Suncorp Cuts 2026 Premium Growth Forecast as Australia, New Zealand Markets Weaken 
Switch Seeks $2 Billion Funding at Nearly $50 Billion Valuation Ahead of Potential IPO 
Baige Online Shares Soar 333% in Hong Kong IPO Debut as AI Insurance Demand Lifts Chinese Listings 
Anthropic Brings Claude AI Models to Microsoft Azure Foundry With NVIDIA Blackwell GPUs 
Samsung to Invest $90 Billion in South Korea to Expand AI Chip, Display, and Battery Production 
EU Chip Industry Faces Growing Risks From China Export Controls and U.S. Technology Dependence: Report 
Super Micro Employees Detained in Taiwan AI Server Export Investigation 
Apple Expands iPhone Lineup, Boosts Foldable iPhone Production Plans Through 2027 
TetherMax Rebranding Highlights Official Exchange Partnerships as Foundation of Trust 
Anthropic Restores Claude Fable 5 and Mythos 5 After U.S. Lifts AI Export Controls 
Apple Eyes Chinese Memory Chips as AI Shortage Pressures iPhone Supply Chain 
South Korea Alleges Google Abused Android App Store Dominance, Eyes Major Fine 
AI can be a personal trainer in your pocket – but is it safe? 
Kawasaki Heavy Shares Slide on Report of ¥200 Billion Capital Raise Plan 
Smartphones are helping filmmakers tell the stories the movie industry overlooks 
Lenovo Shares Slide as AI-Driven Memory Demand Signals Higher DRAM and NAND Prices 
Kioxia Bets on AI Memory Boom With Next-Gen NAND Production in Japan 
“Ember Sword,” a multiplayer online, play-to-earn blockchain MMORPG game, recently announced its community land sale, and it drew thousands of applications. As almost 35,000 gamers have submitted applications to buy 6,000 plots of land, the sale acquired pledges amounting to $203 million.
It was said that this is the first-ever NFT community virtual land sale, and it was well-received by blockchain gaming aficionados. The amount reached more than $200 million due to the thousands who applied to purchase some virtual lands in the virtual world of the “Ember Sword” video game that has yet to be released.
The plot of land in the “Ember Sword” land sale has various types, and each one has its corresponding prices. The breakdown of the lot types and their costs in USD Coin (USDC), a type of cryptocurrency being referred to as a stablecoin, are: 1 Regular Plot -$40 USDC and there are 5,657 available, 1 Settlement Plot - $400 USDC with 223 available, 4 Town Plots at $8000 USDC and only 14 are available, and lastly, 16 City Plots at $80,000 USDC each and only 4 are available.
In any case, Coindesk mentioned that the plots of land are located in the Solarwood Nation, which is one of the four virtual worlds in the “Ember Sword” game. Bright Star Studios, the game developer, will be checking all the applications and pick players who can buy the plots of land they wanted.
The land sale was successful because owning land in “Ember Sword” will give players the opportunity to share in trading fees in addition to earning Ember, the MMORPG blockchain game’s ERC-20 token, that they can use in the activities in the game.
“We are working to develop a player-driven economy that allows gamers to earn rewards and make money through in-game activities, including the creation of unique, tradable NFT items,” Mark Laursen, Bright Star Studios and ‘Ember Sword’ chief executive officer, said in a press release. “The massive success of this land sale is a testament to the excitement that the gaming community has around our mission and owning land in Ember Sword allows gamers to share in trading fees and other game services within the game world, leveraging Ethereum to empower community members through democratizing the game economy.”
