In this issue:

• This Week in Neo Tokyo: If You Come for the King, You Best Not Miss (by PhoenixxDown)

• Castle of Blackwater: Where Trust is a Luxury and Deception is Currency (by Flower83)

• The Invisible Battle: Web2 Giants Entering the Web3 Arena (by Koko)

• Meet Your Neo Tokyo Community Leads: Mr. Builder (by Block Editor)

This week witnessed the arrival of yet another major player in the space joining The Citadel: Entangle. Described as The Omnichain Blockchain Infrastructure, it consists of core primitives and tools that unify the blockchain ecosystem while delivering universal Web2 or Web3 data to smart contracts on any chain. Let's give them a warm welcome on their upload post.

The latest Gold Citizen Partner was announced, and it’s one we at Neo Tokyo News are on familiar terms with - the team at Node Runners! Node Runners is free to play and accessible via web browser with an anticipated release of Q2 2024.

How do you, dear citizen, benefit from this? You can read Chr0nicle’s announcement in full here.

The partnerships didn't stop there. Firestorm dropped news of a strategic team-up with Shrapnel–and citizens are in for an airdrop: the Neon Citadel Legendary shotgun. With this news, Neo Tokyo IP is now present in over 20 Web3 gaming titles. We’ve said it once, and we’ll keep on saying it - we're the cabal now. Read all about how to claim here.

In the latest episode of Degen Digest, we were treated to insightful commentary from our trio on navigating the highs and lows of the current market. The recent presale meta was covered, along with coverage on the BTC drop, and, importantly, a mental health check on overcoming the stresses of FOMO.

Is there someone you think would be perfect to guest star on the show with Shamsi, ButWouldYa, and Gong Man ZeHI? Let them know here.

This week's star of Meet Your Citizens, hosted by the omnipresent Block Editor, was Metro–one half of the dynamic duo that is MintDefense. The discussion goes into Metro’s background in real estate, his role in MD, and his insights into the future of web3 security.

Not so fun fact: MintDefense recently came under attack by a bot army, retweeting, liking, and commenting in their thousands around the time this interview was released. Even citizens who were commenting on MintDefense's posts took strays and were targeted by the attack. It’s since come to light that MintDefense knows who the culprits behind it were, and shockingly, it appears to be from one of the most famous web3 security competitors of theirs.

We’ll have more on that development as and when it occurs. If you come for the king, you best not miss.

NFT Market Monday featured topics such as the $BOME presale and the mania that kicked off, an AI narrative deep dive, and the question of who is buying the dip? Catch up on the conversation here.

Interlinked Episode #21 featured the CEO and Founder of GameSwift, Pan Paragraf, sitting with Ben and Nick. GameSwift is the first zkEVM Modular Gaming Blockchain and AI-powered launcher. They are using computing power and AI to revolutionize gaming! Key discussions include a deep dive into GameSwift itself, Omnichain, DePin, AI & E-sports.

A shout-out also to LeBoomington and the NT Video Team for all the magic they weave with these Neo Tokyo media productions, Photoshopped AF for his work on producing all those awesome thumbnails, and Hogsheadcheese & LackOfVegetables who cover all legal responsibilities and scheduling which go into making these discussions happen!

ICYMI, Pixelmon hosted an X Space a few days ago where our very own Felix Norden was featured representing The Citadel. Listen back here.

Wrapping up for this week, Gam3s.gg has been announced as the first launchpad style deal coming to CitCap.

The first of many NT IRL events has been announced and it's a private event in Dubai at Token 2049 on April 17th, co-hosted with a major gaming partner. Interested? Read on here.

The revival of Shibuya Mall has been predictably met with a hugely warm response. In a world where web3 merch is generally underwhelming, to keep it polite, the NT Merch Team is light years ahead of the competition. There’s a major discount ongoing for citizens too, check out the store here. Make sure to use code “NTnews” at checkout for an additional 10% off your order.

Lastly, Forever Tipsy takes us home for the week.

Introducing Castle of Blackwater, where deception is as common as dungeon traps, and trust is rarer than a friendly dragon!

