Press Release: Disney x OpenAI

The Walt Disney Company and OpenAI reach landmark agreement to bring beloved characters from across Disney’s brands to Sora

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• Disney made a $1 billion equity investment in OpenAI, licensing 200+ characters to Sora for fan-generated clips.
• Select fan-made content will be curated onto Disney+, transforming the audience into official co-authors of the IP.
• This deal is a limited "one-to-one" integration, insufficient for an AI landscape where frontier models become obsolete in weeks.
• The move validates that IP now grows through fan-driven, remixed content that acts as organic, authentic endorsement.
• The bespoke deal underscores the urgent need for a universal, scalable IP infrastructure (like Spaceport) to reach all competing AI platforms.

Disney’s new partnership with OpenAI is a watershed moment for storytelling. By investing in the company and licensing more than 200 Disney, Marvel, Pixar, and Star Wars characters into Sora, Disney is giving fans the ability to generate their own clips, and even curating select creations onto Disney+.

This move signals something profound: fans are no longer just the audience. They’re emerging as co-authors of the worlds they love.

But while the Disney X Sora partnership is a powerful proof of concept, it’s ultimately a one-to-one integration: one IP owner plugged into one AI environment (albeit a massive “one”). Furthermore, the AI landscape is getting more competitive and commoditized by the month. Even Microsoft’s CEO now says language models are “getting commoditized,” and OpenAI’s move into open models is widely seen as a concession that foundation models are becoming infrastructure, not moats.

At the same time, a 2025 foundation model report estimates that frontier models costing roughly $500M to train are effectively obsolete within three weeks of launch because of intense competition and open-source catch-up. Prices keep dropping, open models like Llama and Mistral are closing the performance gap, and most enterprises are already using multiple models in parallel for commodity cognition. In this environment, it’s becoming clear that hitching your cart to one horse means you are missing out on market share every time a better or cheaper model appears with users that you can’t reach.

This all validates the demand for participatory creativity, but it doesn’t scale the pattern. That’s the gap Spaceport was designed to fill. Built for scalable IP licensing, including centralized IP asset storage, brand guidelines, and license management, Spaceport enables IP owners to integrate one-time and reach every platform and channel, from model builders to game platforms to physical goods. It turns Disney’s bespoke deal into a repeatable, accessible infrastructure for the entire industry.

What’s most exciting about Disney’s move is the implicit recognition that ambassadors and fans are now essential to the growth of any IP. When fans can remix characters, reinterpret storylines, and share these creations with their networks, the reach of an IP expands organically and authentically. More than simply marketing impressions, these remixes become personal endorsements woven into real social graphs.

Finally, Disney’s deal acknowledges something every creator economy company already knows: the creative universe is always bigger when fans can help build it. No internal team, no matter how talented, can match the explosion of ideas that comes from millions of people imagining alongside them. The message is clear: The future of storytelling isn't proprietary; it's participatory. The IP that wins will be the one that isn't just owned, but one that is shared.

If you’re an IP owner and want to see how Spaceport can help your brand learn more at https://www.spaceport.xyz/brands.

Le Zhang is a serial tech entrepreneur and cofounder/CEO of Spaceport.xyz, a platform that empowers brands, agencies, and creators to scalably monetize their IP. He previously founded Squadle (acquired), an enterprise SaaS business which developed AI solutions for major international brands like McDonald’s, Hyatt Hotels, and 7-Eleven. Le has 4 patents in IoT, machine learning and computer vision. He graduated from Boston College with a degree in Computer Science.

Virtual items can act like media when you plan them that way. A great drop doesn’t just sell, it spreads. It shows up in thumbnails, TikToks, and Discord chats. We’ve seen how far one item can travel. When a digital Gucci bag on Roblox resold for more than its physical version, the product became the story, and the story became free distribution. That’s the new playbook: design items that invite sharing, then release them like a media flight.

The scale is there to justify it. Roblox averaged 111.8 million daily active users in Q2 2025, with 27.4 billion hours of engagement. Its algorithm rewards consistent, quality updates. Drop items on a schedule, and you earn more discovery, more creator content, and more chances for players to join in. Build your calendar around that rhythm so every item drives both sales and visibility.

Plan your drops with the same rigor as a performance campaign. Start with your last three months of sell-through and wishlist data. Add what you can actually guarantee: the creators you’ve booked, with clear dates and deliverables. Roblox’s Video Stars program formalizes this ecosystem, use it deliberately. Treat each creator showcase like a media insertion, with expected impressions and engagement, and cluster posts within 24-72 hours to track lift.

Keep pricing flexible but intentional. Use a low everyday price for accessibility, a mid-tier for players who want to stand out, and a prestige tier for hype. When you want cultural heat, switch from time limits to quantity limits. Research shows time scarcity doesn’t always increase conversion, but quantity-based scarcity performs better in status-driven categories, especially when resales are possible. Roblox’s UGC Limiteds allow creators to set quantities and earn from resales, letting you model both initial sales and secondary buzz.

Be transparent about scarcity. If there’s a timer, make it real. If there’s a limit, publish it. Regulators have already moved against misleading timers and manipulative in-game shops. The most credible approach is also the safest: clear rules, disclosed up front, enforced in code.

Measure the media effect as carefully as the sales. Pick one earned-media framework and stick with it so you can compare creators and platforms over time. CreatorIQ’s EMV model is one example, it weights posts by platform and engagement to estimate media value. Combine that with clean sales attribution. Tag creator links to your store, create a short holdout in analytics, and look at 72-hour changes in conversion and ARPDAU. You won’t capture every halo effect, but you’ll get a stable, repeatable read.

Model cash, not just bookings. Roblox holds Marketplace proceeds for about 30 days before paying out. Creators earn at least 30% of gross item sales, with the rest split between Roblox and experience owners. Build your drop P&L around net receipts with realistic timing so your marketing spend doesn’t get ahead of collections.

Finally, make the item itself the story. Products that look great in vertical video and thumbnails get shared more often, and high-quality spectacle earns the most reposts. That’s why fashion collabs in Fortnite crossed into real-world press. Treat your prestige drops like campaigns, with creative assets, seeded showcases, and a short, measurable flight. The revenue shows up in your dashboard; the reach shows up everywhere else.

We used to buy ads to talk about culture. Now, culture is the ad. The next wave of marketing isn’t just about media, it’s about ownership. A virtual item can be both the message and the medium, delivering engagement, revenue, and reach in one move. The brands that win won’t treat drops as stunts; they’ll treat them as strategy that’s planned, measured, and repeatable.

When a brand brings its IP into Roblox, the first question I usually hear is simple: how do we stay true to lore without losing speed? It’s a fair concern. The heartbeat of Roblox is rapid iteration, i.e. weekly updates, seasonal events, creator collabs. Players expect it, and the discovery layer rewards it. But intellectual property doesn’t bend that easily. Lore, history, powers, style, narrative DNA, etc, is what makes a franchise valuable. If the content feels off-model, players notice instantly, and once trust is broken it’s hard to rebuild.

The mistake many teams make is trying to guard lore with approvals. Every new ability, cosmetic, or story beat gets kicked up the chain, and soon development slows to a crawl. By the time updates are cleared, the moment has already passed. You can’t run a live game at community pace if governance is built on bottlenecks.

The better path is to solve lore at the design layer, not the approval layer. That means building a lore-first systems toolbox, a cleanly defined set of mechanics, cosmetics, and narrative beats that preserve brand authenticity while still leaving room for fast iteration. If an ability is in the toolbox, the team can ship it. If a cosmetic follows the style and economy rules, it goes live. If a narrative beat echoes the franchise’s core themes, it gets the green light. Instead of debating lore every week, you lock it once and let teams remix it endlessly.

This approach does more than accelerate internal development. It makes UGC contributions viable at scale. When fans want to create skins, stories, or mods, they’re not starting from scratch or coloring outside the lines, they’re playing with a palette that has already been blessed as “on brand.” The creativity of the community becomes an asset, not a risk, and the volume of content grows without diluting the IP.

From an executive lens, the value is clear. Internal builds tend to move slowly but give maximum control. Publishing models move fastest but ask you to give up some share. No matter which route you take, the lore-first toolbox is what keeps the train moving. It’s the mechanism that makes weekly cadence sustainable, protects IP equity, and creates a reliable signal for whether your franchise can thrive on Roblox.

The first launch shouldn’t be treated as a trophy, it’s a pilot. A test of whether the IP can scale across creators, seasons, and platforms without breaking. The brands that succeed are the ones who give their developers and their communities the right toolbox early. Once that foundation is in place, every update, collab, and spin-off builds on authentic DNA, and speed no longer comes at the cost of lore.

Ready to Talk?

At Spaceport, we’ve helped global IPs enter Roblox with lore-first design systems that unlock both speed and authenticity. If your team is considering a build, a co-dev, or a publishing path, let’s talk. We’d love to show you how a toolbox approach can protect your IP while accelerating your roadmap. Schedule a call with our team.

Lida Tang is the Co-founder and CTO of Spaceport. He has been founder of multiple B2C and B2B companies while leading development and technical direction. Earlier in his career, Lida launched two billion-dollar gaming franchises – BioShock for Take-Two Interactive and Saints Row for Deep Silver – before starting his mobile app tooling company and co-founding an indie game studio. Lida holds a BS in computer science from UMass Amherst and a MA in CS from University of Maryland.

Every brand that explores Roblox ends up weighing the same four variables: cost, speed, control, and expected return. The decision is rarely about what is theoretically possible. It is about what your organization can execute in the next 12-18 months within your resources and without distracting the core business.

There are three potential paths. Build an internal studio and keep everything in house. Co-develop with a single proven Roblox studio while you retain the product mandate. Publish with a platform partner like Spaceport that can help with developer selection, production management, marketing, and live operations. Each path can work. The question is which one gets you to a reliable signal the quickest with a cost profile you can defend.

You can go the Internal build route, to maximize control. You set the creative bar, own the economy, and direct the roadmap. It also carries the steepest ramp. Roblox has specific tooling, an economy that behaves differently from mobile free-to-play, and a discovery layer that rewards teams that ship and market in weekly cycles. If you already operate live games or plan a multi-title slate, the fixed cost can amortize well and this could make sense for you. The trade you make is time. Most first-time internal teams need several months before retention and monetization stabilize, which pushes revenue recognition later in the process.

With co-development, you get speed by renting a developer’s experience. A veteran studio brings pipelines, scripting patterns, and live-ops playbooks you do not yet have. Even so, you still make the canon calls and approve content, so the brand stays on model. Unfortunately, the friction to watch is at the seams: things like approvals that stall production, gameplay that feels off to fans, or live ops that lose pace once launch passes. All of these issues are solvable if you have a clear governance model, a single decision owner on the brand side, and an economy design that is locked before art scale-up. Doable, but with a well defined model of operating and communicating.

Lastly, going the publishing route, you concentrate accountability. With a capable partner, they can line up a studio, orchestrate go-to-market with creators and native events, and operate the economy against growth targets. While your share of revenue is smaller, your fixed cost and management burden also decreases. Ultimately, the real benefit is faster learning. With an earlier launch, you get more weeks in market, in turn giving you more cycles to tune retention and conversion before a retail beat or a content season.

Let’s make the tradeoffs more concrete by considering a simple picture that uses ranges instead of tidy single points. Assume a branded experience that, once stable, can generate low to mid single-digit millions in consumer spend in its first full year. Platform fees and taxes reduce that top line by roughly one third. Internal build keeps all net receipts but typically launches later. Co-development leaves a larger share with the developer but moves earlier. Publishing leaves about half with the brand but often ships first and layers on distribution benefits. It’s the mix of launch timing, share, and fixed cost that drives payback.

What I’m trying to point out is not that one model always wins. It’s that everything comes at a cost. If your business case requires evidence within a quarter or two, publishing is often the best path because it compresses time to signal. If you value ownership above all and can invest across a slate, internal build can create a durable margin by Year 2. Meanwhile, co-development fits when you want creative control with a faster clock but are ready for fully managing a true partnership.

Whichever route you choose, it’s important to remember to protect three fundamentals. First, secure a weekly operating rhythm that covers updates, events, creator outreach, and economy health. Roblox rewards studios and games that produce consistently. Second, put approvals on a service-level agreement. Creative safety is essential, but slow decisions are expensive. Third, size your marketing and community plan to your goals. Organic discovery is not a strategy. Creator seeding, native events, and paid where applicable should be part of the launch plan, not an afterthought. These are the ingredients to your success. 

One last thought on numbers: any P&L is only as good as the assumptions behind it. Discovery, retention, and content cadence can shift the outcome more than the spreadsheet suggests. Fees differ by channel and region, and live ops costs usually climb as you expand your content calendar or tighten moderation. That’s why your first launch shouldn’t be treated like a trophy, it’s a pilot. The quicker you learn from real players in market, the better your second release will be, no matter whether you build, partner, or publish.

If your goal is to get clear results quickly without taking on heavy fixed costs, publishing with the right partner is often the smartest first step. Once you’ve built momentum with data in hand, a community starting to grow, and a team that’s ready for more, you can always move toward co-development or even an internal build to take on deeper ownership for the long run.

Craig Zevin is the COO at Spaceport. He bring a wealth of expertise across product and marketing with experience that includes everything from seed-stage startups through Big Three consulting firms. At heart, what he cares most about is working with passionate, excited teams that are committed to building great products and sharing them with the world.

We’re thrilled to share some exciting news: Winx Club has officially arrived on Roblox! Together with Rainbow SpA, we helped bring the beloved world of Winx to life in a brand-new experience that fans everywhere can now explore.

👉 Play Winx Club Magix on Roblox

For years, Winx Club has captured imaginations across the globe, sparking creativity, friendship, and magical adventures. Now, that same universe is ready for a new generation of fans to step into, this time on Roblox. From exploring Magix to connecting with the community, this is just the beginning of an evolving journey.

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The response so far has been amazing. We’ve already seen fans and creators jump in, share their excitement, and start building stories within the game. That’s exactly why we’re so passionate about what we do at Spaceport: empowering iconic IPs like Winx Club to come alive in the spaces where communities already gather and create.

And here’s the best part: this is just the start. Alongside Rainbow SpA, we’re working on even more Winx Club games and experiences set to roll out on Roblox in the future. Each one will bring new ways to play, new corners of the universe to explore, and new moments of magic to share.

We couldn’t be more excited to help usher in this next chapter for Winx Club and we can’t wait for you to experience it. So, gather your friends, channel your fairy power, and come join us in Winx Club Magix.

The adventure begins now. ✨

Play the game here

Winx Club launch and Happy Hour at RDC25

Roblox’s RDC25 was a milestone weekend for us, and one we won’t forget anytime soon. From the moment the conference kicked off, the energy in the room was contagious. We had the chance to sit down with developers, brands, and influencers from all corners of the Roblox ecosystem, and the conversations reminded us why this community is so special. Some were with old friends we’ve collaborated with before, others with new voices shaping the next wave of creativity on the platform, but every chat left us more inspired and more excited about what’s possible.

The weekend also marked something especially important for us: the launch of the Winx Club game. Sharing it in person at RDC25 was the perfect way to celebrate, and we loved seeing the enthusiasm it sparked. Hearing first-hand reactions, trading ideas, and imagining where it could go next made the moment all the more meaningful. Make sure you take some time to play and review the game, it’s really fun!!

And then there was the happy hour mixer at Urban Putt, which turned into one of the highlights of the trip. With over 200 RSVPs, the venue was packed wall to wall with developers, brand partners, and creators from across the community. The night was full of laughter, new introductions, and the kind of conversations that spark collaborations down the line. It was the perfect cap to an already unforgettable weekend. Special thanks to our sponsors, Rainbow SpA (Creators of Winx Club), Signum Growth | AD8 Pop and Bounce. 

We walked away from RDC25 feeling energized and grateful. The creativity and momentum in this community is undeniable, and it was a privilege to be part of it, whether reconnecting with long-time partners or meeting new friends who are just beginning their journey. We can’t wait to keep building on what we started at RDC25.

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Beloved franchise Winx Club enters the Roblox universe offering players an immersive gaming experience like never before

Loreto, Italy- September 3, 2025 - Rainbow SpA, the studio behind the global classic Winx Club franchise, today announced an exciting new game to be launched on Roblox September 15. This will bring the beloved world of the Winx fairies to more than 380 million monthly active users on the Roblox platform, and many more to come.

This first of its kind expansion of the Winx Club universe is being developed in collaboration with Mapshot, the award-winning studio building the experience, and with support from Spaceport.xyz, Rainbow’s partner managing Roblox strategy.

In this immersive adventure, players will step directly into the Winx Club universe, creating their own fairy persona with fully customizable avatars, shimmering wings, and enchanted accessories. From their very first moments in Alfea College’s grand halls, players can train their powers, master elemental magic, and embark on high-stakes quests that weave through the streets of Magix and beyond. Gameplay is designed to reward exploration and collaboration. An invitation to team up with friends to tackle dungeons, teeming with magical creatures, uncovering hidden realms brimming with lore, and collecting rare artifacts that unlock new abilities to transform your fairy’s powers over time. The game evolves as players progress, with seasonal events and limited-time challenges that keep the world alive and ever-changing.

“We’re proud to bring the magic of Winx Club to the Roblox platform. We’ve always been committed to offering fans the very best, and this time we’re doing it in a bold new way blending Rainbow’s legacy of storytelling with the immersive, interactive experience that only Roblox can provide”, commented Iginio Straffi, CEO of Rainbow and creator of Winx Club. 

“Bringing the world of Winx Club into Roblox has been an incredible creative challenge and a dream opportunity for our team,” said Stephan Celis, CEO, Mapshot. “We set out to capture the energy, style, and magic that fans have loved for years and translate it into gameplay that feels alive and full of exploration. Watching players step into Alfea, master their powers, and forge their own stories is exactly the kind of immersive experience Mapshot was built to create.”   

“Spaceport was built to help visionary and well-loved brands like Rainbow unlock the full potential of their IP through games and user-generated content, and this Winx Club launch on Roblox is a perfect example of that mission in action,” said Le Zhang, CEO, Spaceport.xyz. “By providing the licensing infrastructure, game industry knowledge and access to a mature ecosystem of developers we’re enabling Rainbow to confidently scale their iconic IP into a platform with over 380 million monthly active users, turning decades of storytelling into a living, playable universe.”

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About Rainbow Group:  

Established in 1995 by multi-award-winning creator Iginio Straffi, President and CEO of the Group, Rainbow produces and distributes animated and Live Action contents across all audience targets and channels. First rising among the largest animation studios in the world following the extraordinary success of the Winx Club saga, loved and followed by millions, Rainbow has showcased the power to create global and classic franchises, landing yearly among the Top Global Licensors in the world with more than 500 active licenses.

Rainbow Group also includes Bardel Inc. - Emmy Award®-winning Canadian studio offering CGI and VFX animation services, and Colorado Film, Italian excellence company in Live Action production. Besides creating and distributing original content worldwide, the group reaches the global market with licensing, editorial projects, live events, and production of merchandise and toys also under license. www.rbw.it/en 

About Spaceport:

Spaceport is building the Internet of IP (Intellectual Property) by seamlessly connecting brands and agencies with the world’s largest network of creators and developers. The company’s mission is to democratize access to the world’s best IPs, empowering owners to unlock new revenue streams and enhance fan engagement. As the leading solution for millions of creators on top platforms like Roblox, Fortnite and Threadless, Spaceport is shaping a future where all IP, both online and offline, is efficiently managed and monetized through their innovative Web3-based infrastructure. Founded in 2022 and headquartered next to MIT in Cambridge, MA with offices in Los Angeles and Berkeley, CA, Spaceport is pioneering the future of IP. Learn more at https://www.spaceport.xyz/

About Mapshot:

Mapshot is a leading creative studio specialized in building branded experiences inside the world’s biggest gaming platforms, including Fortnite, Roblox and Counter-Strike. Founded in Belgium, the company partners with global brands, agencies and IP holders to design immersive worlds that go beyond traditional marketing. Connecting with audiences through play, storytelling and community. Learn more at https://mapshot.gg/ 

The global merchandise market is set to grow to more than $16 billion by 2030, according to MIDiA Research’s new report Music merchandise demand: Who, what, and where. Beneath that headline number is a data point too large to ignore. MIDiA finds that about 25 percent of music merchandise sales are unlicensed, representing roughly four billion dollars in value created outside official channels.

This is not a rounding error. It is a clear signal that fan-driven creativity is not just alive but thriving, even without the blessing of rights holders. For decades the standard reaction to this activity has been to clamp down, to police, to remove. Yet the growth of unlicensed merchandise shows something more important. Fans are not waiting for permission. They are building anyway.

