People of Crypto Lab (POC) And The Sandbox to Debut the First-Ever Metaverse Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity Hub, The Valley of Belonging, During Pride Month

The innovation lab aims to onboard the next wave of consumers by bridging culture and crypto, introducing the first #MetaPride in collaboration with NYX Professional Makeup

NEW YORK & PARIS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The Sandbox, a leading decentralized gaming metaverse and subsidiary of Animoca Brands, will collaborate with newly launched People of Crypto Lab (POC) on the Valley of Belonging, the first-ever diversity, equity, and inclusivity hub in the metaverse. The new hub will launch 24 June 2022 during a special Belonging Week event where The Sandbox will open ahead of its Alpha Season 3 to celebrate our differences, boldy reaffirming the importance of an equitable Web3. POC aims to build a ‘cultureverse’ while investing in and amplifying creators and communities with diverse stories, teams, and projects that represent black and brown women, people of color, and LGBTQIA+ creators, developers, and brands.

POC will onboard brands to build metaverse projects and movements driving cultural awareness and education. In a metaverse first, global cosmetics powerhouse, NYX Professional Makeup, will be the first cosmetics brand to integrate into The Sandbox and kick off a new wave of consumer onboarding and education in Web3 via #MetaPride. NYX Cosmetics and POC Lab will celebrate Pride Month, highlighting that makeup has no gender via a non-binary NFT avatar collection featuring voxelized makeup looks for each group represented in the Progress Pride flag. The 8,430 avatar NFT drop, which will mint on 17 June, is representative of the estimated 84.3% global majority population of communities of color & LGBTQIA+. In one of the most diverse collections available, avatar traits will incorporate over 36 skin shades, every ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gender identification, celebrating our differences ranging from different abilities like prosthetic limbs to cultural identifiers like the hijab. NYX Professional Makeup is donating 100% of its proceeds from the sale of the avatar NFTs to the Los Angeles LGBT Center, amounting to $50,000.

“Given the current climate of rising discrimation against LGBTQIA+ and other minorities, there has never been a more important time to build a safe space that welcomes all,” said gay and South Asian POC Lab co-founder, Akbar Hamid. “As someone who has had to hide my real identity, I want to help build Web3 to allow marginalized communities to feel represented and not left behind. We are proud to have NYX Cosmetics as a partner that shares our mission.”

Designed by top game developer Hermit Crab Studio, POC brings imagination, wonder, creativity, and freedom of self expression to its magical reinterpretation of a diversity, equity, and inclusivity center as a colorful ‘Valley of Belonging’. Visitors are free to be whomever they choose, access a safe space, and celebrate pride 365 days a year, no matter where they may be located in the world. POC Lab will feature Drag Queen non-player characters (NPCs) as well as NPCs in wheelchairs guiding players through the game experience.

“We believe that Web3 can only scale if diversity and inclusion are rooted in the foundation of what is being built. Black and brown women, people of color, and LGBTQIA+ have an immense combined spending power and unprecedented cultural influence,” said black and neurodiverse co-founder of POC Lab, Simone Berry. “Culture drives commerce, which is why we need to actively educate and onboard these communities in order to ensure an equitable, profitable future for Web3.”

“Our vision for The Sandbox metaverse is to create a continuous shared digital space where worlds and brands collide to make rainbow-colored magic in which everyone is invited to participate, engage, create, and play,” said Sebastien Borget, COO and co-founder of The Sandbox. “Diversity, equity, and inclusion are essential in a truly open metaverse. We’re proud to work with POC Lab to bring #MetaPride to life. Rather than replicating the biases and inequality of the real world, the metaverse must break barriers and forge an inclusive, welcoming global community.”

The Sandbox ‘Belonging Week’ includes additional communities celebrating pride including MetaPride Land, World of Women (WoW), Blond:ish, and more.

Link to press assets including in-game images, video trailer and avatar imagery.

