled experiences for chess players, casual gamers and fans.”
Play Magnus Group CEO Andreas Thome said: “We strongly believe in the metaverse and the opportunities it brings for immersive fan engagement.
“Animoca Brands is a global leader pushing the advancement of the open metaverse and we are excited to grow chess together in this bold new space.”
About Lympo
Lympo, a subsidiary of Animoca Brands, is building a sports NFT ecosystem based on world-famous athletes and sports clubs.
The Lympo ecosystem will include sports stars, clubs, and custom sports characters created by various artists and sports influencers. Users can mint NFTs and use them in play-to-earn blockchain games developed by the company.