That raises a powerful question. If billions of dollars are already flowing through unofficial creativity, what could happen if IP owners opened the gates instead of closing them? What if, instead of defaulting to takedowns, they designed licensing systems that worked with fans and creators, inviting them in rather than pushing them out?

This is where Roblox offers a glimpse of the future. Roblox is not just a platform, it is a living ecosystem of user generated worlds. Its developers are builders, designers, and entrepreneurs rolled into one. They are the same creative energy that drives unofficial merch, but supercharged by digital tools and network effects. They are already shaping culture at scale. The question is not whether they will create experiences inspired by beloved IP. They already do. The question is whether IP owners will treat them as partners or adversaries.

Imagine a licensing program built for this reality. Lightweight, flexible, and transparent. Pre-cleared assets and design kits instead of dense contracts. Creator incentives that encourage experimentation instead of punishing it. Programs that let developers expand on IP they love, knowing that they can monetize responsibly and legally. In this kind of world, every fan project becomes a growth engine. Every remix adds new value. Every creator becomes a collaborator.

For brands like Winx Club, the opportunity is obvious. Winx is preparing for a Roblox debut, but it does not have to rely only on official releases. With the right frameworks, hundreds of developers could be empowered to build Winx-inspired games and experiences. This is how universes scale in digital culture. Not through central control, but through a thousand points of creative light.

For investors, the logic is just as compelling. Signum Growth has already launched a dedicated Roblox fund. Imagine pairing that capital with licensing frameworks that reward developers who take IP seriously and expand it in original ways. The result is a pipeline of investable creators, sustainable businesses, and fans who feel part of the story rather than excluded from it.

At Spaceport.xyz, this is the model we believe in. IP does not need to be locked down to stay valuable. In the age of user generated creation, IP grows more powerful when it is share, and reimagined within trusted systems. The lesson from MIDiA’s report is that unlicensed activity is not simply a problem to be solved. It is proof of demand, evidence of value, and a roadmap for how the next generation of licensing should evolve.

The choice for IP owners is clear. They can spend the next decade chasing creators in endless cycles of takedowns. Or they can recognize the four billion dollar signal and build new licensing systems that align with how culture now works. The future belongs to those who choose collaboration.

Keith Cook is the Head of BD and Brand Partnerships for Spaceport.xyz and an experienced sales leader executive experience at major software companies like: Unity technologies and GitHub (MSFT) as well as start ups like Parsec & Movella. For more information contact us: https://www.spaceport.xyz/getspaceport

San Diego Comic-Con 2025 was a blast. As always, it delivered the full spectrum of pop culture magic, from surprise trailers and cosplay crowds, to panels that stretched from nostalgic deep-dives to bold future-of-IP debates. But what stood out most this year wasn’t just what fans were buzzing about, it was what IP holders were exploring behind the scenes.

I was lucky to be there with our partner Rainbow, the brilliant team behind Winx Club. Rainbow is preparing to launch a Roblox experience built around the beloved fairy universe, and we spent the weekend diving into fan reactions, creator feedback, and publisher conversations that all pointed in the same direction: Roblox isn’t just a platform, it’s the next creative frontier.

If you’re an IP holder and you were at Comic-Con this year, here are the three most important things you should take away about getting your brand onto Roblox.

1. Roblox Is Where New Fandoms Begin

If there was a theme to this year’s Comic-Con, it was fragmentation. Fandoms are no longer neatly tied to TV, comics, or even streaming. They’re decentralized across many cross-platforms, and community-powered. Nowhere is that more obvious than on Roblox.

We talked to many IP representatives who were all acknowledging that young audiences are discovering new and old IP not only through syndication or streaming, but through Roblox teasers, avatar UGC fashion, and TikToks. We’re seeing that the Roblox platform isn’t just an extension of IP, but it’s now becoming a first meaningful point of contact for many.

If you’re not building for that space, you’re missing the place where the next generation of fans are forming their first emotional connection to your world.

2. Speed and Flexibility Matter More Than Polished Trailers

One conversation that stuck with me was when an IP exec asked, “How do we build something that lasts?” A developer answered, “How do you build something fans can remix tomorrow?”

That’s the Roblox mindset. You’re not designing a single moment, you’re creating a toolkit for fans to build their own. Whether that’s letting players customize characters, roleplay in iconic settings, or unlock narrative arcs, success on Roblox comes from flexibility, not finality.

IP holders need to shift from perfectionism to iteration. Some of the most engaging Roblox experiences are community-evolving sandboxes, not tightly scripted cinematic plays. Build fast. Learn faster.

3. You Don’t Need to Know Roblox… You Need the Right Partner

Comic-Con definitely confirmed for me that most IP holders know they should be on Roblox, but few know how to get there. That’s where platforms like Spaceport come in.

You don’t need to understand game design or scripting or UGC systems from day one. What you do need is a partner who can protect your brand, unlock meaningful fan experiences, and navigate Roblox’s fast-moving creator economy. With the right partnership, your IP isn’t just visible on the platform, it becomes remixable, and revenue-generating digital, often instantly.

As Winx Club prepares to launch its own magical Roblox experience, I couldn’t be more excited about what this signals for other IP owners. Comic-Con reminded us that great stories are everywhere, but it’s the platforms where those stories live that shape who sees them, shares them, and brings them to life in new and meaningful ways.

If you’re holding the keys to a great universe, now’s the time to open the gate.

When Roblox quietly dropped its new Creator Rewards program, most devs probably saw another tweak to a fairly complicated monetization ecosystem. But make no mistake: this is a fundamental shift in how value is created and captured on the platform.

Starting July 24, Creator Rewards will replace both the Engagement-Based Payouts (EBP) and Creator Affiliate programs. Gone are the days of relying on premium user session time or passive commissions. In their place: a more direct, performance-driven system where your earnings are tied to two things, who plays your game and how they got there.

There are two core components. First, Daily Engagement Rewards: you earn 5 Robux every time a qualifying “Active Spender” i.e. someone who’s spent at least $9.99 in the past 60 days, spends 10 minutes or more in your experience, as long as it’s one of their first three visited that day. It’s no longer just about raw time spent. It’s about priority. Is your game someone’s daily destination, or just a stop on the way to somewhere else?

Second, Audience Expansion Rewards: bring a new or returning user to Roblox, and you’ll earn 35% of the first $100 they spend. That includes people who come in through your link, your SEO footprint, or even your game’s visibility on the platform. This flips the script: Roblox is now compensating developers not just for playtime, but for platform growth.

All of this is happening under the hood of a more transparent dashboard, where devs can track who’s earning, why, and how much. It’s a step toward giving creators the metrics they need to operate like real businesses. But this isn’t just a payout update. It’s Roblox making a statement: creators are marketers, retention designers, and community architects, not just coders.

So what does this mean if you’re building on Roblox today? Here are four things you need to internalize, fast. 

Engagement Must Be Daily, Not Just Deep

This isn’t about average session length anymore because it’s really about timing. If your game is someone’s fourth stop of the day, you’re out of luck. You need to become part of a user’s daily ritual. That means thinking beyond the core loop. Use social incentives, limited-time quests, streaks, and compelling onboarding to ensure your game earns that coveted “top 3” spot. 

Your Growth Funnel Is Now a Revenue Engine

If you’re not already building shareable entry points, now’s the time. Direct links, invite codes, even creator collabs on YouTube or TikTok, every one of your touchpoints matters. Roblox is turning developers into acquisition channels, and rewarding you when your audience grows the platform. This aligns deeply with the Spaceport thesis: distribution is the new discovery.

You Need to Let Go of Old Metrics

Premium payouts are done. Passive affiliate income is gone. The old KPIs you recall like total hours played and Premium engagement no longer tell the full story. Start tracking daily retention, monetization per Active Spender, and new user conversion. This is a mindset shift from building a good game to building a healthy business.

Design for Spenders, Not Just Players

Roblox has expanded the eligible pool from Premium subscribers to anyone who’s recently spent. That changes the game. Your audience isn’t just kids with memberships, it’s anyone who’s ever bought Robux. Focus on creating high-value experiences that convert and not exploit. Think cosmetics, frictionless purchases, and rewarding spend without pay-to-win tactics.

Roblox’s Creator Rewards program isn’t perfect. But it’s a clear signal: the platform is doubling down on creators as economic drivers. If you’re just shipping games, you’re leaving value on the table. If you’re building communities, optimizing retention, and growing the pie then you’re exactly who this system is designed for.

As always, the tools are only part of the equation. It’s what you build with them that counts.

Denmark’s parliament just threw a line in the sand the size of Øresund. A cross-party coalition is drafting what local papers already call the “Face Copyright” bill, a measure that would grant every citizen automatic, personal copyright over their physical likeness, voice and other biometric markers. In practice the law would treat your image the way copyright law treats a photograph you take with your phone: you own it by default, and anyone who wants to replicate it must ask first or face statutory penalties.

The catalyst is clear. Cheap generative AI tools have pushed deepfakes out of fringe forums and onto family phones. A political leader’s apology, a celebrity’s endorsement, a classmate’s prank, all just a few prompts away. The Danish Justice Ministry calls it a “nuclear threat to public trust” and claims existing privacy statutes cannot keep up with the viral half-life of synthetic media. Their remedy is to weaponize copyright’s pace and teeth. Copyright attaches the moment the work is fixed, carries billion-kroner fines at scale, and importantly, travels across borders thanks to the Berne Convention.

Skeptics worry the proposal is symbolic. Enforcement, they say, is a cat-and-mouse sprint against anonymous servers and shell accounts. Yet even symbolism shapes incentives. Once a powerful venue like the EU enshrines personal-likeness copyright, platforms and advertisers have to audit uploads or risk secondary liability. The moment a deepfake costs brands real money, click-first ask-later distribution will look more like arson than harmless engagement.

From a Spaceport vantage the bill lands inside a longer arc: the slow but steady shift from treating identity as common clay to treating it as a licensed asset. Our company exists to let artists, athletes and right-holders pipe their characters into digital experiences without drowning in paperwork. A singer’s avatar performing inside a fan’s rhythm game, a sneaker brand teleporting its latest drop into a virtual concert, those integrations only work when ownership is crystal and permissions portable. Denmark is about to apply the same logic to every citizen.

Intuitively it makes sense. No one argues that fingerprints belong to the state or that an author’s manuscript belongs to the printer. Voice, face and whole body are the next logical ring of self. They travel on high-bandwidth highways now; they deserve high-bandwidth protection. With ownership in place a new market emerges. Imagine licensing your precise gait so a fitness studio can render more accurate form analysis, or renting your speaking voice to a language-learning app that needs diverse samples. These possibilities sound abstract until a legal framework invites product managers to build against them.

Critics point to fair-use concerns. Comedy shows rely on impersonations; documentaries remix archival footage. The Danish draft carves out news reporting and satire, but opponents fear a chilling effect. They should hold lawmakers to robust exemptions, but the existence of edge cases is not an argument for keeping identity in regulatory limbo. We already balance quotation rights with traditional copyright every day.

What excites me is the potential feedback loop. If people finally own their likeness, they will demand tools to track, licence and monetize it. When a streamer skins your face onto an NPC, you could receive a micro-payment before the end of the broadcast. When a director wants your younger self for a flashback scene, the request might hit your phone as a standard contract rather than a frantic email to an agent.

Denmark is small, but EU policy often ripples outward. If the Face Copyright bill passes and survives the inevitable court tests, other nations will borrow the template. Each adoption tightens the incentive for platforms to recognize personal IP by default. Deepfakes will not vanish. They will, however, acquire a cost structure that rewards clearance over chaos. In that world creativity still flourishes, but creators, including the owner of the face in the mirror, finally get paid.

Altman Solon 2025 Roblox Study

Altman Solon’s 2025 Roblox study puts hard numbers behind what many of us already sense: Roblox isn’t a side-hustle platform anymore, it’s a mass-market channel hungry for licensed content. Here’s what the data says and how Spaceport is turning those findings into action for brands and developers. Note, Altman Solon surveyed over 1,000 global respondents on their knowledge of and engagement with Roblox, as well as on and off-platform spending, cross-media spending motivations, and cross-platform Roblox brand and engagement motivations. Respondents, located in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., France, Mexico, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, India, and Japan, were representative across age, gender, and geography. 

1. Discovery Is Done. Activation Isn’t.

Roblox enjoys 88 % global brand awareness and seven hours of weekly play among users who log in. Players are there. What most games lack is the right IP hook delivered fast enough to ride a trend. At Spaceport, our licencing portal moves a branded skin or power-up from contract to live build in days, not months or years.

2. Players Swipe … A Lot.

93% of active users have spent money on Roblox; 65% buy daily or weekly. They chase power-ups (57%) and avatar items (56%). That shows us branded micro-items fit a spending pattern that’s already proven. Developers focus on gameplay; Spaceport can supply the licence paperwork and rev-share details.

3. Digital Drives Physical.

After buying in-game items, 52% of players purchase matching real-world merch. Top categories: apparel (34%) and collectibles (31%). Developers can help speed up a brand’s ability to see which virtual drops trigger physical demand, so they know when to green-light a hoodie run, and devs share in those sales.

4. Fans Travel with the Brand.

Three-quarters would pay for spin-off media; 78 % want to engage with Roblox IP on other platforms, whether its a console or YouTube (or tiktok or instagram). Spaceport can design one licence to cover Roblox and downstream uses, so hit assets can jump engines or hit TikTok without rebooting legal talks.

What to Do Next

IP Holders

Drop early. Secure brand assets in games while hype is fresh.

Stand out instantly. A familiar character can triple first-day sessions.

Track ROI. Real-time dashboards show which items move revenue on-platform and off.

Roblox Developers

Earn beyond Robux. Share in merch and media royalties tied to your game.

Go cross-platform. Single agreements cover future ports and collaborations.

Build faster. Spaceport handles approvals; you keep iterating.

Speed Matters: The Grow a Garden Lesson

The survey highlights Grow a Garden, a teen-built title that exploded to millions of concurrent players in days. Viral hits wait for no contract cycle. Spaceport exists so the next breakout game can launch with licensed gear on day one, not week twelve.

Bottom Line

Roblox users already spend, brands are welcome, and dev teams are the bridge. Spaceport fits in the middle, turning IP into playable content quickly and turning purchases into shared upside for everyone involved. If you own a brand or build a game, the data says the window is wide open. Let’s push through it together.

After watching Grow a Garden climb past nine million concurrent players, I keep asking the same question: what happens next? The game already proves a calm loop can outdraw combat. Now it sits on a rare opportunity, millions of daily visitors who are open to learning something new the moment they click “Water.” If the developer chooses, the next update could turn a soothing pastime into a gateway for real-world sustainability lessons.

Start with soil health. Today every plot in Garden behaves the same: plant, wait, harvest, repeat. Imagine a simple nutrient system running under that dirt. Carrots drain nitrogen, beans restore it, monocropping dulls yields. Rotate plant types and your harvest bounces back, exactly the way real farms work. All the game devs have to show the player is a color shift in the soil and a modest bump in coin rewards; the education lives quietly under the hood. Kids would learn that diversity matters without ever reading a textbook.

Composting fits too. Right now extra produce just converts to coins. What if wilted crops slid into a compost bin and turned into organic fertilizer tokens? Players could spend those tokens to speed another crop or donate them to a co-op garden that benefits everyone on the server. The mechanic keeps the game gentle, there’s no penalty for skipping the bin, but rewards emerge for closing the loop. Suddenly regenerative thinking feels as natural as collecting coins. Plus commercial composting and garbage companies and even municipalities could have some brand exposure opportunities that make sense.

Partnerships could push the lesson beyond pixels. Picture a tree-planting nonprofit linking real saplings to in-game milestones. When a server harvests a million tomatoes, the nonprofit tweets a photo of a newly planted grove with coordinates. Players see a direct path from their calm pastime to a living forest through an API call and a geotagged image.

Other brand sponsors should also get involved, but the key is tone. A flashy soda logo would break the spell; an agricultural company or sustainable food brand offering heirloom varieties or purchase of crops for their food products could fit. The sponsorship would have to feel like an extension of the calming loop, not a billboard. Think special seasonal seeds that mimic rare real-world vegetables, unlocked by completing crop-rotation quests or seasonal purchases by a company like dole of your pineapple crop.

Money is always part of the equation. Garden’s current revenue, speed-ups and cosmetics, can stay. A regenerative update might add premium analytics: soil dashboards, custom compost skins, maybe a “pollinator pack” that releases butterflies over thriving plots. These extras preserve the zero-pressure atmosphere while giving power users something new to buy.

Any sustainability pivot must address transparency. Players and parents will want proof that carbon claims or charity tie-ins are real. The simplest fix is exposure: publish the API calls, share receipts, let anyone verify where donations go. Openness aligns with the trust the game already earns by being so gently straightforward.

None of this requires turning the garden into a simulation heavyweight. The current design thrives on simplicity, so new systems should feel like gentle nudges, not spreadsheets. A color change here, a bonus coin there, a sparkly butterfly when soil fertility climbs, light touches that teach without lecturing.

Why bother? Because Roblox is the largest interactive classroom on the planet. If a quiet farming game can slip lessons about crop diversity and closed-loop systems into the play habits of millions, that’s a leverage point you don’t ignore. We know the audience returns day after day for calm; giving that calm a layer of purpose could set a new standard for “serious games” that don’t feel like homework.

If plans for public Q&A land, we might see kids comparing nitrogen levels the way they now compare sparkle shovels. Even if the game never takes that leap, the door is open for the next creator to walk through. Grow a Garden made calm profitable. The next step is making calm regenerative, turning a record-breaking pastime into a small but meaningful push for how we think about the soil beneath both our screens and our shoes.

Spend five unhurried minutes inside Grow a Garden and the loudest sound you’ll hear is a watering-can splash. The Roblox hit swaps combat for calm, pastel soil, lo-fi chords, and a soft sparkle when sprouts mature. Yet beneath the hush runs a surprisingly brisk store. Players buy fertilizer that shortens grow times and cosmetic tools that make their plots glow. There’s no leaderboard, no victory screen, but these add-ons let every gardener move a little quicker or look a little brighter, and that’s enough.

Small purchases balloon when the crowd is massive. Business Insider reports the game has hosted more than nine million simultaneous players, eclipsing all but a handful of titles on Steam. Even modest prices turn serious once that many people click “Buy.” Roblox’s public sales board regularly shows Garden among the day’s top earners. The formula works because it never breaks the vibe: pay a few Robux if you crave momentum or sparkle; keep your coins if slow carrots are your thing.

Speed isn’t the true hook, though. Scarcity is. Limited-run shovels, watering cans, and decorative planters appear in tiny batches, then vanish forever. Owning one says you were early or you cared enough to catch the drop. Friends notice when they visit your plot; a pastel rake suddenly feels like a badge. TikToks showing rare gear harvests rack up views, and viewers hurry in-game to chase the next release. Scarcity turns calm play into quiet status.

Scarcity’s shadow side, of course, is the gray market; private trades on Discord, occasional eBay listings, all outside Roblox rules. An official resale booth would tidy that chaos, where buyers could verify items, sellers could collect safe payments, and the creator could skim a fee to fund future content or maybe even route a slice into a community pool or environmental charity.

For designers, Garden offers three clear reminders. First, mood sells. Players will spend real money to personalize a space that lowers their heart rate. The shop’s success rides on emotion, not adrenaline. Second, limited items generate buzz in any setting. Scarcity works as well in a quiet orchard as it does in a battle royale. Third, status invites trading. If digital objects carry identity weight, secondary exchanges will surface. Planning for that reality is cheaper than chasing fraud later.

Garden also shows that micro-transactions don’t have to feel manipulative. Fertilizer is optional, cosmetic bundles carry flat prices, no loot boxes. The loop respects time instead of hijacking it. That goodwill matters and retention rates stay high because players trust that calm will stay calm even after they open their wallets.

What’s next? The developer has teased soil-health mechanics: plant the same crop too many times and yields dip; rotate varieties and the ground recovers. It’s a tiny tweak that sneaks in a lesson about regenerative farming while preserving the Zen. Imagine quests that reward composting, incentives for planting pollinator rows, or co-op gardens where friends share nutrient charts. Each feature would deepen play without spiking stress.

Brands could slip in as well, if they keep to the tone. A seed company might sponsor heirloom crops during an in-game harvest festival. A tree-planting nonprofit could link real saplings to cooperative milestones: harvest a server-wide million tomatoes and a live grove appears on a public map. Done carefully with no garish banners or pushy ads, and these integrations could turn a soothing pastime into a bridge between virtual and physical sustainability.

