Animoca Brands to Develop Blockchain-Based MotoGP Manager Game

Blockchain and artificial intelligence firm Animoca Brands Corporation Limited has entered into a partnership with sports management company Dorna Sports, S.L. to develop a blockchain-based MotoGP manager game.

Per a press release shared with Cointelegraph on Sept. 26, Animoca Brands completed a strategic capital raise of A$1 million ($677,600) from a group of investors, including Moses Tang, the founder of AP Capital and founding chairman of Goldman Sachs Asia Pacific. The company is planning to allocate part of the funds to advancing the manager game.

Make it to the 2020 MotoGP racing season

The release says that Animoca Brands determined the target date of the 2020 MotoGP racing season to launch the game, and further details:

“Animoca Brands will produce a “manager” style game based on MotoGP intellectual property that will consist of a selection of Collectibles linked directly to the core gameplay; the Manager Game will utilise blockchain technologies and custom-developed smart contracts to enable users to purchase, collect, view, use, and transfer the Collectibles that will be part of the gameplay.”

As part of the agreement, the game is set to be released on various platforms, including  mobile devices, PC, Mac, Web and game consoles.

Bringing blockchain into the video game world

Companies have been actively experimenting with blockchain technology in the video game world. Most recently, Naspers, the largest shareholder of Chinese Internet giant Tencent, participated in a $15 million investment in blockchain game developer Immutable.

On Sept. 17, the Worldwide Asset eXchange (WAX) revealed that one of the largest decentralized apps in the world, online real-time economic strategy game Prospectors, was launching on the WAX blockchain.

Also this month, open-source blockchain platform Waves and blockchain game distribution platform The Abyss announced plans to launch a blockchain-based marketplace of digital goods and in-game items.