ChainCatcher news, Aethir co-founder Mark announced the third round (Batch 3) of its $100 million ecosystem fund, focusing on the combination of gaming and AI agents, aiming to truly change the way users experience games, covering aspects such as development, deployment, and experience. Supported projects include: iAgent, Patchwork Naval, MyShell, TODAY, Scrypted.

ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, the Blockchain Game Alliance (BGA) states that among Web3 gaming companies, professionals with traditional gaming backgrounds now outnumber blockchain and cryptocurrency experts.The BGA's "2024 Industry Status Report" shows that 52.5% of respondents have expertise in gaming, the highest since the survey began in 2021. Blockchain and cryptocurrency experts currently make up only 10.8% of the industry, down from 21.7% last year.The report also emphasizes that digital asset ownership remains the most important feature of blockchain gaming, with 71% of the 623 respondents believing it to be the biggest benefit.

ChainCatcher news, the Beam Foundation announced plans to launch Beam Ventures in Abu Dhabi. This is the first venture capital fund in the Abu Dhabi International Financial Centre focused on the gaming sector, with a fund size of $150 million.The strategic positioning of Beam Ventures is at the intersection of blockchain, gaming, and artificial intelligence. Beam Ventures is committed to fostering innovation in these areas, aiming to redefine the gaming experience and drive industry growth.

ChainCatcher news, according to The Block, at the Emergence conference in Prague, two top venture capitalists in the cryptocurrency field warned about projects that merge crypto and AI. Dragonfly general partner Rob Hadick stated that the AI agent project sector is expected to attract hundreds of millions in venture capital, but "almost everyone will lose a lot of money," with a risk level comparable to the 2021 crypto gaming project boom.CoinFund managing director David Pakman also believes that projects attempting to decentralize AI core architecture will struggle to challenge the positions of centralized giants like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Microsoft in the current cycle.The two venture capitalists noted a common issue in the crypto industry: "moving things that work well off-chain onto the chain often makes them worse." They pointed out that the greatest value of AI in the crypto space lies in enhancing development efficiency, as software development remains central to the crypto field. However, Pakman holds a relatively optimistic view on the future of AI agents, believing that cryptocurrency can provide an ideal payment infrastructure for AI agents.

ChainCatcher news, the game technology platform Playgama has completed a $3 million financing round, led by The Open Platform and s16vc, with participation from FJ Labs, The Games Fund, TON Ventures, and Unlimit founder and CEO Kirill Eves. Playgama's vision is to simplify the global distribution process of HTML5 games through a "universal key" approach, providing developers with an efficient and convenient way to reach all major platforms, languages, and markets, maximizing opportunities to engage diverse audiences.Currently, Playgama is building a comprehensive Platform as a Service (PaaS) ecosystem, with key features including a unified SDK, multi-channel access, quality assurance (QA) tools, 24/7 developer support, monetization, marketing, content management, and payment tools.Andrey Klebanov, Managing Partner of The Open Platform, stated in a statement: "Playgama's vision is to provide an end-to-end toolkit for HTML5 developers, which aligns perfectly with TOP's mission to provide scalable and accessible solutions for innovators. By supporting platforms like Playgama, we can help developers seamlessly publish their games as Telegram mini-apps and browser-based experiences. This approach not only simplifies distribution but also creates opportunities to explore fintech innovations, where cryptocurrency is a natural fit for game monetization and payments."

ChainCatcher news, Arthur Hayes stated in a podcast, "I will pay attention to meme coins, new Layer 1 blockchains, Layer 2 projects, NFTs, and the gaming sector, etc. Everyone knows that you can make quick money in a bull market, but the key is how to preserve those gains. If you earn some money that can change your life, then take out a portion to cash out."