Even education circles are taking notes. Teachers already use the game for downtime; a soil-rotation update could turn that downtime into curriculum. Students might track virtual nitrogen cycles one week and replicate the pattern in classroom planters the next. The point is subtlety: let learning ride in the passenger seat while fun drives.

So yes, quiet spaces can ring loud cash registers, but they can also carry ideas. Grow a Garden manages both without raising its heartbeat. It proves that serenity is not a niche; it’s a market segment ready for smarter design and healthier economics. Whether the next patch introduces soil fatigue, official resales, or carbon-credit tie-ins, one thing is certain: millions of players will be back tomorrow, watering pixel cucumbers and waiting to see what sprouts next.

A few weeks ago Business Insider ran a short piece on a Roblox title called Grow a Garden. Buried in the story was a number that made me stop scrolling: at peak the game pulled more than nine million concurrent players. For context, that’s higher than the daily-peak of almost every game on Steam, and it happened in a world where nothing explodes, no one shouts into voice chat, and the biggest challenge is remembering to water a seed.

Open the game and it’s obvious why so many people stay. You start with a tiny square of soil. Click once to plant a seed, click again to add a splash of water, and then wait, about half a minute, for a pastel carrot to pop out of the ground with a friendly sparkle. Harvest the crop, earn a few in-game coins, expand your plot by one square, and do it again. That’s the entire loop. Nothing wilts if you walk away, nothing jumps out to steal your harvest. The worst outcome is that your garden politely pauses, waiting for you to return.

If that sounds almost boring, remember what the last few years have done to our collective pulse. We binge watched a pandemic, doom scrolled three dozen news cycles, and fielded more notifications than our brains were built to handle. It turns out that millions of players, including plenty who also love shooters, are desperate for a place to breathe. Grow a Garden hands them a watering can and says, “Take your time.”

The game’s creator is, according to the Insider report, a sixteen-year-old who prefers to stay anonymous. He started with an open-source farming template, stripped out every pain point, no fatigue meters, no aggressive monetization, and kept only what felt gentle. Even the timer is considerate: long enough to feel anticipation, short enough to avoid boredom. The result is a rhythm that feels closer to deep breathing than to grinding.

That rhythm matters. Most blockbusters chase ever-faster loops, unlock this, trigger that, keep the adrenaline spiking. Grow a Garden moves in half-minute beats: plant, pause, harvest, exhale. Pair that pacing with soft lighting, hushed music, and a pastel palette, and you get a digital spa that fits neatly inside Roblox’s chatty ecosystem. TikTok clips of harvest rows soon followed, all set to lo-fi beats. The platform’s discovery algorithm noticed the retention rate, players kept coming back day after day, and pushed the game to even more users. Momentum snowballed without a marketing budget or a celebrity streamer in sight.

Retention is the quiet hero here. High-profile games often see a surge on launch day and then tail off. Grow a Garden has done the opposite. Its audience grows precisely because it demands so little. You can jump in for five minutes between meetings or zone out for an hour before bed. When you leave, you feel calmer than when you arrived, and that subtle emotional payoff keeps the loop alive.

The social layer seals the deal. Roblox is at heart a giant chat room wrapped in game worlds. In Garden, friends can visit one another’s plots, water each other’s seedlings, and leave small boosts behind. There’s no stealing crops or sabotaging rivals. Cooperation is the only interaction, and it reinforces the idea that taking care of plants, of friends, of yourself, is the entire point.

Of course, even a peaceful game needs a way to pay server bills. Garden sells optional fertilizer that shortens grow times and a rotation of cosmetic tools that sparkle while you work. Prices are modest, and because the items don’t affect balance, buying them feels like ordering an extra latte rather than buying power. The developer hasn’t shared revenue figures, but the long queues in the in-game shop suggest the model is working. Players are happy to spend a few Robux for a prettier or faster way to garden, especially when the underlying loop remains stress-free.

What fascinates me most is what the game’s success says about where play is heading. We’ve spent years equating engagement with intensity, faster matches, brighter colors, louder soundtracks. Grow a Garden flips that script. Engagement, in this corner of the internet, means exhaling. It means a space where the stakes are low, the timer is kind, and the reward is a tiny spark on a cartoon carrot.

Will every studio pivot to cozy farming sims? Probably not. But Garden proves there is room, at massive scale, for games that serve the same purpose as a weighted blanket or a meditation podcast. Developers who ignore that signal risk leaving millions of players, and plenty of revenue, on the table.

The game is still evolving. In a recent Q&A the creator teased soil-health mechanics: if you plant the same crop over and over, yields dip; rotate varieties and the soil recovers. That tweak would turn the garden into a quiet lesson in regenerative farming without disturbing its calm. Imagine children bragging about balanced nitrogen levels the same way they brag about high kill counts in shooters. That’s a future I can get behind.

Grow a Garden isn’t an outlier, it’s a lighthouse. It shows that in a landscape crowded with noise, silence can be the loudest signal. Offer players a space to breathe, and they’ll show up in numbers that break records. They’ll even pay for a prettier watering can. The next time I catch myself assuming bigger explosions equal bigger success, I’ll remember nine million kids quietly watering pixel carrots, and then I’ll go tend my own little plot.

We're excited to announce a new partnership between Pan Am Brands and Spaceport, a unique collaboration that brings one of the most legendary names in aviation into the world of digital play.

This partnership marks Pan Am's first foray into the metaverse and is designed as a blend of marketing and licensing for the brand. Together, we're launching a limited collection of branded avatar items on Roblox, introducing a new generation of fans to the spirit of adventure, design, and cultural cachet that made Pan Am a global icon. Check it out here!

Pan Am’s presence on Roblox begins with a set of custom UGC (user-generated content) items inspired by their most beloved visual identity elements, from retro stewardess caps and flight bags to classic travel posters and jet-setter styles. These digital goods move beyond collectibles, offering the first foyer into a broader world where Pan Am can inspire curiosity, community, and nostalgia in entirely new formats.

“Roblox is where identity, community, and culture converge for the next generation,” said Le Zhang, CEO of Spaceport. “We’re thrilled to help a legendary brand like Pan Am take flight in this space. By turning their iconic legacy into playable, wearable storytelling, we're opening the door to a new era of brand engagement.”

This is both a licensing play and a huge strategic step toward reintroducing Pan Am to new generations of users worldwide who may not know the brand through its long history, but will come to love it through self-expression, digital fashion, and immersive worlds. Pan Am's approach is bold and self-aware, and while the brand's classic line might be "The World's Most Experienced Airline," this time, they aren't focused on flying planes. They're focused on flying through digital culture.

“For Pan Am, this is about more than nostalgia,” said Stacy Beck, SVP Brands and licensing, Pan Am . “We want to connect with a new generation in the places where they already live, play, and express themselves. Spaceport has the creative and technical expertise to help us do that in a way that feels fresh, authentic, and true to our heritage.”

The initial collection includes both free and premium items, available exclusively through Roblox. Spaceport will handle full development, launch strategy, and creative execution in a deal that was brokered by Firefly Brand Management. 

For Pan Am, it’s a test flight with serious potential: a way to explore how digital worlds can serve as a new takeoff point for brand relevance and resonance.

Welcome aboard.

Users will enjoy an Immersive Gaming Experience Based on the Highly Anticipated New Animated Series of Winx Club that will debut globally on Netflix in the same period 

Rainbow is thrilled to announce that Winx Club, the iconic 20-year franchise and global brand that has captivated generations of fans, will officially land on Roblox in Q3 2025.

This marks an exciting new chapter for the franchise as it expands into one of the world’s most popular and dynamic digital platforms, and reinforces Rainbow’s commitment to delivering compelling, high-quality content across all media touchpoints - television, toys, music, and gaming.

Inspired by the innovative new CG animated series of Winx Club, the upcoming game offers fans an engaging, immersive experience inside the Magic Dimension. Players will have the opportunity to step into the shoes of a Fairy, Witch or Specialist, attend magic classes at the Alfea fairy school, explore iconic locations from the series, and interact with beloved characters from the Winx universe. They will be able to customise their avatars, battle dark forces, and even create or join a Club, building strong connections with the vibrant global community of fans.

The Roblox launch sees the first fruits of Rainbow’s exclusive partnership with Spaceport on Roblox. Spaceport, leaders in IP licensing on gaming platforms, have created a multi-game strategy to deliver different gaming experiences to cater to the different age groups that make up Winx Club’s multi-generational fandom, achieved over 20 years of content broadcast and fan engagement.

“The Winx Club has always been about magic, friendship, and adventure,” said Iginio Straffi, Creator of Winx Club and President of Rainbow. “By partnering with Spaceport, we’re bringing those timeless themes into the worlds where today’s youth play and connect. Roblox allows us to speak their language. interactive, social, and imaginative, while introducing a new generation to the magic of Winx.”

“We’re thrilled to partner with Rainbow to reimagine the iconic Winx Club for a new generation of fans,” said Le Zhang, CEO of Spaceport. “By bringing the magic of Winx to Roblox, we’re introducing this beloved classic in bold, creative ways that speak to how today’s youth play and express themselves.”

The hugely popular evergreen TV series, set in a vibrant world of magic, friendship and courage, follows the spellbinding adventures of a group of fairy friends. In an exciting new era of enchantment, a thrilling new adaptation is bringing the magical dimension of Winx Club to life like never before in a 26-part series set to premiere globally on Netflix this autumn, supported by wide-reaching PR, consumer product launches and dedicated marketing campaigns in key territories. 

As excitement builds for the Winx Club new animated Series, the Official Roblox game will offer fans a first opportunity to step inside the world of the new Winx era and experience its magic firsthand.  

About Rainbow

Established in 1995 by multi-award-winning creator Iginio Straffi, CEO of the Group, Rainbow produces and distributes animated and Live Action contents across all audience targets and channels. First rising among the largest animation studios in the world following the extraordinary success of the Winx Club saga, loved and followed by millions, Rainbow has showcased the power to create global and classic franchises, landing yearly among the Top Global Licensors in the world with more than 500 active licenses.

Rainbow Group also includes Bardel Inc., Emmy Award®-winning Canadian studio offering CGI and VFX animation services, and Colorado Film, Italian excellence company in Live Action production. Besides creating and distributing original content worldwide, the group reaches the global market with licensing, editorial projects, live events, and production of merchandise and toys also under license.

About Spaceport

Spaceport is building the Internet of IP (Intellectual Property) by seamlessly connecting brands and agencies with the world’s largest network of creators and developers. The company’s mission is to democratize access to the world’s best IPs, empowering owners to unlock new revenue streams and enhance fan engagement. As the leading solution for millions of creators on top platforms like Roblox, Fortnite and Threadless, Spaceport is shaping a future where all IP, both online and offline, is efficiently managed and monetized through their innovative Web3-based infrastructure. Founded in 2022 and headquartered next to MIT in Cambridge, MA with offices in Los Angeles and Berkeley, CA, Spaceport is pioneering the future of IP. Learn more at https://www.spaceport.xyz/

For further information contact:

Valerie Taylor

Publicity Consultant

valerie at valerie-taylor dot co dot uk

Marcos Sanchez

marcos at getspaceport dot com

At Licensing Expo, the future of IP is on display,  but its next home isn’t just shelves or screens. It’s playable. Brands and licensors are discovering what kids and teens already know: Roblox is where digital identity, storytelling, and fandom collide. It's where brands can live as games, not just as logos.

For decades, licensed IP has moved from comics to cartoons, TV to toys, and merch to mobile. But Roblox represents a new frontier. It's not just another distribution channel, it's an interactive platform where IP comes to life through play, self-expression, and community-driven creativity. At Spaceport, we help brands move from traditional licensing models to immersive, game-powered ecosystems on Roblox.

Static IP Meets a Dynamic Medium

Historically, licensing meant creating products around a brand: action figures, apparel, maybe an animated series. But on Roblox, IP can be experienced, not just consumed. That plush toy? It could have a personality, a set of abilities, and an evolving narrative in-game. That classic character? They could guide players through quests, show up in seasonal events, or even interact with fans in real time.

In other words, we don’t just bring your IP to Roblox. We help reimagine it for an environment where fans don’t just watch the story, they play it.

Why Now?

Roblox has over 90 million daily active users, and a significant portion of that audience overlaps with the same kids, teens, and families that brands have long targeted through licensed products. But those audiences are increasingly spending their time inside virtual worlds, not in front of TVs, or in retail aisles.

At the same time, Roblox has matured into a creative platform with real monetization tools, brand safety frameworks, and an ecosystem of talented developers ready to help IPs scale. That’s where Spaceport comes in: we act as the bridge between iconic brands and world-class Roblox creators.

From Plushie to Playable

Let’s take a simple example: a toy brand with a beloved line of animal characters. Traditionally, the IP might show up in stores, a YouTube series, and maybe an app. But on Roblox, that plushie can become a companion inside an interactive world. It can evolve, be styled, traded, or even be part of a game loop that keeps players coming back.

Now that toy line is no longer just merch, it’s the foundation of a persistent digital experience. Players build memories with it. They share content. They form communities around it. That’s the kind of loyalty static products can’t generate on their own.

What Spaceport Offers

Spaceport helps brands navigate this leap into Roblox:

• We handle the IP licensing, approval, and brand protection process.
• We match IP with the right developer talent and studio partners.
• We look at game mechanics and experiences to make sure they are true to the brand but native to the Roblox platform.
• We help design monetization, and event strategy to keep engagement high.

We don’t just build one-off activations. We help brands create sustainable virtual worlds that evolve alongside their audience.

Let’s Talk at Licensing Expo

If you're at Licensing Expo this week and thinking about how to future-proof your IP, we'd love to meet. Whether you're in toys, animation, publishing, or lifestyle brands, the Roblox opportunity is real,  and it's growing.

Your IP deserves to live in the worlds where your next generation of fans already are. Let's make it playable.

📩 Book a meeting: https://www.spaceport.xyz/getspaceport

Let’s be honest: most players leave your game way too fast. On Roblox, 50% of your traffic is gone within the first two minutes. That’s not a bug in the algorithm, it’s a sign your opening moments aren’t working hard enough.

The good news? You don’t need more features. You need a better start.

At Spaceport, we work with developers and brands to help launch hit experiences on Roblox. These are the real strategies we see working across the platform to keep players engaged, coming back, and telling their friends.

The First 10 Seconds Matter Most

The most decisive moment in a player’s journey is the first 10 seconds. When a player spawns, your game needs to clearly communicate what’s happening, what to do, and why it’s exciting. There should be movement, sound, or a visual cue that responds to their presence and ideally, a small reward within reach.

If those first 10 seconds feel flat, unclear, or static, you’ve already lost them. Strong starts aren’t about overloading players with features, they’re about creating momentum immediately.

Use FOMO to Drive Engagement

Players are more likely to stick around when they feel like they’ll miss out on something valuable. Limited-time items, daily events, or countdown-driven content create urgency — and urgency drives retention. Even simple messaging like “Only available today!” can boost return rates dramatically. Make the experience feel alive and time-sensitive.Make Learning Seamless, Not Instructional

Make play intuitive

Nobody reads tutorials on Roblox. They want to play, not study. Instead of walls of text, use visual cues and interactions to onboard players. A simple arrow, an interactive object, and one satisfying moment of feedback is all it takes. Good onboarding is invisible. When players feel like they discovered how to play instead of being told, they’re more likely to stick around and explore further.

Reinforce New Features by telling them… three times at least

When introducing new mechanics, don’t assume players will understand or remember them right away. Show it, let them use it, and then reward it, all at least three times. You’ve probably heard people refer to the 3X Rule. Repetition, especially when paired with reward, helps new systems become second nature. If a feature isn’t reinforced, it fades fast.

Embrace Random Rewards

Unpredictability taps into a player’s dopamine system, and it works. Mystery boxes, spin wheels, or surprise drops keep players coming back, even when the rewards are small. Gotcha mechanics, when implemented fairly, can turn routine play into something exciting. Just remember: fairness and transparency are key to keeping players’ trust.

First Impressions Start With the Click

Before a player even sees your game, they see your thumbnail and title. These two elements make or break discovery. Your thumbnail should spark emotion and curiosity, action, excitement, or mystery. The title? Keep it short, punchy, and readable. Together, they are your gateway to attention.

Create Shareable Moments

Games that grow organically are games players love to talk about. Whether it’s a last-second clutch, a rare drop, or an unexpected fail, make sure your game is full of moments worth sharing. When players clip and share those moments, you unlock word-of-mouth growth, the most powerful (and free) discovery tool out there.

Ultimately, retention isn’t about grinding. It’s about clarity, momentum, and emotional payoff. The games that win on Roblox are the ones that hook fast, teach intuitively, and reward often. If you're building on Roblox and want to level up your experience, or partner with IP to create stickier, more scalable games, Spaceport is here to help.

Let’s make something unforgettable.

Explore more at spaceport.xyz

Image composition: Ana Diaz/Polygon

Roblox is one of the most powerful platforms for building immersive, social gaming experiences. But in a sea of games competing for attention, standing out can be a challenge. That’s where IP licensing comes in.

Using licensed intellectual property (IP) isn’t just about slapping a logo on your game. It’s about creating instantly recognizable, emotionally resonant experiences that accelerate user acquisition, drive deeper engagement, and open new monetization pathways. At Spaceport, we partner with developers to help them unlock the full power of IP, bridging the worlds of gaming and global brands.

Why IP Matters

Players on Roblox aren’t just looking for games. They’re looking for identity, expression, and stories they recognize. A game that integrates a well-known character, franchise, or aesthetic instantly benefits from that IP’s built-in audience and cultural equity. It reduces the time it takes to onboard a player and increases the chance they’ll stay.

Familiar IP builds trust. It can also be the difference between a casual click and a viral sensation. Whether it’s a fashion drop from a Gen Z brand or a collab with a nostalgic animated series, players are more likely to engage when the world already means something to them.

Boosting Discovery and Acquisition

Roblox’s game discovery is competitive. Leveraging IP can help cut through the noise. Branded experiences often get additional support via Roblox events, social media amplification, and built-in virality through user-generated content and social sharing.

When you partner with Spaceport, we help you navigate licensing deals that align with your audience and gameplay goals. We handle the complexity, so you can focus on building. The result? Faster traction, stronger hooks, and better player retention.

Unlocking New Monetization Paths

IP doesn’t just drive play,  it drives spend. Avatar items, digital merch, and seasonal content tied to beloved franchises convert at higher rates. Players want to show off their favorite characters, brands, and cultural signals.

With the right licensing strategy, developers can:

• Launch exclusive UGC items that align with licensed brands.
• Design limited-time events or cosmetics around major film, TV, or product releases.
• Create battle passes or progression systems themed to IP narratives.

These aren’t just revenue tactics. They build loyalty, encourage replays, and create social momentum inside and outside the platform.

Building with Spaceport

At Spaceport, we help developers bring these opportunities to life. We work with iconic IP holders across entertainment (from TV to Movies), fashion, and consumer products to broker deals, manage brand approvals, and align activations with cultural moments.

More importantly, we understand Roblox. Our creative and technical teams collaborate with developers to shape experiences that feel authentic to the platform and the community. We don’t just help you add IP to your game. We help you elevate your game through IP.

Whether you’re an indie dev or a full studio, licensing doesn’t have to be out of reach. With Spaceport, you can build unforgettable, high-impact experiences that scale.

The Bottom Line

Licensed IP is more than a shortcut to attention, it’s a long-term advantage in audience growth, brand recognition, and monetization. For developers ready to take their Roblox game to the next level, it’s one of the smartest plays you can make.

Let’s build worlds players love and remember. 

Explore how Spaceport helps developers integrate licensed IP at spaceport.xyz.

In today's rapidly evolving digital landscape, brands seeking lasting connections with Gen Z and Gen Alpha need to reconsider traditional approaches to fan engagement. User-generated content (UGC) ecosystems, particularly platforms like Roblox, offer unprecedented opportunities for authentic brand interaction and meaningful engagement. At Spaceport, we've witnessed firsthand how licensing and co-creation with fan-developers opens innovative paths to reach and resonate with younger audiences.

Roblox, with over 200 million active users primarily comprising younger generations, has become an essential platform for brands aiming to cultivate early and lasting positive associations. Engaging audiences early through immersive, interactive experiences not only captures immediate attention but also fosters enduring brand loyalty.

