Last weekend, Hong Kong hosted the event of the year for the Bored and Mutant Ape Yacht Club community: the Ape Fest. From November 3rd to 5th, a multitude of Apes from across the globe landed in the asiatic metropolis for meetups, exclusive experiences, and exciting side events.
Intraverse’s presence couldn’t miss. The Swiss startup operating in Web3 Gaming organized the Ape League, an unforgettable official side event of Ape Fest. After the success of Bored Lugano – during the first edition of NFT Fest Lugano – and Italy’s Finest – on the occasion of ETH Milan – Intraverse didn’t stop and it brought its format to the other side of the world. The concept of Ape League has been a blast also in Hong Kong, and it has been elevated by a huge partnership between Intraverse and Animoca Brands, the global leader in blockchain and Web3 gaming, Wreck League by nWay, Arc8 by GAMEE, and Phantom Galaxies by Blowfish Studios.
The Ape League Experience
Took place on November 4th at the exclusive House Studio within Soho House Hong Kong, Ape League has been an unforgettable experience for the Ape community. More than 300 attendees have been registered from around the world and cherry on the cake, Daniel Alegre, CEO of Yuga Labs, and Taehoon Kim, CEO of nWay, joined the event adding a touch of prestige. Also, relevant names belonging to the international Ape community enthusiastically participated in the Ape League, such as GratefulApe, LoveMake.eth, Caldie, Squiddy, JBond, My Network Guy, Racs, nEEnEE, Sera, Puf_xx, Tabarrial and Sander The Ape.
The House Studio was transformed into a battleground with professional gaming stations equipped with 55-inch screens. The event started in the morning and it lasted until 4 PM, ensuring a full day of immersive gaming experiences, networking, and surprises. Free-flowing pizza, snacks, and waterfalls of beer completed the atmosphere.
A variety of eight gaming stations awaited participants, giving them the possibility to experience the best Web3 games of the moment. Two PCs have been connected and dedicated to Wreck League: people could select their mech and fight in a 1-vs-1 duel trying to win rewards like customized keyboard pads, stickers or pro gamer mouses. A gaming station hosted The Nemesis, in particular – among the multiple experiences offered in their metaverse – players could experience the new gameplay called “Duel Arena”, that has been launched on the occasion of the famous festival “Lucca Comics”. People could use a 3D avatar featured as an Ape and select their preferred weapon to fight against other characters in a timed duel. Two iPads have been set up with the mobile application of Arc8, which offered guests a variety of engaging games for players with different skill levels, from the classic solitaire, to gambling games, puzzles, battles or adventures. Also, a pre-release of Phantom Galaxies has been installed on another gaming station: people could select a 3D avatar and enter a spaceship which was the starting point for an interspace launch. Here, the avatar became a robot which could navigate and explore the galaxy, choosing different routes to take, fighting against enemies and reaching new galaxies.
The House Studio has also been arranged with booths where the main sponsors of the event could present their proposals with “MADE BY APES” licenses. In particular, WoV Labs, specialized in the development of services combining blockchain and IoT technology, offered guests a starting kit of NFC tags that people could use to instantly mint their clothes and have them traceable in the blockchain. Also, Mutants Beer brought its green beers generating enthusiasm among the guests and providing them with a lot of customized gadgets.
The exclusive Ape Tournament hosted in the Intraverse Gaming Arena
The Intraverse Game was playable in two different gaming stations using joysticks or keyboards. In the first half of the event, guests have been invited to do some training and experience the gameplay proposed by Intraverse. Then, 35 Apes have been selected to compete in a 1-vs-1 eliminatory street fighter tournament using the 3D avatars ad hoc designed by Intraverse starting from the pfp of each Ape. This was above all expectations, being the most captivating moment of the whole event.
The well-known ape Squiddy (@SquiddyNFT) has been the Master of Ceremony. Squiddy is THE Community Maestro of Web3 gaming. With an infectious energy and passion for people, he’s been one of the OG builders of the space, with a notable track record, including NBA Top Shot, Champions Ascension, and serving as an advisor for Superfine and The Wardens guild. He put all his energy in directing the tournament, involving all the guests in actively attending the tournament cheering on the players.
After several hard fought rounds, the Ape Memo (@Memo_Mx) emerges victorious, supported by his mate Gabe (@Gabrielesm1), winning a prize pot of 500$ in Ape Coin.
Ape League populating the streets Hong Kong
The Ape League didn’t end within the walls of SoHo House. Everyone went crazy for the event and guests asked with great desire to have the limited edition glow in the dark t-shirts designed by Intraverse for the event. The merchandise went sold-out and it was amazing to go around in Hong Kong in the successive days or in the other side events organized during Ape Fets, and meeting this beautiful t-shirt everywhere. They were born to be more than just clothing, and they successfully became a recognizable expression of the Ape community.
The impact of Ape League and its sequel
The Ape League wasn’t just an event: it was a fair representation of the Ape community. The collaboration between Intraverse and industry leaders, such as Animoca Brands, contributed to spark a massive enthusiasm among participants. The Intraverse team conducted numerous interviews during the event, supported by the Ape Cormac (@crumz10), who was the face of the event and the official video-maker. These discussions allowed to capture relevant feedback from participants. They spoke a lot about the impressive engagement generated by the tournament proposed by Intraverse, expressing eagerness to participate in future events. They were also captured by the variety of gameplays they had the possibility to experience in the multiple gaming stations, in particular the interviewees expressed their interest about owning a piece of land inside a metaverse, such as The Nemesis, and having the possibility of using their digital assets within a game. Also, the Ape @Shcyster has been very surprised about the idea of combining the real-world extreme sports with NFTs collections that @odpcrypto is putting in place with the “Himalaya Ice Skate Record”.
Intraverse, once again, demonstrated its commitment to shaping the future of digital entertainment, not only by providing engaging online tournaments that allow players to utilize their digital assets, but also by organizing unique meetups for Web3 communities – in this case the Ape community – giving people the possibility to strengthen their bonds and making new connections.