ChainCatcher news, the blockchain-based iGaming platform BoxBet has completed financing led by CMCC Global. CMCC is a $500 million venture capital firm supported by the Winklevoss twins and Li Ka-shing's Horizons Ventures, which has previously funded key blockchain projects including Solana. BoxBet intends to use the new funds to expand its influence in regulated markets by obtaining licenses and scaling operations.

ChainCatcher news, according to Edaily, South Korea's two major gaming companies Nexon and Wemade have confirmed that they currently have no plans to profit from their holdings of Bitcoin.Nexon holds only 1,717 Bitcoins, with an average purchase price of $58,226 per coin. The company emphasizes that Bitcoin is regarded as an asset equivalent to cash and has no intention of engaging in short-term trading based on market fluctuations.Wemade holds 223 Bitcoins but has not disclosed its average purchase price. A representative from the company clarified that the purchase of Bitcoin is purely for investment purposes, and there are currently no plans to liquidate it. Both companies stated that they intend to hold Bitcoin as a long-term investment.

ChainCatcher news, according to official sources, Aethir GPU has generated cross-chain multifunctionality demands due to its cloud infrastructure expansion. Based on this, Aethir is collaborating with the full-chain solution LayerZero to help bring multi-chain functionality into the Aethir DePIN stack and assist Aethir in migrating to the Sophon ZK chain. LayerZero's full-chain technology will ensure the smooth transition of ATH token rewards for checking nodes and Aethir Edge operators from the Arbitrum L2 network to Sophon, while maintaining network stability and ensuring a frictionless experience for the Aethir community.In addition, Aethir will utilize the Stargate full-chain liquidity protocol for cross-bridging, allowing users to easily perform cross-chain exchanges of ATH tokens.

ChainCatcher news, DMM Crypto, the blockchain gaming and NFT division of the Japanese cryptocurrency exchange operator DMM, will shut down its Seamoon Protocol. The company announced that no new services will be added to the ecosystem, and future arrangements for existing services on the platform are under discussion. The Seamoon Protocol is supported by the SMP token in the DM2 Verse on the Oasys L2 blockchain. The Seamoon portal is a Web3 gaming and content site featuring games and anime produced by the Japanese e-commerce and internet group DMM.com.

ChainCatcher news, according to official sources, Solana's layer two gaming public chain Sonic SVM has announced that its Web3 application layer Sonic X has reached an important milestone of 1 million KYC certified users, highlighting Sonic's commitment to building a robust infrastructure and user-friendly distribution platform Sonic X, which enables TikTok users to easily engage with decentralized networks and explore blockchain-driven applications.Through the TikTok native game Sonic X built on Sonic SVM, users can easily discover and interact with various Web3 games, all within the familiar TikTok environment. The Sonic X team fully leverages account abstraction to create a seamless and simplified onboarding process for non-crypto native users. On the backend, a Solana wallet is automatically generated - but for users, they do not need to leave the TikTok app; they can simply log in with their TikTok account to play the games offered on Sonic X.It is reported that Sonic X is the first TikTok Web3 Applayer to go live, with unique features including a Web3 game aggregation page, an interactive leaderboard for Sonic X's flagship click-to-earn game, and a task page where users can complete activities to earn rewards.

ChainCatcher news, VanEck announced an investment in the Web3 gaming company Gunzilla, marking its second foray into this field with its crypto fund. Gunzilla is developing "Off The Grid," a cyberpunk shooting game. VanEck believes that blockchain brings transparency and player control to gaming, driving the development of the gaming economy.

ChainCatcher news, the UAE-based venture capital firm Quantix Capital is collaborating with Singapore's Tezos blockchain adoption center TZ APAC to promote game development on the Tezos platform.This collaboration includes a $1 million investment specifically to support emerging gaming projects on Tezos. The two companies will not only provide financial support but also offer networking resources and guidance through senior members of Quantix Capital and TZ APAC.Quantix Capital and TZ APAC stated that their goal is to drive the long-term growth of the Tezos ecosystem by providing developers with the necessary resources and guidance.