Consider Nike’s successful venture into Roblox with "Nikeland," an immersive virtual world where players can explore, compete, and interact through various sports and activities. This branded experience does more than showcase products; it genuinely integrates Nike into users' playtime, subtly embedding positive brand perceptions and affinity. By co-creating experiences alongside Roblox developers and the community, Nike has established a dynamic, ongoing relationship with a new generation of consumers.

Gucci Garden

Luxury brand Gucci’s collaboration with Roblox, "Gucci Garden," demonstrates another powerful approach. Gucci crafted a virtual exhibition where visitors could explore themed rooms inspired by the brand’s iconic designs. This initiative engaged millions of younger users and translated virtual popularity into tangible interest and demand in the physical world.

Such examples underscore the compelling benefits of brand engagement within Roblox's UGC ecosystem. Unlike traditional marketing, which often feels intrusive or disconnected, Roblox experiences are user-driven and organic, making them inherently more authentic and appealing to younger audiences.

Spaceport understands the value of connecting brands with fan-developers and UGC platforms. Our licensing solutions streamline the integration process, ensuring brands can confidently enter these digital worlds while maintaining control over their intellectual property. By leveraging fan-developers' creativity and deep platform expertise, brands can launch tailored experiences that resonate deeply with their target audiences.

Moreover, early brand interactions within platforms like Roblox cultivate long-term relationships. Positive childhood and adolescent experiences create lasting brand loyalty and emotional connections, influencing purchasing decisions well into adulthood. Investing in these digital spaces now positions brands for sustained future success.

Ultimately, UGC ecosystems like Roblox represent the future of fan engagement, offering unparalleled opportunities to connect authentically with emerging consumer generations. Spaceport invites brands, both legacy and emerging, to explore this innovative frontier. By embracing licensing and co-creation with fan-developers, brands not only stay culturally relevant but also build meaningful, enduring relationships that drive lifelong loyalty.

Join us in redefining fan engagement, where creativity meets community, and brand connections last a lifetime.

Keith Cook is the Head of BD and Brand Partnerships for Spaceport.xyz and an experienced sales leader executive experience at major software companies like: Unity technologies and GitHub (MSFT) as well as start ups like Parsec & Movella. For more information contact us: https://www.spaceport.xyz/getspaceport

The creative landscape is changing dramatically, and fan-developers on platforms like Roblox are at the forefront of this evolution. Traditionally, major brands and established studios held the reins when it came to creating globally recognized intellectual property (IP). Today, that power dynamic is shifting decisively towards individual creators and small teams within user-generated content (UGC) ecosystems. At Spaceport, we’ve watched firsthand how these emerging creators are redefining what it means to build and shape global IP.

Roblox, with its vast user base and vibrant creator community, has become a central hub for this shift. No longer are brands solely dictating the terms of engagement. Instead, talented fan-developers are leveraging their passion, creativity, and technical expertise to build unique IP that resonates deeply with their communities, and increasingly, with global audiences.

Consider “Brookhaven RP,” a Roblox experience developed by Wolfpaq, which has become a cultural phenomenon with billions of visits. Brookhaven’s success demonstrates the enormous potential fan-developed IP has in reaching mainstream popularity and profitability. It represents a shift where users become co-creators, no longer passive consumers but active participants in the creative economy.

Brookhaven stats

Similarly, the success of “Doors” by LSPLASH underscores the power of original IP that taps deeply into the cultural zeitgeist. Its compelling gameplay and distinctive visual style propelled Doors to over a billion visits, highlighting how innovative concepts and robust community engagement can rapidly transform fan-created content into globally recognized IP.

These examples are not anomalies; they represent a broader trend where fan-developers are not just shaping the future of gaming but redefining how IP is created, shared, and monetized. With traditional media channels facing challenges in capturing the attention of younger generations, the significance of platforms like Roblox becomes increasingly apparent. Brands are recognizing the value of tapping into these digitally native ecosystems, where authentic fan engagement thrives organically.

At Spaceport, we’re committed to empowering fan-developers by providing the necessary tools and infrastructure to securely manage, monetize, and scale their creative works. Our smart licensing solutions and blockchain-backed IP management system simplify royalty payments and licensing deals, allowing creators to focus on what they do best, creating.

As fan-developers continue to shape global IP through platforms like Roblox, we anticipate an even greater shift in how brands approach IP creation and licensing. Collaborations between major brands and independent developers will become increasingly common, fostering a creative environment that benefits both sides. Developers gain access to established fanbases and marketing support, while brands remain culturally relevant by authentically engaging with fan-driven content.

The era of fan-developers is not just emerging, it’s already here. By embracing and empowering these creators, we’re unlocking an exciting future for global IP that’s more dynamic, inclusive, and creatively diverse than ever before. Join us as we support this revolution, turning innovative ideas into iconic IP that resonates globally.

We were thrilled to host our exclusive Happy Hour during the Game Developers Conference 2025 in San Francisco! With over 40 RSVPs and a vibrant, rotating crew of creators, developers, and innovators throughout the evening, it was a fantastic opportunity to connect, share ideas, and unwind (and watch the sunset).

The event was buzzing with great conversations about the latest GDC announcements and innovations, game development, and future opportunities. We're grateful to everyone who joined us at Rise Over Run's rooftop, making the evening truly special.

Check out these highlights from the evening—we're already looking forward to our next gathering!

Thanks for joining us,

The Spaceport Team

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Welcome to our curated list of resources for developers and creators. Whether you’re a Roblox developer or a UGC creator, these materials are designed to enhance your skills and broaden your knowledge. We’ve gathered tutorials, best practices, and industry insights to support your creative journey. Our goal is to empower you with the tools you need to innovate and succeed in today’s digital landscape. Dive in, explore, and let your creativity soar!

Roblox Developer Resources

1. Roblox intro to coding and game design
2. Roblox developer 101
3. Introduction to Roblox StudioHandout: Roblox Studio CheatsheetHandout: Intro to Coding Cheatsheet
4. Roblox Studio core curriculum
5. Integrating External Applications into Your UI Design
6. Exploiting Explained
7. Ruski’s Tutorial #1: How to Design a Map Layout
8. Real-World Building and Scripting Optimization for Roblox
9. Modeling 101 in Blender: Box Modeling
10. Substance Painter Overview, Setup, and General PBR Creation
11. Improving Onboarding Through Funnel Events
12. Collection of Useful Community Services for Roblox Developers
13. Save Your Player Data with ProfileService Datastore Module
14. Blender Rig Exporter/Animation Importer
15. Roblox DMCA Guidelines: Protecting Your Content
16. Intellectual Property and Video Games (WIPO)
17. Roblox documentation on using teleportation between place and even games

Roblox UGC Creator Resources

1. Roblox Creator Interviews: Getting Started with UGC (Feat. PolarCub)
2. Meta Merch: If Roblox UGC is Part of Your Brand Strategy, Let's Talk Pricing
3. UGC Program: Expanding Creation and Monetization with Avatar Bodies and Heads
4. Frosty Cherries: Getting Started with UGC
5. Decoded: UGC Creation Guide
6. Roblox Intellectual Property Guidelines for the Marketplace

We look forward to seeing what you’re going to create!

Exciting news for game developers attending D.I.C.E. Summit 2025 in Las Vegas! Spaceport is bringing our top executives to the conference, and we’re eager to connect with visionary developers and IP holders looking to leverage premium content like Toei Animation, Boston MFA, and more. We’re offering one-on-one meetings to explore how our innovative solutions can unlock new creative possibilities and drive your projects to new heights.

Our team will be on-site tomorrow, Wednesday, and early Thursday, February 11-13 2025 to discuss how Spaceport’s offerings can transform your next game project. We don’t want to miss this chance to speak directly with industry leaders and forge game-changing partnerships, email us now. We look forward to meeting you!

The U.S. Copyright Office made a significant announcement this week, declaring that the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools to assist in the creative process does not undermine the copyright of a work. This decision, outlined in a comprehensive 41-page report, provides much-needed clarity for creators, particularly in industries like film, gaming, and software development, where AI has become an indispensable tool.  

The report, which can be accessed here: https://copyright.gov/ai/Copyright-and-Artificial-Intelligence-Part-2-Copyrightability-Report.pdf , reaffirms a critical principle: human authorship remains essential to copyright protection While AI can assist in the creative process, it cannot replace the human element required to claim authorship. As the report states, “The use of AI tools to assist rather than stand in for human creativity does not affect the availability of copyright protection for the output.”  

This guidance is a game-changer for creators who rely on AI to enhance their work. For example, filmmakers using AI for post-production tasks like color grading, visual effects, or even script analysis can now breathe easier knowing their creative output remains protected. Similarly, game developers—who often face analogous challenges to filmmakers—can leverage AI for coding, asset generation, or procedural world-building without jeopardizing their intellectual property rights.  

The Copyright Office also emphasized that copyright protection extends to works where humans creatively “select and arrange” AI-generated elements. This means that even if AI contributes to the process, the final product can still be copyrighted if it reflects human creativity. As the report explains, “Copyright protects the original expression in a work created by a human author, even if the work also includes AI-generated material.”  

This distinction is crucial in a world where AI is rapidly transforming how we work. From automating repetitive tasks to generating complex code or visual assets, AI is reshaping industries across the board. However, this technological shift also raises concerns about job displacement and the future of creative professions. By affirming the importance of human authorship, the Copyright Office is sending a clear message: AI is a tool, not a replacement for human ingenuity.  

For game developers, this ruling is particularly relevant. Many studios already use AI to streamline workflows, such as generating textures, animating characters, or even writing snippets of code. Under the new guidance, these developers can confidently integrate AI into their pipelines, knowing that their creative decisions—such as how they select, modify, and arrange AI-generated assets—will still qualify for copyright protection.  

The report also highlights the importance of transparency. Creators must disclose the extent of AI’s involvement in their work when registering for copyright. This ensures that the human contribution is clearly documented, reinforcing the principle that copyright is rooted in human creativity.  

While this guidance is a step forward, it also underscores the need for ongoing dialogue about AI’s role in society. As AI becomes more sophisticated, questions about authorship, ownership, and the ethical use of these tools will only grow more complex. The Copyright Office’s report is a timely reminder that while AI can augment human creativity, it cannot replace the unique perspective and originality that only humans can bring.  

In a world where AI is poised to dramatically alter how we work, this guidance provides a critical framework for navigating the intersection of technology and creativity. It ensures that creators can harness the power of AI without sacrificing their rights—a balance that will be essential as we continue to explore the potential of this transformative technology.  

For more details, you can read the full report here: https://copyright.gov/ai/Copyright-and-Artificial-Intelligence-Part-2-Copyrightability-Report.pdf .

Intellectual property (IP) is crucial in the video game industry because it safeguards the distinctive elements that developers spend countless hours creating. Whether it is characters, storylines, or unique mechanics, IP rights—like copyrights, trademarks, and patents—ensure that you maintain control over your creative work and prevent unauthorized use by others.

A solid understanding of IP is also important when incorporating third-party content, as unintentional infringement can lead to serious legal and financial repercussions. To help developers navigate these complexities, Roblox’s Intellectual Property guidelines and its DMCA guidelines outline how to protect your original content and respond effectively to takedown notices. On a broader level, the World Intellectual Property Organization offers a global perspective on IP considerations for video games, while the Entertainment Software Association covers industry-specific practices for preserving your creations. For those operating in or expanding to Europe, the European IP Helpdesk provides region-focused guidance.

Although this article does not constitute legal advice, recognizing the importance of IP can help video game developers avoid conflicts, protect their innovative ideas, and maintain a smoother path to success. By staying informed, creators can safeguard both their artistic vision and their commercial investments.

Spaceport.xyz’s inclusion in the Decasonic AI x GameFi 2025 Market Map highlights its innovative contributions to the evolving gaming and Web3 ecosystem. As an IP licensing solution powered by Web3 technology, Spaceport enables creators, brands, and developers to unlock new revenue streams through decentralized gaming economies.

GameFi, the convergence of gaming and decentralized finance, has redefined player engagement, monetization, and ownership. Spaceport.xyz stands out by addressing a critical component of this ecosystem: intellectual property. By leveraging Web3 technology, Spaceport facilitates seamless IP licensing within GameFi platforms. This aligns with the broader trend outlined in the Decasonic report, where community-driven governance and player-driven economies are at the forefront.

AI plays a transformative role in GameFi by enabling personalized, dynamic gameplay and optimizing in-game economies. Spaceport.xyz complements this trend by allowing IP owners to integrate their assets into these AI-driven ecosystems. From branded in-game items to unique AI-powered characters, Spaceport bridges the gap between creators and game developers, offering a frictionless pathway for collaboration and innovation.

Decasonic’s market map emphasizes innovation at the intersection of AI and GameFi. Spaceport earned its place by addressing a unique challenge in the ecosystem: making IP accessible and functional in a decentralized, player-first economy. Its approach aligns with key pillars of the market map, particularly in empowering creators and enabling adaptive, community-driven experiences.

As AI agents, generative AI, and decentralized governance redefine gaming, Spaceport.xyz is positioned to play a pivotal role. By facilitating the seamless integration of licensed IP into Web3 games, Spaceport not only enhances gameplay experiences but also ensures creators are fairly compensated in these new digital economies.

Inclusion in the Decasonic AI x GameFi 2025 Market Map is a testament to Spaceport’s leadership and innovation in this rapidly evolving space. As the GameFi market matures, solutions like Spaceport will be integral to its growth and adoption.

Welcome to Toei Animation’s Hypergalactic Universe of games.

Just launched are 5 new games from some of the best game studios on Roblox; Twin Atlas, Banana Studios, Brave Turtles, Intention Entertainment and Method Men Studios. Titles include: Hypergalactic Obby, Super Hero AcademyX Hypergalactic, Rift HuntersXHypergalactic, Burger Game Hypergalctic and Hypergalactic: Monkey Quest. Enter Monkey Quest and slide down the mountain to find the magic portal that rockets you out to a host of other games that are all part of the new Hypergalactic Universe. Spend hours with your friends exploring new worlds, training to be a super hero, avoiding obstacles or cookin’ up some burgers.

At Spaceport, we continue to bridge virtual worlds and empower the next generation of storytellers. Whether you’re creating UGC or metaverse experiences, or building your own game, our refined workflow and high quality IP make it easier than ever to use the hottest IP. Ready to see what’s possible? Step into Hypergalactic Monkey Quest on Roblox and experience firsthand how we’re unlocking new frontiers in creativity.

If you’re a UGC creator or game dec, join us on this journey, and let’s shape the future of digital collaboration together https://www.spaceport.xyz/devs .

‹›

The advancement of physics based programming skills used in games will make the metaverse a mind bending universe that will collapse the notion of reality in on itself. To understand the gravity of this statement, we need to consider how the relationship between technology, human perception, and the concept of reality has evolved over time. For years, we have defined reality as the tangible world of solid objects, verifiable facts, and measurable events. But as computational sophistication marches forward—particularly in the realm of gaming—we are poised to enter an era where simulated physics and immersive digital environments challenge our most fundamental assumptions.

This will force Brands to license everything in two realities simultaneously in the very near future. Imagine a world where your favorite brand’s clothing line doesn’t just exist on a physical rack in a department store but also in a fully realized, physics-accurate virtual environment accessible via headsets, screens, or holographic interfaces. These parallel licensing agreements, one for physical products and one for their digital counterparts, will reflect a world where consumers don’t just buy products—they buy experiences and identities that transcend the boundaries we currently take for granted.

As we approach this future, it’s becoming clear that Roblox and Fortnite will be leaders in the creation of these worlds, not, as we thought, companies like Meta and Google. The intuition has long been that tech giants with massive resources, research facilities, and global influence would naturally dominate the metaverse. Instead, the crown will belong to the platforms that have already cultivated massive user bases and fostered communities of creators who understand how to build interactive, physics-driven experiences. Roblox and Fortnite have proven that user-generated content, flexible economic systems, and community-driven evolution can outperform top-down corporate designs. Meta and Google, by contrast, might find themselves providing the underlying infrastructure and hardware—the computing power, the network bandwidth, and the augmented reality glasses—while ceding creative direction and cultural influence to the platforms that understand players and creators best.

In this dynamic, those companies will only be hardware and foundational tech providers, creating the essential building blocks—the processors, the displays, the input devices—that enable the metaverse to function. But the true artistry, the cultural relevance, and the social capital will lie in the hands of the game-based metaverse platforms where physics-based programming is refined and innovated on a daily basis. By opening their platforms to endless customization, modification, and iteration, these game worlds become living laboratories for new forms of expression, commerce, and interaction.

Further, VR and AR will both play significant roles in how alternate realities will blend into our own existence. Virtual Reality will provide the fully immersive, closed-loop experiences that transport us entirely into digital realms. In these worlds, physics-based programming can simulate every nuance of gravity, friction, wind resistance, and material density, allowing us to build and explore environments that feel shockingly authentic. Augmented Reality, on the other hand, will overlay these digital constructs onto our immediate surroundings. Suddenly, that coffee table in your living room can be home to a tiny, interactive marketplace of digital goods, or your city park can become a sprawling fantasy kingdom populated by mythical creatures visible only through AR glasses or your phone. The interplay between VR and AR will enrich our world with layers of meaning and existence that challenge any singular definition of “reality.”

The question of what is reality will blur the lines between things we can physically touch, and things that only our minds can touch. As physics-based simulations become more convincing, and as our AR and VR technologies improve, we will find ourselves questioning whether something needs to have mass or matter to be considered “real.” When we can see, hear, and even feel haptic feedback from digital objects, they will begin to occupy a peculiar ontological space. Are they less “real” because they are generated by software code rather than atoms? Or do they become their own category of reality—one based on our neural interpretations, emotional responses, and shared social consensus? As this happens, the boundary between the physically tangible and the mentally immersive will become increasingly fuzzy.

Our perceptions of those two worlds, and how we interact with other humans in them, will guide an ultimate notion of reality that transcends today’s definitions, and erases traditional ideas around the firmament as the ultimate and only decider of who and what we are. Right now, we look to the physical universe as the ultimate reference frame for truth. We believe that the firmness of the ground beneath our feet, the solidity of a brick wall, or the certainty of physical boundaries define what is “real.” But as the metaverse grows more intricate and as physics-based programming becomes more lifelike, these “traditional ideas around the firmament” begin to fracture. We may find ourselves placing equal value on digital experiences that feel genuine, authentic, and significant—experiences that allow us to form deep bonds, forge new identities, and engage in meaningful social, cultural, and economic activities. Over time, this could lead us to revise our metaphysical assumptions, acknowledging that reality may not be limited to the physical domain.

Our bodies are, if nothing else, the ultimate piece of hardware allowing our minds to interpret what we believe to be reality. In other words, the human body is the interface through which we download the world. Our senses take in information—light, sound, pressure, temperature—and our brains interpret these signals to form coherent mental models of “what is.” When we introduce digital layers that produce similar inputs to our senses, our brains don’t necessarily distinguish between what’s physical and what’s computational. We only know what we feel, see, and experience. As metaverse environments deliver increasingly realistic stimuli, our perception of reality will be shaped as much by physics-based programming as by the laws of nature.

The implications for brands, content creators, and everyday people are profound. Companies looking to stay relevant must anticipate a future where they negotiate licensing deals in parallel universes—both the physical and the digital. Content creators will pioneer new forms of storytelling, entertainment, and art that exist in a multi-layered reality. And everyday people will wake up to a world where their morning commute could be accompanied by interactive digital companions, where the coffee mug they pick up might simultaneously exist in a game world, and where the question “Is this real?” no longer has a straightforward answer.

In the end, the advancement of physics-based programming in games and the rise of the metaverse—led by platforms like Roblox and Fortnite—will usher in a paradigm shift, one that collapses the notion of reality onto itself. We will live in two worlds at once, negotiate meaning in both, and ultimately discover that reality is not anchored solely in physical matter but also in the perceptions and interpretations of our minds. This moment in history will push us beyond all previous concepts of truth, existence, and identity, and toward a new understanding of what it means to be human in a universe of blended realities.

By Marcos Sanchez

Senior Account Executive (Tokyo, Japan)

Contractor Role: 6 months (potential for permanent)

About Us

Spaceport is building the Internet of IP. We’re backed by some of the best VCs, respected celebrities and largest studios in the world. Our rockstar team’s experience ranges from launching billion dollar gaming franchises like Bioshock and Saint’s Row to projects with many of the largest US celebrities. 

If you are seeking a role at a well-funded company operating at the bleeding edge of technology, if you want to collaborate with the brightest minds and celebrities from around the world and if you want to build decentralized software that will be used by billions of people —you should apply for this job. 

