ONE Championship, a mixed martial arts (MMA) brand from Singapore, has partnered with Animoca Brands’ company Notre Dame to develop an NFT-based MMA fighting game.
‘ONE Fight Arena,’ as the game is being called, is set to launch in the first quarter of 2024, with early testing slated for later this year. According to the company’s website, players will be able to choose from 20+ ONE championship fighters and challenge opponents in strategic MMA contests.
In the game, MMA athletes will be represented as non-fungible linked to statistics and character rarity scores. There will be a focus on strategic game play with a first-person point of view. The game will also simulate individual fighter’s experiences, following them throughout their careers.
For MMA fans who are not interested in the Web3 side of things, there will be a free-to-play mobile game option with no NFT elements.
ONE Championship’s co-founder and Group President Hua Fung Teh said the company was excited to work with Animoca Brands, a leader in the industry, to launch its “first Web3-enhanced video game.” He added that the partnership will allow ONE Championship to engage more deeply with its global fanbase.
ONE Championship is a combat sports promotion company that features events in mixed martial arts competitions in kickboxing, Muay Thai, submission grappling, and Lethwei. It is currently Asia’s largest MMA promotion company and was on Nielsen’s list of the world’s top 10 biggest sports media properties in regard to engagement and viewership.
The move comes as Asia is transforming into a major producer of and market for Web3 games. Acording to a report from DappRadar this month, Asia could dominate 80% of the Web3 gaming market in the years to come.
No more details about ONE Fight Arena have been released, but fans can join the community via Discord through the company’s website for updates.
Combat Sports’ Stars and Companies Are Bullish on Web3
The announcement from ONE Championship to enter Web3 is exciting for fans of MMA and NFT gaming. But ONE Championship isn’t the only combat sports company we’ve seen enter the space this year. At Rarity Sniper, we’ve covered several articles about combat sports in Web3. Here are the top three.
First, on December 13th, Manny Pacquiao signed an agreement to become an ambassador and honorary chairman of two NFT companies: NFT One and START Inc. Considered to be one of the best boxers to ever fight, the move puts a recognizable face behind two companies committed to Web3 and NFT innovation around Asia and the Pacific.
Next, six months ago, the Professional Fighters League (PFL) announced it had partnered with NFT platform SportsIcon to create the “PFL Metaverse.” The PFL is an MMA league with a regular season, playoffs, and championship where the winner receives a 1 million dollar prize. It’s one of the fastest growing leagues in the world.
Finally, about a year ago, DraftKings teamed up with the UFC to release a series of NFTs called “Reignmakers.” The non-fungible tokens enable users to play fantasy sports, win prizes, and place bets.
We’ll have to be patient to see if ONE Championship’s new NFT-based fighting game is a knockout with fans. But the news shows another major combat sports company is bullish on Web3 technology. At Rarity Sniper, we’ll be on the lookout for developing news.
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