About People of Crypto Lab

People of Crypto Lab (POC) is a creative and innovation hub dedicated to increasing diversity, participation, and representation in Web3 with the mission to build the metaversal blueprint for inclusion and empower black and brown women, BIPOC, LGBTQIA+ and the differently abled. POC firmly believes that Web3 can only scale if diversity and inclusion are rooted in the foundation of what is being built. POC strives to remain blockchain agnostic and create unbiased use cases for multi-chain interoperability. POC Lab is founded by leading Web3 creative communications strategist and gay South Asian Muslim, Akbar Hamid, and black and neurodiverse Web3 degen and former fashion product designer, Simone Berry. Key advisors include leaders from The Sandbox, Animoca Brands, Polygon Studios, WAX, Borderless Capital, Deadfellaz and more. People of Crypto Lab is committed to improving society through crypto activism, representation, and equal opportunities for all. For more information, please visit https://www.peopleofcrypto.io/ and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Discord.

About The Sandbox

The Sandbox, a subsidiary of Animoca Brands, is one of the decentralized virtual worlds that has been fueling the recent growth of virtual real estate demand through partnerships with major IPs and brands including Warner Music Group, Ubisoft, The Rabbids, Gucci Vault, The Walking Dead, Snoop Dogg, Adidas, Deadmau5, Steve Aoki, Richie Hawtin, The Smurfs, Care Bears, Atari, ZEPETO, CryptoKitties, and more. Building on existing IP with over 40 million global installs on mobile, The Sandbox metaverse offers players and creators a decentralized and intuitive platform to create immersive 3D worlds and game experiences and to safely store, trade, and monetize their creations. For more information, please visit www.sandbox.game and follow the regular updates on Twitter, Medium, and Discord.

About Animoca Brands

Animoca Brands, a Deloitte Tech Fast winner and ranked in the Financial Times list of High Growth Companies Asia-Pacific 2021, is a leader in digital entertainment, blockchain, and gamification that is working to advance digital property rights. It develops and publishes a broad portfolio of products including the REVV token and SAND token; original games including The Sandbox, Crazy Kings, and Crazy Defense Heroes; and products utilizing popular intellectual properties including Disney, WWE, Snoop Dogg, The Walking Dead, Power Rangers, MotoGP™, and Formula E. The company has multiple subsidiaries, including The Sandbox, Blowfish Studios, Quidd, GAMEE, nWay, Pixowl, Forj, Lympo, Grease Monkey Games, and Eden Games. Animoca Brands has a growing portfolio of more than 200 investments in NFT-related companies and decentralized projects that are contributing to building the open metaverse, including Axie Infinity, OpenSea, Dapper Labs (NBA Top Shot), Yield Guild Games, Harmony, Alien Worlds, Star Atlas, and others. For more information visit www.animocabrands.com or follow on Twitter or Facebook.

About NYX Professional Makeup

NYX Professional Makeup is a modern, digitally native makeup brand on the forefront of today’s emerging beauty trends. A leader in the global color cosmetics industry, NYX Professional Makeup is an affordable professional makeup line with every shade, color and tool needed to create makeup artistry at every level. Rooted in a professional artistry heritage, NYX Professional Makeup boasts a successful multi-channel approach at the forefront of digital and retail. A social media pioneer, NYX Professional Makeup is one of the most influential and top-ranked brands, and is followed by top beauty vloggers, Instagram stars, and their millions of fans. While headquartered in the heart of Los Angeles, NYX Professional Makeup is a global brand available in more than 70 countries at thousands of retailers consisting of specialty beauty and fashion stores, freestanding shops and beauty supply stores, as well as on www.nyxcosmetics.com.

About Hermit Crab Game Studio

Hermit Crab is a Brazilian game studio that develops immersive experiences in games for major world-class sports brands. Building gaming worlds since 2016, Hermit Crab collaborates with brands including Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal FC, Manchester City, Benfica, and others to new audiences, globally. With a strong presence on game platforms in the metaverse like The Sandbox, our studio brings unique IPs and communities to these platforms focusing on delivering value and responsible entertainment. Get to know us on social media: @hermitcrabstudio.

Contacts

Press
Shirley Cedeno, Account Executive

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