About the Role

As Senior Account Manager in Tokyo, you’ll be at the forefront of managing and expanding our relationship with the largest Japanese entertainment company and other iconic Japanese brands.

This role involves working closely with our CEO and COO to navigate high-stakes partnerships and negotiate groundbreaking IP agreements.

Key Responsibilities

• Collaborate closely with the CEO and COO to define strategic objectives and contribute to revenue growth through IP licensing initiatives in Japan
• Act as the primary liaison with the largest Japanese entertainment company, ensuring smooth communication and collaboration.
• Negotiate and secure rights to 5+ additional IPs within the contract period.
• Draft and coordinate global partnership agreements, ensuring alignment with both Japanese and international stakeholders.
• Prospect for new partners, prepare sales materials, and deliver compelling presentations to secure additional IP rights.
• Participate in cross-functional meetings with internal teams (legal, brand marketing, and finance) and external stakeholders to ensure alignment.
• Represent the company at trade shows, industry events, and client meetings, with up to 25% travel.
• Facilitate executive-level meetings, hosting talent and executives as required.

Requirements

• Location: Resides in the Tokyo metro area.
• Language Skills: Fluent in Japanese and English.
• Work Environment: Work from home, with travel to client offices and events as needed.
• Experience:
• Interpersonal Skills: Confident in communicating with and hosting executives and creative talent.

The Ideal Candidate

We’re looking for people who embody our values:

• Builders: You take pride in creating something new, from concept to execution.
• Speedwalkers: You work with urgency, adapt quickly, and thrive in fast-paced environments.
• Owners: You take responsibility for your decisions and treat your work with deep pride.
• Gamechangers: You dream big, identify opportunities for disruption, and love solving complex problems.

Benefits

• Competitive pay and benefits.
• Regular team off-sites and retreats.
• Remote-first work environment with optional in-person offices.
• Stipends for work-from-home improvements, coworking memberships, and professional development.

Global Partnership/Licensing Marketplace Negosh Offers its 500+ Brands an Opportunity to Expand their IP Marketing Strategy Into Roblox and the Metaverse Through Spaceport’s Platform

Boston, MA and – December 9, 2024 – Spaceport, the leading innovator in unlocking the power of intellectual Property (IP) and user-generated content (UGC) and Negosh, the leading licensing solution for unlocking new revenue streams and expanding markets, today announced a groundbreaking strategic partnership. This collaboration creates a dynamic bridge between the physical and digital realms, unlocking new opportunities for the 500+ brands the two companies represent, including leading brands like Own the DOGE, Toei Animation, Squishmallows and more. IP holders can now amplify the reach of beloved brands and characters, dramatically expanding their fanbases and empowering their super fans to engage at ever deeper levels and in new ways. 

Through this innovative partnership, Spaceport will leverage its expertise in digital licensing to extend Negosh's existing IP deals into engaging games and virtual experiences, as well as digital goods within Roblox, and the ever-evolving metaverse. Complementing this, Negosh will utilize its extensive network and proven negotiation skills to secure physical-world licensing deals for Spaceport's robust portfolio of digital IP. This strategy taps into and helps realize the strategic vision around ecommerce/physical integrations that many game platforms like Roblox and Fortnite have, helping bring hundreds of brands into their ecosystems.

“This partnership represents a significant step forward in maximizing the value of IP across all mediums and giving brands the maximum exposure possible,” said Le Zhang, CEO of Spaceport. “By combining Negosh's physical licensing expertise with Spaceport's digital reach, we're creating a one-stop shop for IP owners that lets them seamlessly tap into both the physical and digital marketplaces.”

Ari Zebersky, CEO at Negosh Inc., adds, “Spaceport has been innovating in the virtual realm and we’re excited to expand our offerings by providing our clients with a holistic approach to IP management. The metaverse presents a wealth of exciting possibilities for brand activation, and this partnership allows us to unlock them for our clients.”

This strategic partnership will provide IP owners with a comprehensive solution for managing their assets across both physical and digital realms. By working together, Spaceport and Negosh will expand the reach of IP, unlock new revenue streams, and create immersive experiences that resonate with audiences wherever they are.

About Spaceport

Spaceport is building the Internet of IP (Intellectual Property) by seamlessly connecting brands and agencies with the world’s largest network of creators and developers. The company’s mission is to democratize access to the world’s best IPs, empowering owners to unlock new revenue streams and enhance fan engagement. As the leading solution for millions of creators on top platforms like Roblox, Fortnite and Threadless, Spaceport is shaping a future where all IP, both online and offline, is efficiently managed and monetized through their innovative Web3-based infrastructure. Founded in 2022 and headquartered next to MIT in Cambridge, MA with offices in Los Angeles and Berkeley, CA, Spaceport is pioneering the future of IP. Learn more at https://www.spaceport.xyz/

About the Negosh

Founded in 2022, Negosh is evolving the licensing industry with a secure, global platform that connects brand owners and representatives with leading product creators, manufacturers, and sellers. With over 500 brands and 400 licensees across 30+ product categories, Negosh simplifies partnerships, streamlines deal-making, and opens doors to new markets. We’re not just about transactions—we’re redefining collaborations in licensing. Discover how we’re shaping the future of licensing at https://negosh.com.

Start playing here: https://www.roblox.com/games/77343145631801/Hypergalactic-Monkey-Quest

The lines between gaming and social media are blurring. Platforms like Roblox and Fortnite, once solely associated with gaming, are rapidly evolving into immersive social hubs. As younger generations, particularly gen Z and gen Alpha, grow up immersed in these digital worlds, they're increasingly turning to them for social interaction and self-expression.

Gaming platforms offer a unique blend of social features that traditional social media platforms struggle to replicate. From live group chats to virtual communities to customizable avatars, they provide a more authentic and immersive social experience in many ways. Expressing your individuality through virtual clothing, accessories, and other digital goods enhances this sense of self in the virtual world.

Shifting from pure gaming platforms to social media hubs is being driven by a generational change in how we view computers and virtual worlds. Older generations who often have not fully embraced these technologies are now dying, leaving a generation who fully accept tech in almost every aspect of life, which means use of the metaverse as a primary means of communication and socialization will grow. To make that transition, gaming platforms must adapt, offering more experiential games and features that mimic real-life interactions.

Traditional social media platforms may need to acquire or merge with gaming platforms as a means of self-preservation, or risk becoming minor players, if not obsolete. This evolution will also necessitate a shift in how brands approach marketing and engagement. As digital identities become increasingly intertwined with our real-world personas, brands will need to develop a strong presence in the metaverse to connect with their target audiences.

The Rise of User-Generated Content (UGC)

One of the key factors driving the evolution of gaming platforms into social media hubs is the rise of user-generated content (UGC). UGC refers to content created by users, rather than by the platform itself or professional content creators. This includes everything from fan art and videos to custom game modes and experiences.

UGC is an essential component of the gaming experience, fostering creativity, community, and engagement. By empowering users to create and share their own content, gaming platforms cultivate a more vibrant and dynamic ecosystem.

Brands are also increasingly recognizing the value of UGC. By partnering with creators and leveraging their content, brands can build stronger relationships with their audience, increase brand awareness, grow their audiences through a multiplier effect and generate valuable insights into consumer behavior.

Key examples include companies like Roblox that offer a wide range of social features, including friends lists, groups, and virtual communities. Users can also create their own games, experiences and in-game goods ranging from hair to outfits to pets, sharing them with other players. With Billions of users, it's a force to be reckoned with. Fortnite is a cultural phenomenon, with millions of daily active users who spend hours playing and interacting with each other. Users access social features like emotes, dances, and voice chat, so they can express themselves and connect with friends. Even Twitch, which is primarily a live streaming platform, is a significant social hub for gamers. Users can follow their favorite streamers, chat with other viewers, and participate in community events.

The Future of Social Media

Gaming and social media are experiencing a natural evolution driven by technological advancements and changing consumer preferences. As younger generations continue to embrace these platforms, we can expect to see even more innovative and immersive experiences emerge.

We're likely to see a future where social media platforms become indistinguishable from gaming platforms. As this occurs, features like virtual worlds, customizable avatars, and in-game economies will become commonplace on traditional social media platforms. Conversely, gaming platforms will make their social features to include more traditional elements like news feeds, groups, and picture sharing.

Ultimately, the most successful platforms will seamlessly integrate gaming and social elements, offering an immersive, engaging and sticky experience. Whether it's playing a game with friends, attending a virtual concert, or simply socializing in a digital space, these platforms will become the go-to destinations for connecting with others and expressing ourselves.

The lines between gaming and social media are blurring, and the future of social interaction may lie within these immersive digital worlds. As younger generations continue to embrace the metaverse, brands and platforms must adapt to meet their evolving needs and expectations. By understanding the unique advantages that gaming platforms offer, businesses can position themselves for success in this exciting new era of social media.

Hypergalactic announces 7 new studios developing games for the Hypergalactic Universe after Monkey Quest from Twin Atlas

Los Angeles, CA - November 8, 2024 - Toei Animation, in collaboration with Spaceport and Twin Atlas is excited to announce Hypergalactic: Monkey Quest, a Roblox game launched in support of the upcoming feature film, Hypergalactic. This highly anticipated game, developed by 2023 Roblox Studio of the Year Twin Atlas, serves as the central player hub for a connected universe of interconnected games and experiences on Roblox beginning with an additional 7 games, all licensed through Spaceport Technologies. Studios developing the soon to be released games and experiences include Banana Studios, Boss Studio, Brave Turtles, Fire Games, Intention Entertainment, Method Men Studios and Misfits Gaming. 

Monkey Quest, the core game at the center of the Hypergalactic Universe, offers fans a first glimpse into the vibrant and action-packed world of Hypergalactic, featuring immersive gameplay, stunning visuals, and engaging storylines. As players navigate through the core game, they will have the opportunity to explore interconnected games that expand on the Hypergalactic universe, each offering unique experiences and exclusive content. Players can transport themselves to the different games by utilizing portals that are strategically positioned in the game. This gives them an ever-growing variety of games and experiences that currently range from tower defense style games to restaurant management to themed takeovers, and will grow over time.

Le Zhang, Founder and CEO of Spaceport, shared his excitement: "The launch of the Hypergalactic core game on Roblox is a major milestone for Toei Animation and Spaceport. By creating a central hub and connecting it with a universe of licensed games, we are providing fans with a comprehensive and dynamic series of experiences that will introduce them to the most exciting new IP from Toei Animation."

Yoshi Ikezawa, Head of International Co-Production at Toei Animation, added, "We are thrilled to see the launch of the first series of games for Hypergalactic, developed by so many talented Roblox game developers. Monkey Quest serves as the gateway to a larger universe of interactive experiences, allowing fans to dive deep into the world of Hypergalactic. By collaborating with multiple development studios through Spaceport, we can offer a diverse array of games that capture the essence of our film. Creating moments of delight as our new fans [IKEZAWA1] immerse themselves into the stories of Hypergalactic."

Launching multiple games prior to the film release is an innovative and brand-new strategic approach designed to build excitement and anticipation for the new characters and IP featured in Hypergalactic. By engaging fans early with immersive gameplay and interactive experiences, Toei Animation aims to introduce the audience to the rich narrative and complex characters of Hypergalactic, creating a strong emotional connection even before the movie hits theaters. This multi-game universe allows for a deeper exploration of the Hypergalactic world, providing fans with varied perspectives and adventures that enrich their overall experience and investment in the story.

To experience the game, you can find it on the Roblox store here: https://www.roblox.com/games/77343145631801/Hypergalactic-Monkey-Quest

About Spaceport

Spaceport is building the Internet of IP (Intellectual Property) by seamlessly connecting brands and agencies with the world’s largest network of creators and developers. The company’s mission is to democratize access to the world’s best IPs, empowering owners to unlock new revenue streams and enhance fan engagement. As the leading solution for creators on top platforms like Roblox, Fortnite and Threadless, Spaceport is shaping a future where all IP, both online and offline, is efficiently managed and monetized through their innovative web3-based infrastructure. Founded in 2022 with offices in Boston and Los Angeles, Spaceport is pioneering the future of IP.

About Toei Animation Inc.

Toei Animation Co., Ltd. ranks amongst the world’s most prolific animation production studios. The company’s operations include animation development and production, and worldwide marketing and program licensing. The company is expanding its business worldwide under its corporation principle of "becoming a leader in initiating creations which deliver 'dreams' and 'hope' to children and people all over the world". Since its founding in 1956, Toei Animation Co., Ltd. has produced more than 13,316 episodes of TV series (more than 230 titles) and more than 258 long feature films (as of March 2022), such as "Mazinger Z", "Dragon Ball" series, "Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon" series, “One Piece”, and more. Many works transcend generations and are enjoyed by parents and children alike.

About Twin Atlas

Twin Atlas is a leader in Roblox development and the metaverse. With notable award-winning games and activations with top brands, Twin Atlas has accumulated over 3.6 billion total plays, alongside a dedicated team of over 60 full-time developers internationally. Committed to creating breakthrough experiences and original content, Twin Atlas strives to achieve high quality entertainment, as well as creating innovative and engaging metaverse experiences that captivate players of all ages.

Media contact:

[email protected]

Spaceport partners with the Museum of Fine Art, Boston

Boston, MA – October 30, 2024 – Spaceport, the leading innovator in unlocking the power of intellectual Property (IP) and user-generated content (UGC), today announced a groundbreaking partnership with the internationally renowned Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA). By licensing important cultural works of art, the MFA bridges the gap between historical art and modern gaming. A whole new generation of people will get access to iconic masterpieces in the immersive digital worlds of Roblox and Fortnite, where over 1 billion users now spend their social time.

Through this innovative partnership, Spaceport will leverage its expertise in digital licensing to allow game developers and user generated content (UGC) creators to access key pieces of art from the MFA's vast collection – nearly 500,000 works spanning centuries and cultures. These works will be used as part of captivating in-game experiences, virtual treasures and even real world collectibles and clothing. Younger generations of digital explorers will be able to interact with iconic works like Katsushika Hokusai's "Under the Wave off Kanagawa," also known as the “Great Wave,” in exciting new ways, fostering a deeper appreciation for art history all within their favorite games. To celebrate Hokusai’s upcoming birthday on October 31, limited edition UGC shirts will be released on Roblox of the “Great Wave” as well as several other pieces of art.

“Partnering with the MFA is incredibly special, as there are just so many amazing works of art that I recognize and love, having grown up visiting in my school years. We’re honored to help unlock the transformative potential of art within the digital realms,” said Le Zhang, CEO of Spaceport. “By giving players the ability to see these iconic pieces while they might be playing a game or even as apparel for their characters and avatars, we aim to inspire a new generation of art enthusiasts and foster a lifelong appreciation for artistic expression.”

Debra LaKind, Senior Director, Intellectual Property and Business Development at the MFA, adds: “This partnership presents a unique opportunity to share our collection with a wider audience in a way that's both fun and interactive. We believe that art has the power to connect people across time and cultures, and this collaboration allows us to reach a whole new generation of art lovers in their own digital worlds.”

This initiative marks a significant step forward in democratizing access to art and fostering cultural understanding through innovative technology. By merging the timeless beauty of art history with the immersive power of the metaverse, Spaceport and the MFA are creating a bridge between generations and fostering a world where art appreciation transcends physical boundaries.

About Spaceport

Spaceport is building the Internet of IP (Intellectual Property) by seamlessly connecting brands and agencies with the world’s largest network of creators and developers. The company’s mission is to democratize access to the world’s best IPs, empowering owners to unlock new revenue streams and enhance fan engagement. As the leading solution for millions of creators on top platforms like Roblox, Fortnite and Threadless, Spaceport is shaping a future where all IP, both online and offline, is efficiently managed and monetized through their innovative Web3-based infrastructure. Founded in 2022 and headquartered next to MIT in Cambridge, MA with offices in Los Angeles and Berkeley, CA, Spaceport is pioneering the future of IP. Learn more at https://www.spaceport.xyz/

About the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

The MFA brings many worlds together through art. Showcasing masterpieces from ancient to contemporary, our renowned collection of nearly 500,000 works tells a multifaceted story of the human experience—a story that holds unique meaning for everyone. From Boston locals to international travelers, visitors from all over come to experience the MFA—where they reveal connections, explore differences and create a community where all belong.

Open six days a week, the MFA’s hours are Saturday through Monday, 10 am–5 pm; Wednesday, 10 am–5 pm; and Thursday–Friday, 10 am–10 pm. Plan your visit at mfa.org.

Los Angeles, CA – October 1, 2024 – Spaceport, the leading innovator in unlocking the power of intellectual Property (IP) and user-generated content (UGC), today announced an exciting partnership with Own the Doge, the official custodians of the Kabosu “Doge” IP. Own The Doge is committed to giving back to charity whenever possible, just like their inspiration Atsuko Sato, the Dogemother. This collaboration not only helps spread that message by increasing the visibility of the Doge IP to new audiences on digital platforms like Roblox, Fortnite and more. It also helps increase licensing fees which are a vital source of funding for grants that the community gives to a variety of nonprofits and community projects globally.

The Doge, with its instantly recognizable image and important message of "Do Only Good Everyday", has transcended the realm of memes to become a global cultural phenomenon. This partnership empowers UGC developers, and creators across gaming, the metaverse, and other digital spaces to spread the Doge IP and its message of creating a better society.

"Kabosu, the Doge, is more than just a meme; It's a symbol of positivity and community," said Le Zhang, Founder and CEO of Spaceport. "We're thrilled to partner with Own the Doge to make this iconic IP accessible to creators who share the Doge  spirit and want to make a positive impact with their work."

"We're excited to work with Spaceport to bring the Doge to a wider audience and empower a new generation of creators while raising funds for our charitable giving," said Tridog, Chief Dog of Own The Doge. "This partnership aligns perfectly with our mission to spread positivity and make a difference in the world, just like the Dogemother herself, Atsuko Sato."

This announcement builds on Spaceport's continued expansion of its IP portfolio. Recent partnerships include Toei Animation and Com2uS, further demonstrating Spaceport's commitment to providing creators and developers with access to the world's most recognizable and beloved IP.

About Spaceport

Spaceport is building the Internet of IP (Intellectual Property) by seamlessly connecting brands and agencies with the world’s largest network of creators and developers. The company’s mission is to democratize access to the world’s best IPs, empowering owners to unlock new revenue streams and enhance fan engagement. As the leading solution for millions of creators on top platforms like Roblox, Fortnite and Threadless, Spaceport is shaping a future where all IP, both online and offline, is efficiently managed and monetized through their innovative Web3-based infrastructure. Founded in 2022 and headquartered next to MIT in Cambridge, MA with offices in Los Angeles and Berkeley, CA, Spaceport is pioneering the future of IP. Learn more at https://www.spaceport.xyz/

About Own The Doge
Own The Doge is a movement backed by the original Doge meme, endorsed by Atsuko Sato and the dog we all know and love, Kabosu. Our mission is to use the Doge meme and IP to pursue, propel and proliferate the ethos of D.O.G.E. (Doing Only Good Everyday). Join in on the fun at ownthedoge.com.

Contact:

Tridog

[email protected]

Own The Doge

Spaceport [email protected]

We have all been hearing about Web3’s benefits - enhanced privacy, faster transactions, verification models, and the list goes on. Many are familiar with how this translates into the banking and fintech sector, but there are other practical applications worth exploring that will make an impact across other industries and use cases.

Freelancing is one example. The number of people who report income from platform-based gig work to the IRS has exploded in recent years, partly stemming from the rise of apps such as Uber, Lyft and DoorDash. It’s also because of the flexibility and ease of entry those apps offer during downtimes or in between jobs. These traditional platforms impose significant service fees and control, which can be a big downside for users.  Web3 companies aim to use blockchain to disintermediate the relationship, eliminating the need for third-party intermediaries through decentralization, further innovating technology within the jobs sector.

Social apps have become an integral part of our daily lives. However, current platforms, driven by algorithms and centralized control, often prioritize influencers and advertisers over user experience. By combining Web3 and AI, decentralized social platforms can offer a more efficient and democratic content distribution model. These platforms can address concerns about targeting children and promoting specific viewpoints. Additionally, the integration of virtual currency opens up new opportunities for users to earn financial rewards, creating a more equitable and rewarding social media experience.

AI and machine learning are rapidly evolving, but concerns persist regarding ethical implications, particularly the spread of fake news. Web3 offers a potential solution. By leveraging blockchain, AI can ensure the authenticity of news articles and trace the origins of AI-generated data. This transparency can help combat misinformation and exploitation, fostering a more trustworthy digital ecosystem.

