Blockchain-based decentralized metaverse The Sandbox performed the first real, hybrid digital wedding on its own metaverse.
The bride and groom, Singaporean couple Gwan Tham and Clarence Chan, CEO of music company Bandwagon, celebrated their nuptials on Saturday in a ’70s-themed wedding that took place in a digital replica of Singapore’s famous Alcave Palace.
While the pair were physically present in a real hotel setting along with some guests, the digital avatars were also present in The Sandbox metaverse and could be seen by guests who joined remotely. The event was moderated by Sebastien Borget, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of The Sandbox, in the form of a digital avatar.
After their first virtual kiss as husband and wife, the couple exited the Metaverse to continue their celebrations offline.
The wedding was the result of a collaboration between 1-Group, Smobler Studios, and The Sandbox, with design agency Web3 Smobler Studios recreating Alkaff Mansion and its signature architecture in The Sandbox. 1-The group runs the counterpart of the mansion in the real world.
Looking forward to the NFT auction
Hollywood star Javier Bardem is set to donate a close-up of his iris via an NFT as part of a fundraising campaign aimed at restoring sight to people in the developing world.
A celebrated Spanish actor and director, Bardem is best known for roles spanning a 30-year career, including Dune, James Bond Skyfall and his award-winning performance in No Country for Old Men.
A portrait of his eye is set to be auctioned by Ojos del Mundo (The Eyes of the World Foundation) on September 29, with a starting price of $9,027, or €9,000. The digital image will come in the form of a non-fungible token (NFT), and will also come with a photo print signed and customized by the actor themselves.
Part of the group’s new fundraiser, Iris of the World, the Eyes of the World Foundation hopes to raise enough money to expand “lines of work and/or promote new projects in desert camps, Mozambique, Bolivia or Mali.”
“I am delighted to be collaborating with Irises del mundo by donating an image of my irises for auction and continuing to assist the foundation’s collaboration on avoidable blindness,” Bardem said in a statement.
Javier Bardem is the first celebrity to support the initiative by “donating” his irises, but the group has teased other auctions at some point in the future without revealing specific names.
NFTs are set to be a “hole-in-one”
PGA TOUR, which operates a series of men’s golf tournaments in the US and North America, has partnered with NFT marketplace Autograph to create a golf-based NFT platform.
Set for release sometime in 2023, the deal will allow golf fans to purchase digital content featuring their favorite players, archive moments and the current FedExCup season.
PGA TOUR NFT collectors will also have the opportunity to access exclusive digital, in-person and on-site experiences.
The PGA Tour’s chief legal officer, Lynn Brown, said the latest partnership aims to engage fans and bring them closer to the game and their favorite players.
Autograph is an NFT marketplace co-founded by NFL quarterback Tom Brady that also featured the NFT collections of top-ranked tennis professional Rafael Nadal and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Indianapolis 500 collection.
Related: NFTs Will Bring Crypto to Billions of Users, VC Investor Explains
The PGA is joining other major sports leagues with inking deals to enter the Web3 space.
The NFL and National Basketball Association (NBA) both have longstanding deals with Flow blockchain creator Dapper Labs, and Major League Baseball (MLB) has an NFT partnership with Candy Digital.
Palm Beach gets its own restaurant NFT
Downtown West Palm Beach, Florida has become home to a new NFT restaurant, the Vinyl Fish Club (VFC).
Using blockchain technology, the restaurant uses NFTs as membership tokens for diners to access special events inside and outside the building, as well as a concierge service.
Membership also gives access to a private menu, whiskey tastings, and VFC’s private room for after-hours cocktails and tastings.
The tokens are trading at a price lower than one ether
ETH
pointers down
$1,273
, with a total of 50 available.
The restaurant is open to the public, but VFC says they will prioritize members when it comes to seating.
More neat news:
Although Minecraft creator Mojang Studios is against the integration of NFTs, a company focused on the metaverse has managed to introduce NFTs into several games including their own Minecraft server.
Japanese gaming giants are moving towards mainstream blockchain adoption, despite potential backlash from the gaming community.
