HONG KONG – April 15th, 2021 –The Sandbox,a leading decentralized gaming virtual world anda subsidiary ofAnimoca Brands, announced today it will launch the Shaun the Sheep® NFT collection, “Shaun the Sheep Heroes”, on April 20th at 1 p.m. (UTC). The collection will enable creators and players ofThe Sandboxto use six Shaun the Sheep characters within its gaming virtual world. A limited run of 831 Shaun the Sheep NFTs will be available for direct purchase onwww.sandbox.game/shopwith payment exclusively in SAND, the utility token ofThe Sandbox. Among the six Shaun The Sheep characters available as NFTs, the rarest piece will feature a unique Super Shaun to be sold at auction on OpenSea for 24 hours only.
You can watch a preview of the Shaun the Sheep NFTs in action athttps://youtu.be/f_JClRUB8h8
Game creators inThe Sandboxwill be able to use the Shaun the Sheep NFTs withinThe SandboxGame Maker beta version to begin creating their own stories and adventures featuring the characters of the globally famous family-favourite TV series. Players will be able to use these six ‘Super Sheep’ NFT characters inThe SandboxGame Maker, allowing them to create their own adventures, stories, and games and publish their creations onThe Sandbox’s open metaverse – no coding or programming skills required.
The ‘Super Sheep’ appeared in episode three ofShaun the Sheep Season 6: Adventures from Mossy Bottomand expanded Shaun’s world with the drama and excitement of the superhero genre. The episode tells the tale of how the animals of Mossy Bottom Farm are subjected to bullying by the pigs until a costumed superhero appears. In true Shaun the Sheep style, the character’s new ‘super powers’ aren’t quite as sophisticated as you would imagine: dressed in a costume last seen on the washing line and wielding a borrowed leaf blower, the 'Super Sheep' restores peace to the farm... until the pigs discover his true identity.
The Shaun the Sheep NFTs will be available in varying rarity and scarcity and purchasable exclusively using SAND tokens. The use of blockchain technology and, specifically, NFTs allow owners of these playable digital collectibles to have transparent and independently verifiable proof of scarcity and ownership.
Following this sale,The SandboxNFT Marketplace will continue featuring collectible digital assets from major brands and IPs, as well as from creators from its community, including featured and time-limited sales.
The Sandboxis building a unique virtual world where players can build, own, and monetize their gaming experiences using NFTs (non-fungible tokens) and SAND, the main utility token of the platform that serves as the basis of transactions and interactions. InThe Sandbox, players create digital assets in the form of NFTs, upload them to the marketplace, and integrate them into games using the #nocode Game Maker.
“Who could imagine that a humble sheep would be a pioneer as the first virtual character turned into an NFT inThe Sandboxgaming virtual world?” said Sebastien Borget, COO & Co-Founder ofThe Sandbox.“It is our pleasure to work with Aardman to empower the creators on our gaming platform to play, create, and engage with Shaun the Sheep through these branded and exclusive NFTs that anyone can now acquire on our Marketplace with this first exclusive sale.”
Adam Vincent-Garland, Category Manager - Interactive at Aardman said, “Shaun the Sheep recently celebrated his 25th anniversary and has become a global character brand loved by millions of people around the world. Here at Aardman we are always looking for innovative ways to reach our audiences and tell engaging stories, so we are excited to work with a platform that empowers its users to craft their own virtual worlds and create unique adventures likeThe Sandbox. We are very proud to not only be the first Sheep to enter the metaverse but also one of the first licensed characters!”
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.The Sandboxhas partnered with major IPs and brands including Atari, Rollercoaster Tycoon, Care Bears, The Smurfs, Shaun the Sheep, and Binance. Building on existingThe SandboxIP that has more than 40 million global installs on mobile, The Sandbox NFT Metaverse will offer players and creators a decentralized and intuitive platform to create immersive 3D worlds and game experiences and to safely store, trade, and monetize creations through blockchain. For more information, please visitwww.sandbox.gameand follow the regular updates onTwitter,Mediumand**.
About Animoca Brands
Animoca Brands is a leader in the field of digital entertainment, specializing in blockchain, gamification, and artificial intelligence technologies to develop and publish a broad portfolio of products including theREVV tokenandSAND token; original games includingThe Sandbox,Crazy Kings, andCrazy Defense Heroes; and products utilizing popular intellectual properties including Formula 1®, Marvel, WWE, Power Rangers, MotoGP™, and Doraemon. Animoca Brands’ portfolio of blockchain investments and partnerships includes Sky Mavis (Axie Infinity), Dapper Labs (CryptoKittiesandNBA Top Shot), OpenSea, Harmony, Bitski, and Alien Worlds. Subsidiaries includeThe Sandbox, Quidd, Gamee, nWay, Pixowl, and Lympo. For more information visitwww.animocabrands.comor get updates by following Animoca Brands onFacebookorTwitter.
About Aardman
Aardman, based in Bristol (UK) and co-founded in 1976 by Peter Lord and David Sproxton, is an independent and multi-award-winning studio. It produces feature films, series, advertising, games and interactive entertainment – such as the ‘visually astonishing’ (Guardian), BAFTA® nominated console game,11-11: Memories Retold, and the four-times Gold Cannes Lions-winningStorySignapp – and innovative attractions for both the domestic and international market, including a new4D theatre attractionat Efteling in the Netherlands.
Its productions are global in appeal, novel, entertaining, brilliantly characterised and full of charm reflecting the unique talent, energy and personal commitment of the Aardman team. The studio’s work – which includes the creation of much-loved characters includingWallace & Gromit,Shaun the Sheep,Timmy TimeandMorph– is often imitated, and yet the company continues to lead the field producing a rare brand of visually stunning content for cinema, broadcasters, digital platforms and live experiences around the world. The studio runs theAardman Academywhich has a commitment to nurturing talent by delivering excellence in film and animation training and mentoring. The Aardman Academy offers a variety of courses from intensive one-day workshops teaching production skills and storyboarding, to comprehensive twelve-week courses for professionals in craft based subjects from model making to animation. In November 2018 it became an Employee Owned Organisation, to ensure Aardman remains independent and to secure the creative legacy and culture of the company for many decades to come.www.aardman.com
About Shaun the Sheep
Shaun the Sheep, Aardman’s family favourite TV series, is recognised the world over for its slapstick humour, distinctive look and strong, quirky characters and enjoyed across multiple media platforms. First appearing in Nick Park’s 1995 Academy Award® winning Wallace & Gromit ‘A Close Shave’, Shaun then went on to star in his own series, created by Richard Starzak which launched on BBC One in 2007. Shaun the Sheep is currently broadcast in 170 territories around the world and is an internationally celebrated icon with over 5.6 million fans on Facebook. In 2015 the first Shaun the Sheep Movie with feature film partner Studiocanal was released around the world to critical acclaim and the first half hour TV special aired as part of many broadcaster’s festive season., The feature film sequel Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon was released in October 2019 closely followed by a sixth season of the series in 2020. A new festive special is currently in production due for release late in 2021. |
