TOKYO and OSLO, Norway, June 29,
2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Gala
Games, the successful blockchain gaming platform and
Opera (NASDAQ: OPRA), one of the world's leading browser
developers, are joining forces to create carbon-neutral NFTs that
will be auctioned for charity. They are also announcing plans for a
new player initiative in the upcoming blockchain role playing game,
Mirandus, which will redefine the traditional gaming model by
giving players greater control than ever over in-game economy.
Both Gala Games and Opera have
missions of empowerment. Gala Games
is using NFTs to empower players by giving them true ownership of
their gaming assets, while Opera empowers its users through a
better web-browsing experience as well as easy access to Web3 and
blockchain technologies. These missions of empowerment, combined
with the focus of both Opera and Gala
Games on charitable giving, are bringing the two companies
together for a fruitful partnership.
Phase 1 - NFT Auction for Social Impact
In the first
phase of this partnership, Gala
Games will mint an exclusive series of 8 Ethereum (ERC-20)
non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to be auctioned. These NFTs will be
jointly branded by both Opera and Gala
Games, and will have future utility in Mirandus.
100% of the proceeds from these NFT auctions will be donated to
Mercy Corps Ventures, the impact investing arm
of the leading global development organization Mercy Corps that
invests in and accelerates tech-enabled solutions that strengthen
the resilience of people and communities in frontier markets. In
that spirit, the partnership in the virtual game community of
Mirandus will help raise funds and awareness for contributions to
real-world solutions that help people join the global economy and
lift themselves out of poverty.
'With the creation of our carbon-neutral NFTs in Mirandus, we
are connecting social impact NFTs, gaming, and real-life charitable
giving to illustrate new ways of partnering in the crypto sector
for the greater good,' said Cuautemoc
Luis Weber, Opera's Head of Crypto and VP Business
Development.
'Mercy Corps Ventures is thrilled to explore innovative ways
to bring attention and raise funds for accelerating global
financial inclusion in frontier markets. By practising
philanthropic activities in the virtual world, players can make a
big impact in the real world,' said Alpen Sheth, PhD, Senior
Technologist, Blockchain, at Mercy Corps Ventures.
These exclusive NFT auctions are scheduled to begin on
July 12th, 2021, and
will consist of 8 unique "Grand Sanctuary" NFTs in total. NFTs
will be revealed in the days leading up to the auction on the
Gala Games blog.
Phase 2 - The Sanctuary
The Grand Sanctuary buildings
will play an important role in the gaming experience of all
newcomers to the fantasy world of Mirandus, especially those who
enter the world with nothing but the clothes worn by their
avatar.
The Grand Sanctuary will be a haven for newcomers that will
welcome them into this strange new world. There they will find a
safe bed and a nourishing meal. They will be given the tools with
which they can embark upon their first adventures. They will be
taught, outfitted and equipped to immediately get the most out of
the game. And as the newly equipped player ventures into the wilds
and begins earning, a portion of their earnings will be given back
to the Sanctuary, the building that first empowered them. Part of
the proceeds generated by the in-game Grand Sanctuaries will also
become charitable gifts, generating a sustainable way of donating
to charity through gameplay.
"The Grand Sanctuary buildings will be a pillar of support
for new players, especially those who cannot start by paying for
in-game NFTs," says Jason Brink,
President of Blockchain for Gala
Games. "They will also establish a gaming community of
encouragement and support, as well as an opportunity for Mirandus
players to contribute to charity by playing."
The goal of this collaboration is to create in Mirandus a
culture of dignified and ongoing charitable giving. The Grand
Sanctuary will be beneficial to all players of Mirandus while
opening the door to a culture of reciprocity and giving, both in
the fantasy world as in reality.
More details about the building's operation will be released as
they become available.
About Mercy Corps Ventures
Mercy Corps Ventures (MCV)
is the impact investing arm of the leading global development
organization, Mercy Corps. MCV invests in and accelerates
tech-enabled solutions that strengthen the resilience of people and
communities in frontier markets. It's FinX initiative is
reimagining the financial system with the world's most vulnerable
at the center of its design. FinX's goal is to accelerate global
financial inclusion by advancing innovative, responsible
distributed ledgers, digital assets, cryptocurrencies, and other
digital financial solutions that help people join the global
economy and lift themselves out of poverty and create a roadmap for
an inclusive financial system. mercycorps.org/ventures
About Opera
Opera is leveraging 25 years at the
forefront of web development, building browsers. With hundreds of
millions of monthly engaged users across their product range and a
team of 1800 engineers, researchers, analysts and marketeers across
10 countries. Opera is headquartered in Oslo Norway and listed on the NASDAQ stock
exchange (OPRA).
Today Opera is building its audiences in Europe, Africa and Asia across 4 product categories; computer and
laptop browsers, AI driven news platforms and fintech
applications.
It is highly experienced in identifying consumer trends, needs
and wants and developing products that meet demand quickly,
capturing space and early adopters. The Opera browser has been
equipped with a native Crypto Wallet and Web3 support since
2018.
For more information please visit https://opera.com
About Gala
Games
Launched in 2019 and powered by the world's
largest independent node network, Gala
Games has been built to give power to the gaming
community. As the first blockchain gaming platform,
Gala Games has created an ecosystem
where players and creators may be rewarded for their
participation.
Founded by Eric Schiermeyer, the
co-founder of Zynga, and operated by a global and diverse group of
gamers, engineers, art enthusiasts, and geek-culture aficionados
with teams in the United States,
Canada, the United Kingdom, South Korea and the
Philippines.
For more information please visit www.Gala.Games
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SOURCE Opera Limited