A surprise tour of Asia newcomers, but not China
3 innovation and digital news in 1 minute. Every Monday. Episode 318
News 1: Instant games and Meta as investor. Playco
Playco is a game editor company from Tokyo that develops games that can be played instantly by at least 2 players. Meaning, anyone can play a mobile game with someone else from anywhere on the planet. High profile founders like the former co-founder of Zynga, Justin Waldron. And $145m financing, with Meta as an investor. Opinion: Sway Stories is one of Playcos hit games — where one can experience how to become a TikTok star. All games, simple and on mobile web, can be played instantly. We tried: they really are seamless.
Meta as an investor, seldom enough!
News 2: VinFast — electric cars from Vietnam
VinFast is an electric car manufacturer from Vietnam (Vingroup conglomerate) is in the news with the first car deliveries in the US and hints on an IPO. It is also planning to open 25 stores in Germany and 20 in France. In fact, an opening is pending in Cologne and Paris. Opinion: A huge amount of work for VinFast: build a brand (visibility through showrooms), make all services accessible (it will be done via app and a tight repair and battery change network) and trust (TBD). But they have started — A flagship store is about to open in Berlin — at the heart of the leading German car industry (see pics).
A new actor, unexpectedly, from Vietnam.
News 3: Thirdverse among the lively Tokyo gaming sphere
Thirdverse is on the news with a recent new funding of $15m for a mix of metaverse game and NFT. A so-called web3 and virtual reality game studio that develops and operates multiplayer virtual reality games. Just named Gumi (Brave frontier) founder as CEO, Hironao Kunimitsu. And announced a partnership with Indian blockchain giant Polygon. Opinion: Tokyo is a thriving place for game studios. Nintendo is around the corner and a success in 2022 as ever. Thirdverse has specialised in sword games (Swords of Gargentua) and has an NFT game.
Among the crypto trouble, will there be a place for a mix of NFT and game?
