ZTX will launch a 3D virtual world on Arbitrum blockchain

Arbitrum is a Layer 2 scaling solution for Ethereum. ZTX is building a virtual world where users can enjoy social interactions, engage in games, and participate in governance and economics when creating and selling digital assets in the virtual realm.

ZTX (ZepetoX) is a joint blockchain initiative of Jump Crypto and Zepeto. The latter is the largest avatar social network in Asia with over 400 million lifetime users. ZTX didn’t use the word “metaverse” to describe its virtual world, but that’s basically what it’s building. The Arbitrum deal comes in the same week that Mighty Action Heroes also announced it was moving to the Arbitrum blockchain.

The first beta of the application will be live in the coming weeks, and users will be able to enter a test environment to explore and decorate their land and base homes with furniture-type items. In the ZTX world, there will eventually be four districts for games, fashion, finance and the arts.

The virtual world will allow users to explore the realm as a ZTX avatar, where they’ll have free land and a base home. Users will be able to decorate their homes in the world and enjoy the core game loop where they plant resources, harvest and craft items. Users who own a District Home will have access to district governance. Each district will have its own unique look and feel and social offerings.

Further gameplay features such as harvesting, material ownership, trading, and crafting will be added in subsequent playable tests. Details on how to partake in the playable test will be shared via ZTX Twitter and ZTX Discord.

ZTX’s expansion strategy involves joining forces with projects and partners to push the Web3 envelope and reach a broader global audience. In March, ZTX debuted its Avatar Builder Beta where users can create digital identities to use within ZTX. Going forward, ZTX will collaborate with Arbitrum to scale and integrate these offerings throughout the ZTX virtual world using Arbitrum’s tech stack.

Saurabh Sharma, head of Investments at Jump Crypto, said in a statement, “The strengths, expertise, and successful track record of ZTX are why we partnered with them to spearhead multichain metaverse development in blockchain, and we are excited about this partnership and the amazing metaverse capabilities and functionalities that are yet to come – starting with this unique new mint.”

Following the playtest, ZTX will be conducting its Genesis Home Mint. The Genesis Home Mint will offer a collection of 4,000 bespoke 3D District Homes equipped with benefits such as governance and special access to future drops, events, and games. The District Homes will be immersive in-game utility assets that operate as the economic engine in ZTX, opening up new capabilities and opportunities for enhanced in-game play and creating value for the holders.

“Our partnership with Arbitrum will help us develop our platform to deliver advanced, customizable templates for 3D avatars, wearables and placeables that can be branded according to the needs of builders or communities,” said ZTX CEO Chris Jang, in a statement. “Furthermore, universal accessibility is critical to us, and we offer virtual land for free. We are excited about what the weeks and months ahead will mean for our teams, users, and partners.”

Steven Goldfeder, CEO of Offchain Labs (maker of Arbitrum), said in a statement, “ZTX is redefining what it means to build an immersive and real-value-generating 3D open-world. Arbitrum’s innovative technology is designed for precisely these types of use cases – bridging tech gaps, opening new opportunities, and delivering fast, performant, and robust capabilities to blockchain projects across the board. It’s exciting to see the ZTX team utilizing Arbitrum technology to unlock value for their users while empowering creators by creating new opportunities for countless people, brands, and partners around the world.”

ZTX’s Genesis Home Mint is an example of how digital collectibles can be innovatively tied to exclusivity, access, and economic opportunities in the rapidly growing and evolving virtual space. The mint is steered by people who have already built things at a global scale. In a time when many projects fail to deliver on promises, it’s wonderful to see ZTX already has so much developed in the pipeline for Genesis Home owners. ZTX was founded in 2022.

Offchain Labs said Arbitrum chains currently represent 61% of the Ethereum Layer-2 market share with around $6 billion in total value locked (TVL) and nine million users.

ThankYouX, a successful artist whose work has been exhibited around the world, said in a statement, “The Genesis Home Mint is a unique example of how digital collectibles can be innovatively tied to exclusivity, access and economic opportunities in the rapidly growing and evolving virtual space. In my view, it is truly an in-demand limited edition collectible series that is steered by people who have already built things at a global scale. In a time when perhaps many projects fail to deliver on promises, it’s wonderful to see ZTX already has so much developed in the pipeline for Genesis Homeowners. I’m excited about seeing the revolution unfold in real time.”