Picture this: you and up to 14 other strangers stuck in a medieval fortress filled with danger and deceit. Your mission? Complete tasks, avoid getting axed (literally), and escape with your skin intact. Some folks will team up and forge strong alliances. Others? Well, they're as trustworthy as influencers shilling you memecoins.

At its core, Castle of Blackwater is a game of social deduction, with unique roles and special powers to spice things up. Whether you're an alive challenger or haunting the halls as a deceased ghost, there are tricks and treats aplenty to help (or hinder) your quest for victory.

So, in a world where honesty is a scarce resource, who can you really trust?

Gameplay

Castle of Blackwater offers two primary gameplay avenues: Casual and Ranked. In the Casual mode, available initially on PC and later on mobile, players engage in a free-to-play model with minor restrictions on character selection. The game's economy operates with “gold” earned through gameplay as well as “crystals” available for purchase, allowing for character acquisition and cosmetic upgrades.

Conversely, the Ranked mode, introduced after refining the Casual experience, features blockchain-based NFT characters and a $COBE utility token-driven economy, fostering competitive play and player-driven trading dynamics through character bidding mechanics.

You should definitely check out this amazing game trailer and subscribe to their YouTube channel.

Factions

The game has a fully fleshed out lore and exciting storyline spanning two seasons and more than 20 chapters you can immerse yourself in. When playing the game, you can choose between 3 factions:

The Protectors. A beacon of light in the darkness, these magic-wielders strive for unity, compassion, and teamwork, led by the noble Earlwind Axelot himself, aiming to better the world and conquer Blackwater's challenges together.

The Satanic. With dark hearts and sinister intentions, these power-hungry scholars seek to wield magic for domination and terror, plotting to overthrow and rule through sabotage and sacrifice, defying the castle's demands with their malevolent schemes.

The Forgotten. Lost in the shadows, these solitary scholars tread their own path, driven by madness, loss, or simply not fitting in, sometimes aiding their companions, sometimes working against them, their motives as elusive as the castle's secrets.

What Can We Look Forward To?

There are many exciting upcoming events and updates in the pipeline.

But most importantly: the game is already playable! The Beta version went at the start of this month, and anyone can participate in the fun and get an exclusive first look at the future of Castle of Blackwater. Right now, the team is also running Daily organized play sessions, where you’ll encounter higher quality play and more people using voice chat. After the beta version, the game is set to launch on Steam in its full scope sometime in late-2024.

$COBE Token & The Upcoming TGE

Castle of Blackwater was born from a frustration with first-gen 'Play-to-Earn' games, where currency value relied too heavily on constant player influx and ponzinomics. By prioritizing fun and offering diverse opportunities for wealthier players to enhance their experience, Castle of Blackwater is crafting a game with a more robust economy that caters to various player types, ensuring long-term sustainability.

The game itself is already functional and playable. Now is the time to infuse it with the lifeblood of its in-game economy; the $COBE token. It is set to release on 29th March, with the following distribution and tokenomics:

Upon TGE, the token will have many use cases that will fuel the in-game economy, such as buying and selling cosmetic upgrades, in-game characters, living spaces and exclusive land plots. There will also be an in-game “wheel of fortune” where tokens will be used to cover marketplace fees. For a more detailed breakdown of how it all connects, read their economy section of the whitepaper.

If you want to dive deeper into the project’s background you can read their whitepaper. I especially suggest you take a look at their detailed roadmap. If you stay active and engaged, there will also be opportunities to receive airdrop rewards by participation in their “play-to-airdrop” distribution mechanism.

Below is a list of all the relevant links you need to stay in touch with important news, or to connect with Castle of Blackwater’s team and community:

• Website: https://castleofblackwater.com/ 

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Blackwater_Town 

• Discord: https://discord.com/invite/castle-of-blackwater-932559991720775690 

• Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/castleofblackwater

• Whitepaper: https://docs.castleofblackwater.com/ 

Over the past 6 months, I've had the privilege of meeting and collaborating with numerous founders building in web3. It's been a mix of web2 incumbents and web3 innovators, and one thing's for sure: we're all trying to figure it out in this big, bad web3 world.