Which brings us to intellectual property (IP), a treasure everyone's hunting. It's the blueprint for innovative products, the catchy jingle for a brand, or the captivating storyline of the next blockbuster. Protecting these valuable assets is crucial, especially in a world where ideas can be copied and distributed with lightning speed.

This is where Web3 and blockchain technology come in, offering the next generation of solutions for IP management. By registering IP on a secure blockchain network, you can create a tamper-proof and verifiable record of ownership, usage, and licensing rights. Sort of like a digital vault that stores an indisputable record of your creation, complete with timestamps and audit trails.

The benefits extend far beyond simple record-keeping. This immutable record simplifies legal disputes by providing clear evidence of ownership. It also streamlines licensing agreements, enabling easy usage tracking and automatic royalties distribution whenever IP is used. Imagine a world where creators are automatically compensated for their work, regardless of where it's used or how many times it's shared.

But the true power lies in the potential for new and innovative business models. We could see a future where a blockchain can be leveraged to fractionalize ownership of IP, allowing investors to participate in the success of a creation. This opens up a whole new avenue for funding and monetization, empowering creators to secure resources and build a thriving ecosystem around their intellectual property.

As the digital landscape continues to evolve, Web3 and blockchain offer a secure, transparent, and efficient solution for managing and protecting IP assets. At Spaceport, we're committed to helping creators and businesses navigate this exciting new frontier, unlocking the full potential of their intellectual property and shaping the future of the digital economy.

Web3 is changing the game and the future is yours waiting to be shaped. As developers and entrepreneurs innovate, we'll see even more amazing applications emerge. Let's embrace the possibilities and build a future where Web3 empowers everyone.

We're thrilled to announce that Le Zhang, cofounder of Spaceport, has been honored with the prestigious Pathfinder Visionary Award by ACENextGen! This award recognizes individuals who are driving innovation and making a significant impact as AAPI entrepreneurs.

Le's visionary leadership and contributions to Spaceport have been instrumental in our success. Their dedication to empowering creators and unlocking the potential of IP in the metaverse has earned them this well-deserved recognition.

Congratulations, Le!

It’s been a stellar week for Spaceport, most recently with two great media mentions. Kids Media Club Podcast is a podcast hosted by Jo Redfern, Andy Williams, and Emily Horgan. In each episode they chat with a different guest about the world of Kids Media. Most recently in conversations with Eric Calderon an executive at Falcon’s Beyond, the conversation moved to IP and licensing, which led to some interesting points about Spaceport’s role in creating a new model for licensing as a form of marketing for brands. Listen to more here.

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In other news, Spaceport’s COO, Craig Zevin wrote a piece for Total LIcensing’s Autumn editions entitled: How IP serves Advertising. Craig explores how IP can serve as a powerful marketing tool, driving revenue and building brand loyalty. By extending their digital IP into physical experiences, brands like Netflix and Disney are creating immersive and engaging opportunities for consumers. This integrated approach, exemplified by the success of Roblox and virtual malls, offers a unique blend of accessibility and tangible experiences to appeal to Gen Z and beyond.

Spaceport @ RDC24

What an amazing few days!! The Roblox Developer Conference (RDC24) in San Jose was unforgettable! We had the pleasure of connecting with brilliant developers, innovative brands, and industry leaders, all while showcasing our groundbreaking IP licensing platform and highlighting our partnerships with the likes of Toei Animation, Com2uS and Twin Atlas.

From the moment we stepped into the SJ convention center, we were immersed in a vibrant atmosphere of creativity and excitement (and an insanely long check in line). The energy was palpable as developers from around the world shared their latest projects and explored the latest trends in Roblox game development.

It’s really only once a year that we get so many amazing Robloxers in one place at one time, and we made the most of it with a series of meetings with leading brands and game developers. We talked about how Spaceport's IP licensing platform can help them unlock new revenue streams, expand their reach, and create immersive fan experiences. The enthusiasm and interest we encountered were truly inspiring.

Of course, no conference would be complete without a bit of socializing and fun! We hosted a memorable happy hour alongside our partners, Toei Animation and Twin Atlas Studios. Attendees enjoyed delicious food, drinks, and lively conversation while getting a sneak peek of the upcoming Hypergalactic game.

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Speaking of Hypergalactic, we're thrilled to announce that the game is making significant progress. Developed by Twin Atlas Studios, "Hypergalactic: Monkey Quest" is set to be a groundbreaking Roblox experience that brings the beloved Toei Animation IP to life. Players can get an early taste of the action by joining the Twin Atlas Discord server and trying out an exclusive pre-release version of the game. Want to see it in action? Check out the sizzle reel showcasing the game's exciting gameplay below.

We're incredibly grateful for the opportunity to connect with so many talented individuals at RDC24. Whether you're a developer looking to integrate IP into your games or a brand seeking to expand your reach, Spaceport is here to help.

To learn more about our IP licensing platform and how it can benefit your business, please visit our website or reach out to our team. We're excited to continue working with the Roblox community to create unforgettable gaming experiences!

Hypergalactic: Monkey Quest set to become the central player hub for
Hypergalactic IP on Roblox

Los Angeles, CA – September 5, 2024 – Spaceport Technologies, a leader in intellectual property (IP) licensing, is excited to announce that Toei Animation has chosen Twin Atlas, 2023 Roblox Studio of the Year, to build the core Roblox experience for their highly anticipated film, Hypergalactic. The core experience created by Twin Atlas will serve as the central player hub for the IP on Roblox, connecting users to a broader universe of Hypergalactic games created by other developers and licensed through the Spaceport platform, creating ongoing, high quality engagement with the film's universe, characters, and storyline.

The strategic partnership underscores Spaceport’s commitment to collaborating with the largest global IP portfolios to create licensing opportunities for top-tier developers and UGC creators. By selecting Twin Atlas for core development in conjunction with Spaceport’s licensing technology, Toei Animation demonstrates its dedication to delivering high-quality, engaging content from the studio on Roblox while also creating opportunities for fan-developers to contribute to their favorite IP and be enriched by their creations. Twin Atlas has accumulated an impressive 3.6B+ game plays and 8.2M+ community members and currently offers more than 17 titles. 

The Hypergalactic: Monkey Quest game, set to launch in November 2024, will act as a hub for all related games, tying together various experiences and keeping players immersed in the Hypergalactic universe. This interconnected approach is designed to enhance user engagement and provide a seamless experience across multiple games.

Le Zhang, Founder and CEO of Spaceport, expressed his enthusiasm for the collaboration: "We are thrilled to work with Toei Animation and Twin Atlas to bring Hypergalactic to life on Roblox. This project exemplifies our mission to empower developers and brands by providing innovative licensing solutions that drive revenue and engagement.”

Spaceport’s technology enables Toei Animation to collaborate with multiple developers, a significant departure from traditional single-developer licensing models. This multi-party approach leverages the full potential of the UGC economy, encouraging creativity and innovation while maximizing revenue opportunities for brands.

With UGC platforms like Roblox experiencing unprecedented growth, brands are still exploring how to simultaneously optimize for fan and brand aligned engagement with native Gen Z and Alpha players on the platforms. Spaceport addresses this challenge by facilitating broad licensing agreements that connect brands with a wide range of creators and developers to build fan-first content.

Toei Animation, known for its globally beloved anime titles, is enthusiastic about the partnership. Yoshi Ikezawa, the lead producer at Toei Animation commented:

"We are thrilled to see our cherished new IP come to life in Roblox, where fans can engage with our characters in innovative and interactive ways. At Toei Animation, we deeply value the support of our fans, and this partnership is a great opportunity to collaborate with UGC creators, fans, and the broader community. Their creativity and passion are what make both Roblox and Toei Animation’s IPs so special, and we’re excited to see the incredible content that will emerge from this collaboration. Spaceport allows us to explore these new dimensions of fan engagement and content creation."

Twin Atlas CEO Samuel Garcia expressed his excitement about collaborating directly with Toei Animation on this project. "Twin Atlas is excited to collaborate with Toei Animation and Spaceport on bringing Hypergalactic to Roblox. As a studio that respects and admires Toei's creative legacy, we are proud to contribute our expertise to help connect players to the Hypergalactic universe. We look forward to seeing the incredible creations that the Roblox community will bring to life as part of this experience."

About Spaceport

Spaceport is building the Internet of IP (Intellectual Property) by seamlessly connecting brands and agencies with the world’s largest network of creators and developers. The company’s mission is to democratize access to the world’s best IPs, empowering owners to unlock new revenue streams and enhance fan engagement. As the leading solution for creators on top platforms like Roblox, Fortnite and Threadless, Spaceport is shaping a future where all IP, both online and offline, is efficiently managed and monetized through their innovative web3-based infrastructure. Founded in 2022 with offices in Boston and Los Angeles, Spaceport is pioneering the future of IP. For more information on Spaceport’s preferred developer program or to set up a meeting at the Roblox Developer Conference September 6-7 visit: https://www.spaceport.xyz/devs

About Toei Animation Inc.

Toei Animation Co., Ltd. ranks amongst the world’s most prolific animation production studios. The company’s operations include animation development and production, and worldwide marketing and program licensing. The company is expanding its business worldwide under its corporation principle of "becoming a leader in initiating creations which deliver 'dreams' and 'hope' to children and people all over the world". Since its founding in 1956, Toei Animation Co., Ltd. has produced more than 13,316 episodes of TV series (more than 230 titles) and more than 258 long feature films (as of March 2022), such as "Mazinger Z", "Dragon Ball" series, "Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon" series, “One Piece”, and more. Many works transcend generations and are enjoyed by parents and children alike.

About Twin Atlas

Twin Atlas is a leader in Roblox development and the metaverse. With notable award-winning games and activations with top brands, Twin Atlas has accumulated over 3.6 billion total plays, alongside a dedicated team of over 60 full-time developers internationally. Committed to creating breakthrough experiences and original content, Twin Atlas strives to achieve high quality entertainment, as well as creating innovative and engaging metaverse experiences that captivate players of all ages.

IP as a marketing ecosystem

The recent merger talks between Paramount and Skydance marks what could be a significant shift in the landscape of IP (intellectual property) marketing. If these two companies merge, the powerhouse union creates a vast library of iconic works, from "Mission: Impossible" to "Star Trek" - a treasure trove ripe for innovative marketing opportunities. But this story goes beyond mere brand recognition. We are witnessing the rise of a new paradigm: IP-driven marketing, where the IP itself becomes a vibrant ecosystem for engaging brand experiences.

Traditionally, brand partnerships involved celebrities or existing products endorsing a brand. However, IP-driven marketing flips the script. Here, the IP is not just a logo slapped onto a product; it becomes a platform for immersive storytelling, interactive experiences, and user-generated content (UGC).

Imagine building a world around "Top Gun" within Roblox, where players can pilot fighter jets and compete in virtual flight academies. Or picture recreating the thrilling heist missions from "Mission: Impossible" in Fortnite, where players collaborate to pull off virtual exploits. These are not just games; they are immersive brand experiences that foster deeper engagement with the IP while subtly promoting the associated film franchise.

This approach presents several key advantages:

• Exponential Reach: Leveraging user-generated content platforms like Roblox and Fortnite unlocks the potential for viral growth. Fans become brand ambassadors, creating new experiences and spreading the word organically to billions of users globally.
• Immersive Storytelling: IP-driven marketing transcends traditional advertising. By allowing fans to actively participate in the brand world, they build a deeper emotional connection with the IP.
• Authentic Engagement: Compared to traditional marketing, UGC feels more genuine and relatable. Fans are not bombarded with sales messages; they are actively fostering a community around their shared passion for the IP.

However, the future of IP marketing isn't without its challenges. The ever-increasing reliance on data-driven creation techniques can lead to a homogenization of content. We risk losing the essence of storytelling if we prioritize algorithms over creativity.

This is where the merged entity can truly make its mark. With a vast library of diverse IPs, they have the power to cultivate an environment that fosters both innovation and risk-taking. They can become a champion for bold narratives, pushing the boundaries of IP-driven marketing while staying true to the heart of their stories.

So, how can this new mega-entity activate IP-driven marketing?

Several avenues exist:

• Branded Entertainment: Integrate other IPs into their own content, creating unique crossovers and expanding the reach of both brands. Imagine a "Star Trek" series featuring characters from "Yellowstone".
• Virtual and Real Product Placement: Products become seamlessly integrated into the IP universe. Players might use "Mission: Impossible" gadgets in their Roblox experience or purchase officially licensed "Top Gun" flight jackets.
• Merchandising and Licensing: Expand beyond traditional merchandise and license their IPs for a wider range of products and experiences. Imagine a "Star Trek" themed escape room or a virtual cooking competition based on "Mission: Impossible" challenges.

But the most exciting frontier lies in user-generated content. Empowering fans to create within the IP ecosystem fosters a sense of ownership and community. Through UGC, brands can tap into the creativity of their audiences, generating fresh and dynamic content that resonates deeply with fellow fans.

The future of IP marketing is a collaborative one. It's a future where brands and fans work hand-in-hand to co-create a vibrant, ever-evolving universe.

A Paramount and Skydance merger could potentially create a real leader in this revolution. With their diverse portfolio and innovative spirit, they can unlock the true power of IP, transforming it from a brand asset to a living, breathing ecosystem that fosters deeper connections with audiences worldwide. This is not just about marketing; it's about creating a shared cultural experience that transcends generations.

The stage is set. Let the content creation begin.

The Prince Park Tower in Tokyo buzzed with excitement as WebX Asia 2024, Asia's premier Web3 conference, unfolded from August 28th to 29th, 2024. This year's event gathered a vibrant community of crypto enthusiasts, blockchain pioneers, and industry leaders under one roof, fostering dialogue and paving the way for the future of Web3.

Our very own Le Zhang captivated the audience talking about how IP is shaping the future of marketing and brand engagement. Le Zhang delved into the growing trend of IP licensing within the Web3 space, highlighting its potential to elevate user experiences and unlock new avenues for brand engagement. By integrating beloved characters, worlds, and stories into games and virtual experiences, developers can create deeper connections with players while fostering a sense of community.

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Beyond Le Zhang's Talk: WebX Asia 2024 presented a diverse range of engaging events and discussions. From technical deep dives into the latest blockchain innovations to thought-provoking panels exploring the future of decentralized finance, the conference offered something for everyone. With a strong focus on the Asia Pacific region, the event fostered collaboration and knowledge sharing among leading developers, investors, and entrepreneurs across the continent.

WebX Asia 2024 serves as a testament to the burgeoning Web3 revolution in Asia. It’s an incredibly exciting time. If you’re a developer or brand thinking about licensing IP, reach out to us today!

Level Up Your Game with Spaceport's Elite Roblox Developer Program

Calling all game developers! Are you ready to take your creations to the next level by integrating iconic IPs into your games? At Spaceport, we're passionate about empowering developers to unlock the full potential of IP licensing. That's why we're thrilled to announce the launch of our Spaceport Elite Developer Program – a one-stop-shop for developers seeking to leverage the power of established brands and characters to enhance their games and user generated content and you can sign up here.

What is the Spaceport Elite Developer Program?

This ongoing program provides a comprehensive suite of resources and benefits designed to equip developers like you with the tools and knowledge you need to succeed in the world of IP-driven games and UGC. Whether you've already dabbled in IP integration or are just exploring its possibilities, the program offers something for everyone.

What's in it for You?

• Exclusive Access to Top IPs: Gain access to a growing curated selection of IPs. Imagine building a game featuring iconic characters or integrating popular franchises into your existing creations.
• In-Depth Documentation and Resources: Navigate the complexities of IP licensing with ease. The program provides documentation, tutorials, and FAQs to ensure a smooth and efficient licensing process.
• Expert Educational Videos: Learn from the best! Our program includes a series of educational videos featuring industry experts who will guide you through best practices, share valuable insights, and answer your burning questions.
• Priority Support: Don't get lost in the crowd. As an Elite developer, you'll receive dedicated support from our team of specialists who are here to help you every step of the way.

Benefits Beyond the Basics:

The Elite Developer Program goes beyond just providing resources. We actively cultivate a supportive community of developers who are passionate about utilizing IP to enhance their games.

• Networking Opportunities: Connect with other like-minded developers and share experiences, ideas, and best practices.
• Potential Revenue Sharing: Unlock additional monetization pathways. Work with IP owners to create an optimal revenue sharing model that rewards your creativity and hard work.
• Marketing and Promotions: Gain increased visibility within the industry. Spaceport may highlight your game as a success story, attracting more players and potential partners.

How to Become an Elite Developer

The Elite Developer Program prioritizes collaboration and a shared vision for the future of IP-driven gaming. To apply, simply visit us here! We'll be looking for developers who demonstrate a passion for game development, a commitment to quality, and a keen understanding of how IP can elevate their creations.

Ready to take your game to the next level? Join the Spaceport Elite Developer Program today and unlock a world of creative possibilities with the power of iconic IPs. Get ready to create unforgettable gaming experiences that captivate audiences worldwide.

We’re very excited that Lewis Ward, IDC Game Industry analyst included Spaceport in his latest H1 2024 Gaming Report. It not only validates the importance of IP in gaming, but looks at the missed opportunity in the Roblox community for both brands and game devs. In the vibrant ecosystem of Roblox, IP licensing has emerged as a powerful tool for game developers seeking to enhance brand awareness and drive revenue. By integrating iconic characters, worlds, or stories into their creations, developers can tap into existing fanbases, attracting new players and fostering deeper engagement. Brands equally can gain new audiences and extend their reach dramatically.

IP licensing offers a multitude of benefits. It can elevate a game's aesthetic appeal, providing visually striking environments and captivating characters. Additionally, established IP can lend credibility and excitement to a game, making it more attractive to potential players. From a revenue standpoint, IP licensing can increase in-game purchases, drive merchandise sales, and even attract potential investors. Ultimately, IP licensing is a strategic move that can significantly boost the success of a Roblox game.

To join our preferred developer program, sign up here: https://www.spaceport.xyz/devs If you don’t have an IDC account, you can get the report here: https://sensortower.com/h1-2024-gaming-spotlight-report

Spaceport and Com2uS Platform Join Forces to Unify IP Licensing for Roblox, Fortnite, and Beyond

Los Angeles, CA and Seoul, South Korea – August 7, 2024 – Spaceport.xyz, the leading innovator in unlocking the power of intellectual Property (IP) and user-generated content (UGC), today announced a new strategic partnership with Com2uS Platform, a specialized IT content company within the Com2uS group, a global leader in the gaming industry. This partnership aims to expand the reach and engagement of UGC on major gaming platforms such as Roblox and Fortnite.

Com2uS Platform will use Spaceport and its IP platform for the exclusive representation of a variety of its industry-leading IP, aimed at securing licensing deals for the development of third-party content within Roblox and Fortnite globally. This partnership streamlines the licensing process for creators and developers seeking to integrate Com2uS group's beloved franchises into the booming world of UGC. 

Spaceport recently announced its partnership with Toei Animation, the global studio behind One Piece and Dragon Ball, for its latest feature film, HYPERGALACTIC into Roblox and Fortnite. Both of these collaborations are set to redefine branded content and fan engagement by introducing some of the best IP in the world into the most popular content platforms for gamers of all ages.

"Partnering with Spaceport aligns perfectly with our vision of expanding our reach and fostering creativity within the UGC space," said Sogwon Choi, CEO of Com2uS Platform. "Our collaboration will not only enhance the UGC landscape on prominent platforms like Roblox and Fortnite but also provide creators with unparalleled opportunities to showcase their talents and leverage new revenue streams."

With this partnership, Com2uS Platform gains access to Spaceport's scalable “Internet of IP” licensing platform and deep relationship with developers. Spaceport facilitates IP licensing, provenance, royalty payments and efficient deal negotiation and management. Brands and developers benefit from a streamlined process for acquiring licenses to integrate Com2uS group's popular franchises within real-world applications that are built on the biggest UGC platforms representing more than 500 million monthly active users.

Additionally, Spaceport's team offers expansive backgrounds across IP licensing, gaming, and blockchain. Co-founders Le Zhang and Lida Tang bring extensive experience from the gaming and licensing industry, having previously helped build and launch billion-dollar gaming franchises like BioShock and Saints Row. Their successful exits from previous VC-backed startups further solidify their expertise in building and scaling innovative tech companies.

"We're thrilled to join forces with Com2uS group, a true pioneer in the gaming industry," said Le Zhang, CEO of Spaceport. "This strategic partnership unlocks exciting opportunities for brands and creators to leverage Com2uS group's iconic IP within the ever-expanding UGC landscape. By simplifying and streamlining the licensing process, we empower creators to bring these beloved characters and stories to life in new and innovative ways, while opening new revenue streams."

