Animoca Brands, the Hong Kong-based company advancing digital property rights for gaming and the open metaverse, announced on Wednesday that it has completed the acquisition of United States-based gaming firm WePlay Media Holdings LLC.
Animoca Brands said in a statement that WePlay is the sole shareholder of XXL Racing LLC, an official licensee of MotoGP™, and of WePlay Media LLC, the developer of the highly popular MotoGP™ Championship Quest, the official MotoGP™ mobile racing game.
Animoca Brands said earlier that the acquisition of WePlay Media will allow the firm to expand on its existing relationship with Dorna Sports as a sponsor, NFT licensor, collectible cards provider, and blockchain game developer and publisher.
With MotoGP™ Championship Quest – the official MotoGP™ mobile racing game – in its stable, the company will be able to develop an integrated experience for MotoGP™ Ignition players and beyond.
Following the completion of the intended acquisition, Animoca Brands and WePlay Media will begin to integrate the REVV ecosystem with WePlay Media’s products to deliver play-and-earn opportunities, build on existing partnerships, and welcome new partnerships to amplify fan engagement.
WePlay Media was founded by 20-year video game veteran Mark DeSimone and chief operating officer Graeme Warring in order to bring to market AAA-quality mobile experiences and content focused on MotoGP™.
WePlay Media has pioneered an approach to mobile gaming in which it tracks user engagement, brand impressions, and interactions using the same methodology used by the International Race Teams Association (IRTA) in broadcast television.
This enables the group to produce the annual MotoGP™ Sponsor Engagement Report to document the billions of brand interactions with the riders, teams and sponsors of MotoGP™. WePlay Media is based in Phoenix, Arizona, with additional offices in the Philippines.
Animoca Brands is a leader in digital entertainment, blockchain, and gamification that is working to advance digital property rights and contribute to the establishment of the open metaverse.
The company 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.
It has multiple subsidiaries, including The Sandbox, Blowfish Studios, Quidd, GAMEE, nWay, Pixowl, Forj, Lympo, Animoca Brands Japan, Grease Monkey Games, Eden Games, Darewise Entertainment, Notre Game, TinyTap, Be Media, PIXELYNX, and WePlay Media.
Animoca Brands has a growing portfolio of more than 380 investments, including Colossal, Axie Infinity, OpenSea, Dapper Labs (NBA Top Shot), Yield Guild Games, Harmony, Alien Worlds, Star Atlas, and others.
Hong Kong’s Animoca Brands to acquire US gaming firm WePlay Media