Because ultimately, what even is web3? What is web2? These two terms are not fully defined or widespread. They're something of a placeholder for the difference between companies operating with blockchain tech or not. However, the web3 ethos is truly far more than just the tech you integrate.

Companies entering this space, particularly established web2 brands and their ex-employees, are doomed to fail if they focus solely on the technology. Without deeply considering the role of community, the transformation of incentive structures, and the radical changes in communication and transparency, they overlook critical elements of success in web3.

Thinking only about the tech without the inclusion of community ignores a major intrinsic feature of web3 - one that cannot simply be avoided or ignored. Bluntly, it paves the way for extractive behavior.

As crypto degens - the more authentic name for web3 enthusiasts - we lose our minds and get rose-tinted glasses anytime we hear that the latest hot project is led by ex-[insert big web2 company here] employees. Sure, there's a level of confidence that they can do business in a way that so many NFT anon bros of the crypto past have failed to do. But web2 folks have a huge hill to climb of their own, and we have surprisingly underestimated how much of a risk to success this is.

Now, when I look into these big names coming into the space, I want to know how and why they're entering web3, and if they’re fully prepared for the consequences of web3. Yes, of course there’s opportunities to innovate on business models, but do you know the mind of degens? Do you understand the nuances of community? Do you know meme culture and the current zeitgeist that has the attention of crypto Twitter at this moment? Have you spent considerable effort ensuring your employees get it (all of them, from game devs to social media managers, project managers to producers)?

Because it matters. It matters how you approach building, roadmaps, community expectations, and from there, how your company is perceived.

So, wen WAGMI? How WAGMI? Web3, back yourself in this battle with web2! If you're farming $Block and $Portal, or bridging to Blast and getting rugged every other month while asking your friends to shill you the latest meme coin to ape into on Bonk bot, my friend, you've got a treasure trove of knowledge that the big suits from the big web2 companies would kill to know about.

• Discord ID: mr.builder

• Background: Management and Sales

• Entered Crypto: 2020

• Joined NT: S1 Mint

• Expertise: Business

• Dislikes Working on: Projects Trying to do too Much too Fast

• Most Known For: Research Division

• Reason for Joining Council: Help Making Analytical, Ethical Decisions

• One Word: Thorough

• Outside Interests: Being a Dad

Prior to becoming the Lead we know today, Mr. Builder was a regional manager for a major retailer. He managed hundreds of employees and juggled multiple responsibilities. After having kids he realized he didn’t want to put in 70 hour work weeks and miss raising his kids, so he took the leap and transitioned to sales which gave him more free time to be a Dad, and dive into the magical world of web3.

Mr. Builder actually started out trading Cardano NFTs before Neo Tokyo launched. It was then that a friend pointed him in the direction of Alex and Elliot. They realized something very interesting was happening with the riddles and they decided to hop on the crazy train.

Fast forward to Mint Day, he found himself standing in his friend's basement, watching a YouTube video on how to mint from contract. Neo Tokyo was his very first ETH mint. 

While he presently still works his irl job, it tends to ebb and flow with the seasons giving him time to focus on the crypto world and his time as a Lead in Neo Tokyo. His specialty is business. Mr. Builder has experience in management, sales, hiring, accountability, firing, and business ethics. They are needed skills that he brings to The Citadel for handling tricky situations. With a tendency to focus on details, he shies away from working on anything that needs to progress too quickly. Moving fast leads to mistakes, and Mr. Builder likes time to let his analytical mind mull things over.

Early on in Neo Tokyo, Mr. Builder was a part of the group that formed the Research Division. That group was well known and active for about a year, funneling projects into The Citadel. Since then, he’s been focused on Lead tasks of proposals and partnerships. ”I felt it was important to have experience like mine in the room of people making decisions for the long term growth of the community,” Mr. Builder said on his decision to join the Leads.

Outside of crypto, Mr. Builder’s main hobby is his children and he loves every minute of being a dad. He also enjoys working out, basketball, and listening to music.

Make sure you give Mr. Builder a Follow on X: @BrianBicher

All content from Neo Tokyo News is for entertainment purposes only, and not financial advice.

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