About Com2uS Platform

Com2uS Platform is an IT company leading the paradigm of the future content industry, a subsidiary of Com2uS Holdings. It has established and is servicing advanced infrastructures targeted at the global market, including Hive—which integrates Com2uS Group's gaming service expertise—and the NFT marketplace X-PLANET—Leveraging the IP and business know-how of the Com2uS Group.

Headquartered in South Korea, Com2uS Group operates internationally with offices in the United States, Germany, Japan, Indonesia, Taiwan, China, Thailand and Vietnam. Com2uS Group is taking a new leap as a global comprehensive content and platform company to lead the global digital paradigm.  

About Spaceport.xyz

Spaceport is building the Internet of IP (Intellectual Property) by seamlessly connecting brands and agencies with the world’s largest network of creators and developers. The company’s mission is to democratize access to the world’s best IPs, empowering owners to unlock new revenue streams and enhance fan engagement. As the leading solution for millions of creators on top platforms like Roblox, Fortnite and Threadless, Spaceport is shaping a future where all IP, both online and offline, is efficiently managed and monetized through their innovative Web3-based infrastructure. Founded in 2022 and headquartered next to MIT in Cambridge, MA, Spaceport is pioneering the future of IP. Learn more at https://www.spaceport.xyz/

Toei Animation's latest feature and its characters will be made available to developers and UGC creators exclusively through Spaceport Technologies

Los Angeles, CA – August 5th, 2024 Spaceport, a leader in intellectual property (IP) licensing, is excited to announce its partnership with Toei Animation, the global studio behind One Piece and Dragon Ball, for its latest feature film, HYPERGALACTIC. This collaboration is set to redefine branded content and fan engagement by introducing Toei Animation’s HYPERGALACTIC into the most popular content platforms for gamers of all ages, including Roblox and Fortnite.

The engagement sets a new standard for IP integration, focusing on the immense potential of user generated content (UGC) platforms to connect brands and IP owners with highly engaged fanbases. Spaceport’s technology allows IP owners like Toei to leverage this power by licensing HYPERGALACTIC to multiple game developers and content creators simultaneously and at scale. This builds a much larger pool of content for users to choose from and provides the brand more opportunities to resonate with new and existing fans. This transformation from retail economy thinking to a UGC economy strategy opens the door for exponential growth in revenue and engagement for IP owners on these platforms. 

Le Zhang, Founder and CEO of Spaceport, expressed his enthusiasm about the partnership:

"We are thrilled to collaborate with Toei Animation on HYPERGALACTIC to merge anime with cutting-edge virtual worlds. This partnership is more than just bringing new content to Roblox and Fortnite; it's about empowering communities to organically create a limitless amount of deep and personal interactive experiences that resonate with fans and unlock new revenue streams for IP owners. For new IP like HYPERGALACTIC, this is a chance to build the kind of fanbase and cultural impact that Toei achieved with Dragon Ball, One Piece and Digimon."

Roblox and Fortnite are not just games; they are expansive ecosystems where over 80 million users interact, create, and share experiences every day. By enabling broader licensing across these platforms, Spaceport and Toei Animation are taking a market leading approach, recognizing the specific power of combining anime IP with the popular builders, creators, and influencers in UGC fan communities to generate dynamic and engaging content. Anime IP, of which Toei Animation is a global leader, has a long history of dedicated fan engagement and communities who contribute directly and indirectly to the IP. For the first time, driven by Spaceport’s technology, Toei is giving fans and builders the keys to building an infinite world of licensed, revenue-driving content that directly benefits the fans and Toei’s business. 

Yoshi Ikezawa, Head of International Co-Production at Toei Animation, stated:
"This partnership with Spaceport is a significant milestone for Toei Animation. By leveraging Spaceport’s technology, we aim to bring HYPERGALACTIC to life in ways that will engage and inspire our fans. We are pleased to share our latest feature and work directly with users to develop our new IP to the next level. This collaboration shows the vast potential of UGC platforms to revolutionize entertainment and fan engagement."

To join our developer program or to learn more about how to get use Spaceport to ignite your IP licensing program contact us!

About Spaceport

Spaceport is building the Internet of IP (Intellectual Property) by seamlessly connecting brands and agencies with the world’s largest network of creators and developers. The company’s mission is to democratize access to the world’s best IPs, empowering owners to unlock new revenue streams and enhance fan engagement. As the leading solution for creators on top platforms like Roblox, Fortnite and Threadless, Spaceport is shaping a future where all IP, both online and offline, is efficiently managed and monetized through their innovative web3-based infrastructure. Founded in 2022 with offices in Boston and Los Angeles, Spaceport is pioneering the future of IP. Learn more at https://www.spaceport.xyz/

About Toei Animation Inc.

Toei Animation Co., Ltd. ranks amongst the world’s most prolific animation production studios. The company’s operations include animation development and production, and worldwide marketing and program licensing. The company is expanding its business worldwide under its corporation principle of "becoming a leader in initiating creations which deliver 'dreams' and 'hope' to children and people all over the world". Since its founding in 1956, Toei Animation Co., Ltd. has produced more than 13,316 episodes of TV series (more than 230 titles) and more than 258 long feature films (as of March 2022), such as "Mazinger Z", "Dragon Ball" series, "Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon" series, “One Piece”, and more. Many works transcend generations and are enjoyed by parents and children alike.

Read about the deal in Variety Magazine.

We're thrilled to announce that Spaceport has been included in the IP section of Electric Capital's insightful Web3 Protocol Map! This prestigious recognition positions us as a key player in shaping the future of intellectual property (IP) within the burgeoning Web3 ecosystem.

Electric Capital's map serves as a valuable resource for anyone navigating the ever-evolving Web3 landscape. It provides a comprehensive overview of various protocols categorized by their specific functionalities and applications. Spaceport's inclusion within the IP section underscores our commitment to revolutionizing the way IP is managed and monetized in the digital age.

What Does This Mean for Spaceport?

Being featured on the Web3 Protocol Map signifies our dedication to building the "Internet of IP." We envision a world where creators and brands can seamlessly harness the power of Web3 technologies to unlock new possibilities for IP licensing and distribution within platforms like Roblox and Fortnite.

Join Us on this Exciting Journey!

Spaceport is at the forefront of bridging the gap between traditional IP and the innovative world of Web3 while helping brands and creators to better distribute and monetize their creations. We invite you to join us on this journey as we explore the transformative potential of this technology for the future of intellectual property.

Visit our website at https://spaceport.xyz to learn more about our mission and discover how Spaceport is empowering creators and brands to unlock the full potential of their IP in the Web3 era.

We're excited to be charting the course alongside fellow innovators in the Web3 space. Stay tuned for more updates on how Spaceport is shaping the future of IP!

Fractional IP: Unlocking Potential

Fractional ownership divides IP assets among multiple stakeholders, mirroring models used in real estate and fine art. This approach offers several benefits: diversification, increased accessibility, improved liquidity, and reduced risk.

• Diversification: Fractional ownership allows investors to gain exposure to a broader range of assets across different industries and sectors, supporting diversification.
• Increased Accessibility: Fractional ownership makes it easier for smaller investors to participate in investments that may have been previously inaccessible due to high costs or barriers to entry.
• Improved Liquidity: trading of fractional IP units can increase liquidity in the market, allowing investors to buy and sell their ownership stakes more readily.
• Reduced Risk: Spreading ownership across multiple stakeholders can help mitigate various risks, such as infringement or obsolescence.

Regardless of asset class, fractional IP ownership is still typically facilitated through IP investment platforms or IP funds and syndicates. Tokenization however represents a more novel approach to IP ownership, dividing assets into digital tokens tradable on various exchanges. This fosters fractional ownership, liquidity, and broader accessibility. While DeFi has expanded asset tokenization, IP and other real-world assets remain relatively untapped.

Web3 Revolutionizes IP Investment: Enter Fractional Ownership

The NFT landscape exploded in 2017 with pioneers like Larva Labs' CryptoPunks and Dapper Labs' CryptoKitties. These projects, leveraging the ERC-721 standard, ignited interest in digital collectibles. Subsequent blockchains like Algorand, Tezos, and Flow addressed scalability and transaction fees, further expanding NFT use cases.

Fractional IP: A Compelling Tokenization Application

Web3 technology unlocks exciting possibilities for IP ownership through fractionalization. This, combined with tokenization, empowers investors with:

• Diversification: Invest across diverse industries and sectors by owning fractions of valuable IP assets.
• Accessibility: Lower investment barriers open doors for previously excluded smaller investors.

Traditional IP valuation relies on income, market, and cost methodologies. However, fractional IP utilizes Web3 tools for a more streamlined approach. While traditional methods are cumbersome, Web3 offers transparency and efficiency. Smart contracts provide clear ownership records with details like token numbers, prices, and inherent rules. Additionally, Web3 facilitates easier data access for benchmarking valuations.On top of that, original IP owners can distribute fractional shares and potentially trade them on secondary markets.

Web3 Empowers All Stakeholders

The rise of fractional IP through Web3 empowers creators, brands, and agencies to monetize IP in innovative ways. That’s done through increased investor access, since Web3 makes IP investment accessible to the average investor while also streamlining investment for all interested parties.  Furthermore, Smart contracts provide clear ownership records solving many of the issues around provenance and ownership. Code is law presents a lot of clarifications around fractional ownership that are key to allowing it to truly go mainstream.

Spaceport: Your Guide to the Web3 IP Revolution

As we witness the convergence of IP and web3 technologies, we are excited about the transformative potential for creators, brands and agencies to monetize their intellectual property in new and innovative ways. At Spaceport.xyz, we bridge the gap between IP and Web3. We empower stakeholders to navigate the complexities of the digital economy with confidence.

The future of IP in the Web3 era is brimming with potential. Join us as we unlock this potential and shape the next chapter of digital innovation and prosperity. For more information on Spaceport’s solutions contact us.

Tae Mi Lee is Spaceport Head of Finance. Tae Mi Lee brings a wealth of experience in financial strategy and operations, facilitating multiple M&A transactions and funding rounds. Tae Mi was previously Head of Finance at Republic, a crypto advisory and private investing platform across all asset classes. While there she helped Republic raise their series A and B rounds, leading to a unicorn valuation. She was CFO at Nextseed, where she helped facilitate the acquisition and sale of Collaboration Capital. Previously she also served as Director at Cheniere Energy, where she helped raise over $40 billion across all equity and project financing. Her leadership will be instrumental in supporting Spaceport’s ambitious growth plans.

IP + Web3 Risk Mitigation

Cryptocurrency and blockchain tech is a game changer, as evidenced by the innovation we see taking place across the world of assets (NFTs, Bitcoin, RWAs), applications (metaverse, gaming, defi) and infrastructure (Layer 2 protocols, rollups). It’s a vast and ever-expanding landscape, but real-world uses have not yet proliferated.  

Intellectual property, where certain rights to inventions and creative works are attached to a person or entity, is one such case. With ancient roots, the law has evolved over the years to become the modern IP framework that we know today, yet the digital age has presented a series of problems which it must overcome. Regardless, the goal remains the same: incentivize innovation and creativity while setting legal frameworks to protect the rights of creators. All the while remembering the importance of promoting public access to these protected works. 

This leads us to the question, how can IP adapt to the unique properties web3 allows, and what obstacles should we look out for? 

IP Revenue Generation: Background and Risk Mitigation with Web3

IP has long been a cornerstone of revenue generation, allowing creators and companies to monetize their innovations through many ways, including:

• Licensing agreements
• Royalties
• Direct IP sales 
• Franchising
• Merchandising 
• Strategic partnerships

Web3 unlocks new possibilities for user-generated content (UGC) platforms like Roblox and Fortnite, which boast billions of players. While securing IP rights for games with brand recognition can be difficult for individual developers, Web3 offers a solution. By combining licensing technology with Web3's risk mitigation features (discussed later), creators of all levels can more easily access existing IP and monetize their own within multiple platforms. This also allows big companies to expand their reach and monetize existing IP through new channels and audiences. Imagine a movie studio not just partnering with fast food restaurants for toys, but launching popular games with their characters, capitalizing on both Web2's resurgence and Web3's potential.

In the digital age, traditional IP protections face more challenges than ever before. While IP rights are traditionally secured through licensing agreements or lengthy registration systems, our ability to protect these assets and revenue generating opportunities hasn't kept pace with technological advancements, particularly in web3. Some protections have been added over the years, including encryption and watermarking. However, the ability to create and monitor such protections has not maintained parity with other advancements. Web3 for instance, relies heavily on blockchain and distributed technology and introduces concepts such as tokenization and cryptoeconomics. 

Web3 tackles a major pain point: preventing IP infringement.

The traditional system leaves creators vulnerable, as evidenced by Activision Blizzard's $23 million lawsuit for using infringing technology in games. In the gaming industry, where every element is protected, Web3 offers a solution.

This is where blockchain technology, known for its transparency and secure data storage, comes into play. Unlike cloud storage, blockchain allows authorized users to access IP assets while maintaining an immutable record of ownership and usage history. This addresses two key issues: access control and enforcement.

While some concerns remain regarding broader adoption of blockchain's transparency and data security, major institutions like banks are already embracing it for its operational benefits. This established technology can now be used to securely store IP assets, eliminating the need for cloud storage or less reliable methods. Next week, we’ll unlock how direct IP sales have been impacted by fractional sales and web3. For more information on Spaceport’s solutions contact us.

Tae Mi Lee is Spaceport Head of Finance. Tae Mi Lee brings a wealth of experience in financial strategy and operations, facilitating multiple M&A transactions and funding rounds. Tae Mi was previously Head of Finance at Republic, a crypto advisory and private investing platform across all asset classes. While there she helped Republic raise their series A and B rounds, leading to a unicorn valuation. She was CFO at Nextseed, where she helped facilitate the acquisition and sale of Collaboration Capital. Previously she also served as Director at Cheniere Energy, where she helped raise over $40 billion across all equity and project financing. Her leadership will be instrumental in supporting Spaceport’s ambitious growth plans.

At Spaceport, our goal has always been to deliver a top-notch user experience while managing IP licensing and transactions smoothly. Since launching the Spaceport licensing portal over a year ago, we’ve developed innovative solutions to tackle challenges like user onboarding and transaction management. These efforts naturally aligned with the principles of account abstraction, a cutting-edge technology that has since matured in the blockchain ecosystem.

Account abstraction offers a standardized and efficient approach to handling transactions, solving many of the same problems we tackled with our custom-built system. As we strive to stay at the forefront of technological advancements, we are planning to adopt account abstraction to enhance our platform even further. This article explores our journey, the benefits of this transition, and what it means for the future of Spaceport Protocol.

The Current Architecture: A Custom Solution

Initial Challenges

When we set out to build Spaceport Protocol, our goal was to create a robust, user-friendly platform that could handle licensing and transactions seamlessly. We faced several challenges:

1. User Experience: We wanted to ensure that users could interact with the platform easily, using familiar social logins.
2. Transaction Management: Handling transactions securely and efficiently was paramount.
3. Scalability and Reliability: Our system needed to scale to accommodate increasing user activity without compromising on performance.

Our Custom Implementation

To address these challenges, we developed a bespoke architecture:

1. Frontend: Users connect with their social accounts via Web3Auth, which creates a non-custodial EVM wallet.
2. On-chain Transactions: A centralized wallet acts as a relayer for user transactions. Users sign messages (EIP-712), and the centralized wallet submits transactions on their behalf, which also removes the need for users to own tokens to pay for gas fees.
3. Protocol: The system checks that the transaction was initiated by the Spaceport signer and verifies the user's EIP-712 signature.

This solution effectively met our needs at the time, providing a seamless user experience and ensuring transaction integrity. However, as the blockchain ecosystem matured, new solutions emerged that could enhance our system further.

Planning for Account Abstraction: A Standardized Approach

We are now in the planning stages to adopt account abstraction, particularly as implemented in ERC-4337, which offers a standardized way to handle many of the challenges we addressed with our custom solution. Below are the key components of account abstraction and why we use them:

1. User Operations: These pseudo-transaction objects encapsulate the details of transactions, making it easier to manage and process them.
2. Bundler: A service that listens to user operations, runs simulations, bundles them, and relays them to the EntryPoint contract.
3. EntryPoint: An immutable contract that coordinates the verification and execution of user operations.
4. Paymaster: An entity that can sponsor the gas fees for user operations.
5. Aggregator: An entity trusted to validate and aggregate signatures, often used to optimize the processing of multiple operations.

Planned Benefits of Account Abstraction

There are four main benefits of utilizing account abstraction for us. Decentralization, Scalability, Flexibility and Security.  By utilizing a third-party maintained bundler and relayer infrastructure, we will move away from our centralized signer model towards a decentralized one. This enhances reliability and aligns with industry standards. We increase scalability with the decentralized queue system managed by the bundler and relayer. This can handle higher transaction volumes without the risk of rate limiting, which was a potential issue with our centralized API.

Users also get more flexibility by being able to either log in with social accounts and transact through a relayer and bundler or connect their own wallets, providing a more malleable and user-centric approach. Lastly, with third-party vendors handling verification and execution, the overall security of transactions will be enhanced, reducing the burden on our system to manage these aspects.

Transitioning to Account Abstraction

To integrate account abstraction, we are planning an implementation strategy that makes several key changes. These include:

1. Backend: Develop a service to manage UserOperation objects and integrate with bundler services. Update our nonce management and transaction tracking systems.
2. Frontend: Update login and wallet creation flows to initiate transactions using UserOperation objects and provide real-time transaction status updates.
3. Authentication: Adapt or replace Web3Auth to work with the bundler requirements, ensuring seamless user onboarding and authentication.
4. Smart Contracts: Update protocol logic to support the new signature verification mechanisms.

Strategic Importance

Adopting account abstraction aligns Spaceport Protocol with the latest industry standards, enhancing our platform's scalability, reliability, and user experience. This planned move not only modernizes our infrastructure but also positions us as a forward-thinking leader in the blockchain space, ready to leverage cutting-edge technologies for the benefit of our users.

The planned shift from a custom-built solution to a standardized account abstraction model marks a significant step towards decentralization of the Spaceport Protocol. By embracing this new technology, we aim to enhance our platform's performance, security, and user satisfaction. As we continue to innovate and adapt, our commitment to providing a robust and user-friendly blockchain experience remains unwavering.

Stay tuned for more updates as we progress through these exciting changes and continue to push the boundaries of what's possible with blockchain technology. For more information contact us here.

Lida Tang is the Co-founder and CTO of Spaceport. He has been founder of multiple B2C and B2B companies while leading development and technical direction. Earlier in his career, Lida launched two billion-dollar gaming franchises –BioShock for Take-Two Interactive and Saints Row for Deep Silver – before starting his mobile app tooling company and co-founding an indie game studio.

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The Future of IP: Marketing, UGC, and the Metaverse at WebX 2024 Tokyo

The world of intellectual property (IP) is undergoing a massive transformation. The rise of Web3, the metaverse, and user-generated content (UGC) is creating a new landscape for brands, creators, and fans alike.

Join Le Zhang, co-founder of Spaceport, at WebX 2024 Tokyo as he dives deep into these exciting trends and explores the evolving role of IP in the digital age.

Here's what you'll learn:

• How IP is shaping the future of marketing and brand engagement.
• The power of UGC and the rise of creator economies within the metaverse.
• How Web3 technologies are unlocking new possibilities for IP ownership and monetization.

Whether you're a brand looking to leverage IP for innovative marketing campaigns, a creator building your own digital empire, or simply curious about the future of the internet, this session is for you.

Don't miss out! WebX 2024 Tokyo takes place on August 28-29, 2024, at The Prince Park Tower Tokyo.

Secure your spot today: Link to WebX 2024 Registration

Follow Le Zhang on Twitter: @lezhangxyz

Join the conversation: #WebX2024 #IP #Marketing #UGC #Metaverse #Web3

There’s a seismic shift happening in marketing. Gone are the days of one-way communication and static brand messaging. Today's consumers crave authenticity, interaction, and a sense of belonging. They want to be part of the story, not just passive actors marketed to. Enter the power of licensing. By embracing a licensing-centric approach, brands can unlock a potent force for brand amplification: fan creativity. Let me explain.

