It goes without saying that 2021 has been a tremendous year of
growth for the Upland metaverse. Our player base has grown
significantly, marketplace activity is higher than ever before, and
we’ve launched a wealth of new features and activities for the
community. However, there’s still tons of work to be done, and we’re
incredibly excited about what the future holds.
You may have noticed that our website
Roadmap recently
received a bit of a facelift. Our goal was to better-set
expectations about what we’re currently working on, and what our
objectives are for the future. Please keep in mind that our Roadmap
is under constant development, so the targets listed may change from
time to time.
Today, we’d like to share some additional details about what we’ve been up to over the past several months, as well as what players can look forward to for the remainder of 2021. Following today’s update, we will be hosting an AMA featuring co-founders Dirk Lueth and Idan Zuckerman to provide more context on the recent Roadmap developments and to answer any questions the community may have. The AMA will take place next Wednesday, November 24th, at 11:00 AM PT on YouTube.
2021 Highlights
This year has been nothing short of insane. We’re seen tremendous
user growth and activity and have hit on some key milestones for the
development of the metaverse.
Toward the end of May, we began to greatly expand the
Property-to-USD Program (now NFT-to-USD) with our partners at Tilia,
and have since allowed thousands of players to extract real-world
value from their in-game assets. Most recently, we have expanded the
program to
automatically add all players who are Uplanders and above! To date, players have earned
over $1.8M USD since the program went live.
Back in June, we
launched the Spark Token
and introduced Property Development into the metaverse, allowing
players to construct building NFTs on top of their owned properties.
Since then, players have constructed thousands of buildings across
the metaverse which are primed for future use as Metaventures,
Player Homes, Galleries, and more!
In August, we took the first steps towards launching
the NFT Portal, which will enable players to port their gaming assets both in and
out of the Upland metaverse. Currently, in Beta, the NFT Portal will
be expanded to support multiple blockchains and asset types.
In September, we announced our
collaboration with the NFLPA
to introduce the likeness of over 2,000 football into the Upland
metaverse. Players can now acquire a brand new class of NFTs known
as “Upland Legits” from their favorite football players exclusively
in Upland.
Later, in October, we followed this up with a collaboration with Spirit Halloween to introduce a variety of wonderfully spooky NFTs, allowing us to introduce yet another class of NFT, the Structure Ornament.
Already this month, we’ve announced our
Series A Fundraise
of $18M USD, deployed
UNFT Swaps
to allow players to exchange their NFT goods in-app, have launched
our new
Marketplace Analytics, and have detailed future plans for
City Tiers,
Metaventures, and more!
Additional Highlights
All this and so much more. We are incredibly thankful to work with such a passionate and engaged community, and while we are excited about our progress, there is much work to be done… So, on to Q4!
What We’re Working on in the Remainder of Q4
The following projects are currently in development, some of these items will be delivered in Q4, while others will likely be delivered in Q1 of 2022…
UNFT Swaps (In-Progress)
UNFT (Upland NFTs) Swaps enable the exchange of digital goods between players. Players can trade any 1 NFT for any other NFT, including Legits, Ornaments, and Block Explorers (coming soon). This allows players to leverage a greater part of their NFT portfolio to create unique and interesting trades with other Uplanders.
Property Collection Updates
Property Collections have not changed for quite some time, meaning that some mechanics are a bit outdated, such as the chips that appear on Block Explorers. There are a variety of planned improvements that will create a better user experience, both visually and mechanically. Among these improvements are a new visual representation of the profile chips, new collection bonus requirements, and new leaderboards to highlight progress. Updates to Property Collections likely won’t be delivered until next year, but development will be started in Q4.
Block Explorer Shops Beta
Metaventures (previously player-owned businesses) are a core
component for the development of the metaverse economy and will
enable players to leverage their assets for the opportunity to earn
UPX and USD. The first iteration of Metaventures will be Block
Explorer Shops. Shops will be entirely player-run and will be
subject to the Venture Dues model (after the Beta is complete),
which is a variable fee on businesses to encourage competition and
promote diversity of businesses; this will be implemented after a
period of testing and observation.
Eventually, any player will be able to open a business, so long as they are committed to the sustained growth of that business. Long-term, the Venture Dues model will ensure that business owners must stay active participants of the open marketplace, as inactive businesses will likely be pushed out due to the inability to pay their fees. Players will be free to sell their own Block Explorers or list them on behalf of other Uplanders in exchange for a commission. This development creates an exciting new opportunity to earn in the metaverse and is a critical component of the growth of the Upland economy.
NFLPA Memento Primary Markets
NFLPA Memento Primary Markets introduces location-based minting events to the Upland metaverse. This means that players can travel to football Stadiums across the metaverse to register for an opportunity to mint the rarest and most exclusive NFLPA Legits. Players can register for the team of their choice and will be placed into a queue among other registered participants. All players will always have a slim chance of being selected to mint the Memento of their choice, however, players can boost their odds by building up their Fan Scores. All NFLPA Legits have Fan Points assigned to them which depends on the player, Legit type, and which games Mementos are from. Fan Points can also be boosted by placing Legits into collections.
NFLPA Essentials Primary Markets
NFLPA Essentials Primary Markets introduces the ability to purchase Essentials in team stadiums across the metaverse. Essentials are common-rarity items that are not limited by mint number, but rather by season. Once Essential Primary markets go live, players will be able to visit any stadium during the season to mint an Essential for the player of their choice. Later down the line, players will be able to burn their essentials to create Replicas of rare Mementos.
NFT Portal (Reclaim Uploads)
Earlier this year, we went into Beta for the NFT Portal feature, allowing players to import select assets from the WAX blockchain directly into the Upland metaverse. Reclaim Uploads allows players to export these assets back to the blockchain of origin. Soon, this program will expand to bridge Upland to multiple popular blockchains in the crypto ecosystem.
Meta Car Designs
Designs for the META car brand are the first step towards launching a suite of NFT cars to be introduced into the Upland metaverse. Cars will enable new modes of travel, new businesses, and a wealth of other games and activities.
Developer Relations Team Setup
3rd Party Developer relations is a crucial step towards evolving the metaverse, allowing users to create, build, and impact the world in completely new and unique ways. The Developer Relations team will be a critical step forward in bringing this program to life. Expect to see additional developments in the coming months about how to apply as a 3rd party developer, and what to expect as a member of this innovative program.
Closing Thoughts
Our goals for the remainder of 2021 are ambitious, but we are eager for the challenge ahead. Thank you all for being integral members of the Upland community, we look forward to creating a better metaverse for all!
