Partnership Will Provide Financial and Education Support To Advance Promising Entertainment And Gaming Startups; Ubisoft Joins Hedera Governing Council
Dallas, TX, February 3, 2022 7 AM EST – The HBAR Foundation and global video game publisher Ubisoft today announced a partnership focused on the rapidly expanding ecosystem at the intersection of distributed ledger technology and gaming, with an initiative that supports the development, growth and launch of next-generation gaming on the Hedera network. As part of this engagement, Ubisoft will become a member of the Hedera Governing Council, with representatives participating in governance and product direction, as well as leading industry-specific insights. As a council member, Ubisoft will also operate a node on the Hedera network.
In collaboration with the HBAR Foundation, Ubisoft is setting up a Hedera-dedicated track into the Ubisoft Entrepreneurs Lab. The Entrepreneurs Lab supports startups on a global scale, focusing on the future of entertainment. Together through this track, Ubisoft and THF will identify promising projects and startups and provide economic investment, as well as workshops and developer support, to assist in their success.
“Through this initiative, Ubisoft and the HBAR Foundation are forming a deep collaborative partnership, which recognizes the value proposition the Hedera network presents for the video games industry,“ said Alex Russman, of the HBAR Foundation. “Ubisoft has been a pioneer in its engagement with distributed ledger technology, and the decision to directly engage with THF to enhance the support it provides to entertainment and gaming innovators provides tremendous opportunities for developers, startups and users alike.”
“At Ubisoft, we believe that the distributed ledger technology holds a key to the future of gaming by opening new opportunities for players to become true stakeholders of our games. The Hedera network offers a promising take on this technology, notably through its scalability, energy efficiency and innovative consensus mechanism.” said Didier Genevois, Blockchain Technical Director at the Ubisoft Strategic Innovation Lab. “We look forward to exploring with the Hedera ecosystem through our participation in the Governing Council.”
Today’s news comes alongside the mainnet launch of smart contracts 2.0 on the Hedera network, which with the Hedera Token Service (HTS) integration provides flexibility, low cost fixed fees, scalability and carbon negative transactions, enabling significant benefits for the gaming industry beyond merely NFTs.
The HBAR Foundation fuels growth of the Hedera ecosystem by providing grants and resources for technical assistance, marketing and business development to developers, startups and organizations building on the network. Since open access in 2019, the public network has processed over 2 billion transactions generated by real-world applications.
About Ubisoft
Ubisoft is a creator of worlds, committed to enriching players’ lives with original and memorable entertainment experiences. Ubisoft’s global teams create and develop a deep and diverse portfolio of games, featuring brands such as Assassin’s Creed®, Brawlhalla®, For Honor®, Far Cry®, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon®, Just Dance®, Rabbids®, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six®, The Crew®, Tom Clancy’s The Division®, and Watch Dogs®. Through Ubisoft Connect, players can enjoy an ecosystem of services to enhance their gaming experience, get rewards and connect with friends across platforms. With Ubisoft+, the subscription service, they can access a growing catalog of more than 100 Ubisoft games and DLC. For the 2020-21 fiscal year, Ubisoft generated net bookings of €2,241 million. To learn more, please visit: www.ubisoftgroup.com.
About Ubisoft’s Strategic Innovation Lab
The mission of the Strategic Innovation Lab is to help Ubisoft anticipate the future. Both a think-tank and a do-tank, the Lab analyzes emerging technological, business and societal trends in order to identify opportunities for innovation. The team also develops prototypes and pilot projects to explore new areas, in collaboration with internal and external partners. This exploratory role allows Ubisoft to get a head start in identifying innovative ideas and assessing their potential, before eventually integrating them into the company on a larger scale.
About Ubisoft Entrepreneurs Lab
Ubisoft Entrepreneurs Lab supports startups on a global scale, focusing on the future of entertainment. By providing intensive, personalized support, this program helps talented entrepreneurs achieve their goals, and offers facilities both in Paris at STATION F, the biggest startup campus in the world.
About the HBAR Foundation
Founded in 2021, the HBAR Foundation fuels the development of the Hedera ecosystem by providing grants and other resources to developers, startups and organizations that seek to launch decentralized applications in DeFi, NFTs, CBDCs, ESGs, gaming and other sectors. In addition to providing funding through a streamlined grant process, the HBAR Foundation acts as an integrated force multiplier through expert support across technical, marketing, business development and other operational functions that are required to scale. For additional information, please visit www.hbarfoundation.org or follow the Foundation on Twitter at HBAR_foundation.
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PR Contacts:
The HBAR Foundation
pr@hbar.fund
Ubisoft
Paul Grand
paul.grand@ubisoft.com
