The popular blockchain gaming company, The Sandbox, has joined forces with TIMEpieces, the NFT arm of TIME Magazine. According to the announcement, the partnership’s goal is to reimagine Times Square, the iconic New York City landmark, as a virtual hub for commerce and art in the Metaverse. To consolidate this collaboration, TIME acquired land in The Sandbox. This newly acquired land will house the virtual TIME Square landmark and serve as the platform’s space for virtual experiences as TIMEPieces holders would be able to attend exclusive meetings on the land.
Although TIME agreed to produce Metaverse-related content in its partnership with Galaxy Digital, this is the Magazine’s first big foray into the metaverse space. Keith A. Grossman, the President of TIME, has tagged the project as a “natural bridge” that will bring together TIME’s virtual community, global relationships, real-life events, and historical coverage.
During The Sandbox event at NFT.NYC Grossman stated, “Our goal is to create a destination that will be the heart of the Metaverse. Since launching TIMEPieces in September 2021, we have focused on developing a community in Web3 that benefited from the incredible 100-year legacy and access TIME has established.”
Grossman also made an open call for architects who could design the TIME Square location on the Metaverse. The project, which is inspired by the visual spirit and high energy of the iconic neighborhood, the upcoming TIME Square virtual location is about to be TIME’s first-ever metaverse location. The objective is to capture the original Times Square location in NYC and reinterpret it for the Metaverse.
The Sandbox’s blockchain platform has helped many leading brands to enter the Metaverse, such as financial giants HSBC and Standard Chartered Bank. It also reached an agreement with K-pop music by partnering with Cube Entertainment.
When asked about the partnership, Sebastian Borget, Sandbox COO and Co-founder said, “By partnering with TIME, we’re adding TIMEPieces as the beating heart and soul of this virtual Manhattan, where a design call for virtual architects will be held in TIME Square, a place in our creative metaverse for brands and creators.”
Featured Image: Megapixl © Marchmeena
