Dynamic experiences with major brands, artists and DJs fuel the renaissance of Sandbox.

Significant partnerships with luxury brands and entertainment icons and a focus on developing new experiences and events have helped Sandbox weather an extended cryptocurrency bear market.

Co-founder Sebastien Bourget and CEO Arthur Madrid spoke exclusively to Cointelegraph at NFT Paris about the metaverse platform's native token, new partnerships like Gucci and Lacoste, and its long-term goals to stay in the home of virtual experiences. Web 3 location.

“People are happy to say the Metaverse is dead, but it's definitely not for us. For Facebook, no. If you listen to Tim Sweeney at Epic, he's also very good at Metaverse. Our alignment with crypto, NFTs and cryptocurrencies still makes a lot of sense,” Madrid explained.

A recent report published by cryptocurrency market intelligence firm Messari highlights the renewed interest in the platform and the SAND token. The native token's circulation market value increased by 89% from $649 million to $1.2 billion in Q4 2023, surpassing the total market value of all cryptocurrencies in the same quarter.

Meanwhile, activities including the creation and trading of in-game assets and experiences have increased significantly, not including Sandbox LAND sales. Average daily non-LAND buyers increased 73%, non-LAND mints increased 233%, daily average non-LAND secondary sales and daily average non-LAND secondary volume increased 173% and 78% in Q4.

The sandbox has forged new partnerships with luxury brands and companies such as Warner Music Group and its iconic Big Icon Collection, Japanese software developer Dracom and Singaporean media giant Congress Media Corp.

Eye on new markets

Borget said the company has a history of building in the depths of cryptocurrency bear markets. Sandbox was born in 2018 when Bitcoin (BTC) and cryptocurrencies crashed at the end of 2017's market peak.

We've tried to ship product updates first and focus on the creator to enable them to create new content experiences. Last year we rolled out some major updates, including the opening of print on the map, and we have thousands of live and playable experiences,” Bourget said.

Related: Metaverse is dead in the West, but ‘very hot' in Asia: Sandbox co-founder

The co-founder added that the sale of in-game assets, including wearables and other non-perishable tokens (NFTs), is not an indicator of activity or platform growth:

It does not mean that people always have to buy NFTs for a platform to be active. I think that's what a bear market doesn't really capture.

Bourget Sandbox has been focusing on Asian markets with creators, companies and brands. Audiences in these regions are “more receptive” to Borget and Madrid's visions of Web3 and Metaverse.

“Turkey, Thailand, Singapore, Korea, Japan, Hong Kong and India are drivers for the growth of the sandbox even during the bear market, and we were able to sell all the land sales,” said Borget.

Sandbox By 2023, it has completed eight initial LAND sales, from which the company will retain revenue, and launched 17 prototype collections. Borget says most of these sales have sold out, indicating continued demand for dynamic experiences for creators and gamers alike.

Long term plans

The timing of the resurgence is positive, but Madrid believes that alternative platforms such as The Sandbox and Decentraland, which are part of Animoca's brand blockchain portfolio, are developing a “fantastic ecosystem” around indigenous tokens:

We're building a strong ecosystem around SAND with thousands of games built using our tools.

Madrid adds that popular Web2 games like World of Warcraft, Fortnite and Roblox are living proof that successful virtual worlds have a longevity spanning decades.

“Besides being Web3 and being associated with digital ownership, it gives us a lot of optimism and certainty about our success. We're also a big company. We've done several equity rounds, we have strong cash flow. We're building plans until 2035,” Madrid said.

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The co-founder added that their focus on working with brands, artists, musicians and creators has had a huge impact on Sandbox's success. He argues that the Web2 giants' metaverse experiences, such as Roblox and Meta's Meta, are inferior when compared to the resources they command, especially the narratives presented to users.

The platform has worked directly with household names such as Snoop Dogg, DJs Steve Aoki, Deadmau5 and BLOND:ISH and skateboarding icon Tony Hawk to create experiences for fans. Meanwhile, he collaborates with brands such as Adidas

At the same time, Madrid said the company will work with companies like Adidas to build experiences like “Adidas Land” by offering SAND rewards to users. This also shows the interest and creativity of these companies' Web3 user base.

“I think what makes Sandbox unique is the narrative. We have a great narrative team and enjoy working with artists. People like Steve Aoki and Jamiroquai tell us that even though we're just a start, we go deep in terms of emotion and experience.

Sandbox has a total of 12 offices worldwide, including two locations in Paris and centers in Latin America, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Seoul. The company employs about 350 people, with more than half of the team responsible for building the technology and tools used to create experiences within the Metaverse platform.

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