Barbie-core

Barbie the movie is a recent, and incredibly successful example of marketing by licensing IP. The movie was accompanied by a mind boggling number of licensing deals that crossed Barbie into every vertical imaginable. This AirBnB rental of Ken’s malibu pad brought consumers into the story so they could live “a day in the life”. Other deals included Barbie pink xBox’s, themed boat cruises, and $1300 crop top hoodies. Barbie-core shocked everyone with a $337 Million box office debut.

From Passive Consumers to Active Participants:

Traditional marketing often treats consumers as a wall to throw spaghetti at, bombarding them with ads and hoping someday it’ll turn into a sale. While good for a small portion of your marketing spend (brand awareness), this approach is becoming increasingly ineffective for use as an overall marketing strategy. Consumers are bombarded with messages every day, leading to ad fatigue and a general sense of "been there, seen that." Worse, there are consumers that will actively avoid and boycott your brand if they feel like a victim of spam advertising.

Licensing flips this script entirely. It transforms fans from passive consumers into active participants. By allowing fans to utilize a brand's intellectual property (IP) in user-generated content (UGC), brands tap into a wellspring of creativity and enthusiasm. Fans become co-creators, weaving the brand's IP into their own unique narratives, memes, and artistic expressions.

Adidas hits it out of the park on Roblox

Adidas set a new Roblox limited UGC item sales record for its Adidas chain at 2M Robux ($25,000 USD). A previous record was set by Lamborghini, selling 3 golden bullheads for 1.5M Robux each. Demand is there for fans to act as ambassadors for their favorite brands in game and through UGC.

The Network Effect of Fan-Fueled Marketing:

The magic of licensing doesn't stop at individual fan creation. UGC acts as a potent force for brand amplification, creating a network effect. When fans share their creative works on social media, they expose the brand to new audiences who, in turn, might become fans themselves. Imagine the reach of thousands of fans, each acting as a brand ambassador, adding their own creative spin and spreading brand awareness organically.

This organic reach far outstrips the limitations of traditional advertising. It fosters a sense of community and shared passion, fostering deeper brand loyalty and emotional connections. Think about it: wouldn't you trust a brand more if you saw fellow fans creating amazing things with their IP?

Staying Ahead of the Curve with Licensed Content Creation:

The beauty of leveraging fan creativity is its inherent agility. Fans are constantly at the forefront of trends, their creations reflecting the cultural zeitgeist in real-time. By embracing licensed UGC, brands can stay ahead of the curve, tapping into emerging trends and adapting their messaging on the fly.

Furthermore, UGC content is inherently diverse and dynamic. Unlike meticulously crafted marketing campaigns, fan creations offer a spectrum of perspectives and interpretations, resonating with a wider audience demographic. This ensures the brand narrative stays fresh and relevant, constantly evolving alongside its fans.

Empowering Brands and Creators in the Licensing Revolution:

The future of marketing is no longer static, it's a dynamic creation done in collaboration with passionate fans. By embracing the power of licensing and rethinking how their IP can be used, brands unlock the potential for a future built on authentic engagement and shared creativity. This is the exciting reality that awaits – a future where fans and brands co-create a shared narrative, fostering deeper loyalty and propelling brands to the forefront of cultural trends. Embrace the power of licensing and join the licensing revolution with Spaceport. Learn more about how we can help your brand here.

Le Zhang is a serial entrepreneur and investor, currently the co-founder and CEO of Spaceport Technologies. Spaceport builds Spaceport Protocol, a permissionless and composable EVM protocol that empowers brands, agencies, and creators with tools to monetize their IP. We’re also building Nebula, an EVM equivalent Layer 2 that’s focused on making the world’s best IP available to all creators. He was previously founder and CEO of Squadle, a VC backed enterprise SAAS company which worked with global customers like McDonalds, 7-Eleven and Hyatt Hotels. I’m also an active investor (Curated, PKO, TBD Angels) and board advisor at ACE NextGen.  Le has received 4 patents in food safety, internet-of-things (IoT), machine learning and computer vision. He is a Boston Magazine 35 Under 35 honoree and 500 Startups Alum. Le graduated from Boston College with a B.A. in Computer Science and lives in Boston, MA.

Boston, Massachusetts – May 22, 2024 – Spaceport, the leading innovator in unlocking the power of Intellectual Property (IP) and User-Generated Content (UGC), today announced the appointment of two strategic hires to its leadership team. Tae Mi Lee joins Spaceport as Head of Finance, and Marcos Sanchez steps into the role of Head of Marketing Communications with a focus on the Web3 and metaverse strategy.

Tae Mi Lee brings a wealth of experience in financial strategy and operations, facilitating multiple M&A transactions and funding rounds. Tae Mi was previously Head of Finance at Republic, a crypto advisory and private investing platform across all asset classes. While there she helped Republic raise their series A and B rounds, leading to a unicorn valuation. She was CFO at Nextseed, where she helped facilitate the acquisition and sale of Collaboration Capital.  Previously she also served as Director at Cheniere Energy, where she helped raise over $40 billion across all equity and project financing. Her leadership will be instrumental in supporting Spaceport’s ambitious growth plans.

Tae Mi Lee - Head of Finance + Marcos Sanchez Head of Marketing Communications, Spaceport.xyz

Marcos Sanchez joins Spaceport with extensive experience in crafting and executing impactful marketing communications strategies for disruptive technologies. Previously, Marcos was Head of Content and Communications at SKALE Technologies, a layer2 Ethereum scaling solution. Working on the leadership team he helped launch the SKALE token and trading across 40 of the largest crypto exchanges, as well as SKALE Mainnet. Before that, he was Head of Global Communications for Unity Technologies, the world's leading game creation platform. While there he helped launch the AR/VR initiative and helped support the communications efforts prior to its IPO. Marcos will lead the development and execution of marketing communications strategies around the Web3 ecosystem and metaverse.

“We are thrilled to welcome Tae Mi and Marcos to the Spaceport team. Their combined expertise in finance and marketing communications will be critical as we continue to scale our business and empower brands and creators to unlock the full potential of IP. Tae Mi’s financial acumen will ensure we have the resources to fuel our growth, while Marcos’ strategic communication skills will be instrumental in raising awareness around our revolutionary products in Web3 and the metaverse.”

About Spaceport
Spaceport is accelerating the growth of the next digital economy by building tools for creators, brands and agencies to monetize their intellectual property. With a mission to break down the real-world limitations of IP, Spaceport offers a universal licensing catalog that enables greater deal velocity and provides exposure to traditional and digital verticals. Learn more at https://www.spaceport.xyz/

The breakout success of Palworld and its striking resemblance to Pokémon sparked a great deal of debate about what constitutes IP infringement.

According to its creator, Palworld had been passed over by every publisher that had seen it, yet it reached 19M players in a matter of weeks. It has been followed by another surprise hit, Helldivers 2, which bears a striking resemblance to Starship Troopers — so much so that one reporter was surprised its developer didn’t get sued.

The speed of IP development has exploded as barriers for amateur game developers have been lowered thanks to UGC game platforms such as Roblox and Fortnite Creative, and also traditional game development platforms like Unreal Engine 5.

​​The increasing saturation of the game market means that developers of all kinds are turning to well-established IPs as an assurance that they will find an audience. However, indie developers, including those on Roblox and Fortnite, often infringe because they don’t have access to the IP holders or they may be unaware of copyright law to begin with. As it stands today, game developers of all kinds walk in a gray area of copyright and trademark law, and brand integrity, consumer confusion, and millions of dollars are at stake.

Check out more via Naavik, co-written with Spaceport CEO Le Zheng HERE

“Strange Planet” was launched as a webcomic in 2019 by New York Times best-selling author Nathan Pyle and has grown into a global sensation across digital platforms. The brand now includes multiple books, millions of social followers, billions of content views, and most recently, a AppleTV+ animated series. Through the collaboration, Spaceport has introduced “Strange Planet” digital goods to a daily audience of 66 million highly-engaged users on Roblox.

“It’s incredible to see my art and characters coming to life in a totally immersive environment. This is a really unique way to engage current fans and make new ones.”

Roblox offers an immersive global platform where users connect and communicate daily through millions of shared virtual experiences. In addition to user generated content, the platform allows brands to create their own purchasable items and interactive experiences for large-scale audiences to engage with. In the first half of 2023 the NFL, Gucci, Home Depot, Chipotle, and rapper Saweetie have launched major metaverse efforts in Roblox (FutureComerce).

“Strange Planet” is leveraging Spaceport’s proprietary Smart Licenses to activate high quality digital assets at industry-leading speed while maintaining an incredibly cost-effective approach. This approach can be scaled to include full branded experiences, user generated content campaigns, and marketing campaigns on Roblox that all respect and protect the brand’s IP.

"Spaceport’s mission is to improve how brands bring their intellectual property to life for fans and customers in digital and physical spaces,” said Le Zhang, Founder and CEO of Spaceport. “Working with Nathan is a perfect example of how our platform can be used to enhance a brand’s digital presence and add new revenue streams and in a brand safe and cost-effective way."

“Spaceport’s mission is to improve how brands bring their intellectual property to life for fans and customers in digital and physical spaces. Working with Nathan is a perfect example of how our platform can be used to enhance a brand’s digital presence and add new revenue streams and in a brand safe and cost-effective way.”

“Strange Planet”-branded digital apparel is available for purchase on the Roblox Marketplace and can be used across the Roblox platform. Roblox community members can now discover the show for the first time or find their favorite phrases to wear on their avatars.

Before we jump in, let's talk numbers. A recent article by Aron Garst indicates that Fortnite boasts about 70 million monthly average users, while Roblox flexes a staggering 250 million players bouncing from game to game every month. Now, take a moment to juxtapose that with cable TV. According to Nielsen ratings, most cable networks are pulling in single digit millions of viewers in their prime time slots. You see where I'm going? Fortnite and Roblox are not just keeping up with traditional media; they've already beat them and the lead is growing. 

While both platforms have impressive user stats, where they truly diverge is in their approach to brands and collaborations. Fortnite has recently partnered with My Hero Academia, offering new skins of Shoto Todoroki, Eijiro Kirishima, and Mina Ashido. They aren't just throwing in some characters and calling it a day; each skin comes with an emote, backbling, and a pickaxe. And if you thought that was cool, the game also adds Todoroki's Ice Walls—a durable barrier that can protect players during matches. This is just the latest in a long string of crossovers for Fortnite. From Star Wars' Ahsoka Tano to TikTok sensation Khaby Lame, Fortnite is becoming the Hollywood Boulevard of the digital age. I recently bought the Spiderman 2099 and Miles Morales pack for 1700 Vbucks (in-game currency, about $20). Why? Because I was playing with friends and even as a “grown up”,  I had to flex! 

Roblox, on the other hand, offers a different take. It has become a platform for IP licensing that lets brands take control of their own narrative and engagement strategies. Instead of being just a passive recipient of popular culture, Roblox invites brands to create their own experiences, driving over one million experiences and counting. Hamilton the musical wants to bring a new experience to their fans? Build out a new world! Roblox offers the flexibility and control brands need to build great experiences. 

It's not just about hosting a game anymore, it’s ecosystems rather than just a platform. According to Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney, the future of these platforms is about creating ecosystems where creators have the tools to make increasingly complex games and experiences. And that's what we're seeing: a pivot from game playing to game making. Developers have already been able to mimic AAA game maps like Call of Duty in Roblox and recreate the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild map on Fortnite. Both platforms have thus become more than just games. They're communities, economies, and learning platforms, boasting numbers that dwarf traditional forms of media.

How does this all play out? What does the future look like here?  According to industry experts, these ecosystems are going to evolve, incorporating more tools and genres. It's clear that Roblox and Fortnite are not just competing against each other; they are competing for your attention against all forms of media. And at this rate, they're winning.

It's high time brands recognize the enormous potential these ecosystems hold, not just as advertising platforms but as active spaces for engagement and co-creation. They're not just playgrounds; they're the future hubs of social interaction, commerce, and, yes, attention.

Until next time, keep those eyes peeled. Who knows where the battle for your attention will take us next?

What's a "Grimace Moment," Again? To catch you up, a Grimace Moment is that extraordinary point in time when a brand, celebrity, or even an ordinary individual hits a jackpot in digital marketing by perfectly aligning their strategy with a trend, audience, or platform. It's like winning the lottery, but with more skill and less luck involved.

The move by Hamilton is a sheer brilliance of marrying a cultural phenomenon with a platform boasting a daily active user count in the tens of millions. We're talking about Roblox, the same platform that has attracted giants like the NFL, Mattel, and even fashion houses like Gucci. Like Hamilton, Blackpink's move to Roblox shows they aren't just following their audience—they're leading them into new, interactive experiences.

Across entertainment, one golden rule always stands out: Meet your audience where they are. For Hamilton, entering Roblox was a strategy to engage a younger demographic who might not typically go to a Broadway show but would jump at the chance to be a part of Hamilton’s world online. Similarly, Blackpink's decision to create an experience in Roblox is a masterclass in understanding that the future of fan engagement lies in these virtual worlds.

Blackpink is already a global sensation, boasting more than 90 million YouTube subscribers and headlining huge festivals like Coachella. But what happens when they launch "Blackpink the palace" in Roblox? They offer fans, known as "Blinks," a chance to do more than just watch and listen. They get to interact, explore, and even create within a Blackpink-themed universe.

“We look forward to welcoming fans from all over the world to a beautiful virtual palace where they can party, connect and experience everything Blackpink beyond the constraints of time and space.”

In "Blackpink the palace," fans can engage with avatars of the band members, explore throne rooms, and even host Blackpink-themed parties. In the words of Lee, fans will be surprised to "take selfies with avatars of all four members."

The big takeaway here is that seizing a Grimace Moment isn't just about quick wins; it's about setting the stage (or in this case, the virtual world) for long-term engagement. Hamilton aimed to introduce the show to a new generation, while Blackpink aims to deepen the bond with their already massive following. Both have captured their respective Grimace Moments by choosing Roblox as their frontier for digital engagement.

In the world of never-ending digital opportunities, spotting your Grimace Moment can make all the difference. Whether it's Hamilton recruiting new fans among Roblox's 66 million daily users or Blackpink offering unprecedented interactive experiences to their "Blinks," the future of fan engagement is here, and it's nothing short of revolutionary.

To delve deeper into how Blackpink is changing the game, check out the original articlehere.

This launch opens new opportunities for both Threadless and Roblox users – enhancing immersive 3D experience with physical fashion options and providing significant exposure for Threadless and the community of talented artists behind the designs.

“It’s so exciting to see artwork by the Threadless artist community embraced and celebrated within Roblox. Partnering with Spaceport has enabled us to quickly bring our artists’ designs to millions of Roblox players, and to further expand the reach of their work in a meaningful way through this new platform”

Roblox offers an immersive global platform where 66 million users connect and communicate daily. Connecting users through millions of shared virtual experiences, such as hangouts and spaces for gameplay, the platform allows brands to bring their experience to millions of people anywhere in the world. Roblox is also a place for self-expression – with over half of Gen-Zers changing their avatar’s clothing at least once a week (Roblox), and 20 percent of users changing clothing daily (Vogue Business). The option to wear branded virtual clothing provides a new way for users to reflect their real-world aesthetic within the metaverse. 

“This deal offers Threadless artists a unique opportunity to showcase their talents and reach new audiences,” said Peter Betts, Founder of Established Licensing. “While traditionally only the most prominent brands could afford the resources to execute these integrations, Spaceport levels the playing field for creators and brands of all sizes.”

Threadless’s venture into Roblox and the metaverse leverages Spaceport’s blockchain-backed smart licensing protocol that can rapidly integrate thousands of Threadless's iconic designs into any virtual or physical marketplace. With the ability to activate IP assets at over 10x the scale of other platforms, all while maintaining an incredibly cost-effective approach, Spaceport’s smart licensing protocol is continuing to curate and roll out a catalog of over 35,000 assets in what is the largest physical-to-digital bridge of buyable retail assets ever made.

"Spaceport was created to redefine the way brands bring their intellectual property to life in both the physical world and the metaverse, and to do so with a platform that seamlessly, cost-efficiently, and rapidly takes brands to market,” said Le Zhang, Founder and CEO of Spaceport. “Our integration of Threadless’s IP into millions of Roblox experiences is yet another step towards bridging the gap between physical and digital intellectual property."

The Threadless-branded digital apparel is available for purchase on the Roblox Marketplace and can be used in every Roblox experience. Roblox community members can now discover real-life Threadless designs and adorn their avatars with unique art from the Threadless community. The Threadless-branded digital shirts and hats are available to be obtained using Roblox currency, Robux. Royalties from Roblox purchases will be exchanged from Robux and paid out in US dollars to Threadless artists.

What did I miss?

The award-winning musical "Hamilton," which charts the ups and downs of Alexander Hamilton's life, has found a new home in Roblox. Designed and built by Super League in collaboration with Small World Games, the "Hamilton Simulator" lets players navigate through 10 levels set against the backdrop of the Revolutionary War. You can strut alongside characters like James Madison and Charles Lee while you liberate New York from the Redcoats. Players assemble squads of historical figures, fight against the British, and earn power-ups for each victory. And get this—each level features iconic tracks from the musical like "Guns and Ships," "You’ll Be Back," and "The Schuyler Sisters."

The Room Where It Happens…

Let's get real: if you want to make an impression on the Gen Z crowd, Roblox is where you need to be. Just as the cast album and Disney+ live version brought Hamilton to those who hadn't seen the show, this Roblox experience aims to captivate new audiences in the same way. Roblox boasts a staggering 66 million daily active users worldwide making it the perfect place to grow the next generation of “Hamilfans”.

“Hamilton has global recognition. Roblox has 66 million daily active users from all around the world. What a perfect match.”

Over half of Gen Z expects to discover new brands in digital realms, according to Edelman and we see that as brands like Mattel, the NFL, Dave & Buster’s, and even high-end fashion labels like Givenchy and Gucci set up shop in Roblox. Hamilton's foray into this space is a textbook example of modern brand evolution.

More than ‘Guns & Ships’…

The genesis of this idea came from Maggie Brohn, executive producer for "Hamilton" worldwide. She turned to Edelman for advice after her kids got hooked on Roblox during COVID. The most challenging part was converting the award-winning linear narrative of the musical into an interactive experience. It wasn't until the idea was conceived as a simulator that the project took off. Lin-Manuel Miranda himself gave his nod of approval, reinforcing how this initiative isn't just a commercial move. The goal, according to Edelman, is to "create a fun experience for this community and by doing so, introduce them to ‘Hamilton’ if they don’t already know it, or to honor and inspire the passion that they have if they’re already fans."

The Takeaway: Don’t ‘Wait for It’

I spoke about the same secret sauce with the Grimace Moment in my previous post. Yes, the digital world can be complex, but successful activations often start with simple combinations. Now is the time to have your eye on the market for opportunities to shine.

Going to my younger cousin's house last month, two things came up: Love for the Hamilton sing-along, and getting back to our iPads to jump into Roblox. Maggie (referenced above) and I had the same viola moment after seeing the kids around us truly immerse themselves in both Roblox and Hamilton…why not combine the two? So let's raise a glass to "Hamilton" for not throwing away its shot in the digital universe. Who knows, maybe someday we'll be seeing a Roblox musical win a Tony. Stay tuned!

Picture this: the digital world is evolving faster than a Ferrari on nitro, cranking open the floodgates of possibilities for brands to mingle with their audience in fresh, exciting ways. Unfortunately, a shocking number of businesses are still clinging to the past, blissfully ignorant of these golden opportunities.

Enter the 'Grimace Moment' (you heard it here first).

I'm talking about those game-changing, brand-boosting moments that many are snoozing through like it's a Sunday afternoon nap. Our favorite purple pal from McDonald's pulled a cyber trend across the web, causing a fan-powered flood of Grimace digital content and merchandise. That should have been a home run for McDonald's, but without an official presence in the Roblox Marketplace, the opportunity is lost.

And this isn't some rare digital anomaly. Remember the Fortnite in-game concert, where Travis Scott played to a mind-boggling 12.5 million user digital mosh pit? Despite the virtual sea of fans, heavy-hitting brands missed their moment, overlooking opportunities for co-branding and marketing moves to capitalize on this “epic” trend…and Epic Games missed out on the value as well, failing to follow up a massively popular event with any meaningful post concert content. 

It could have been McDonald’s Golden Arches behind the stage, or limited-edition Travis Scott kicks by Nike that are only available to concert-goers. That mega-moment could have been the launchpad for marketing activations to blow users minds...instead it’s mostly remembered as a cool one-off.

These examples make one thing clear: Gen Z and Gen Alpha are ensuring that the digital world isn't confined to your standard social media fare any longer. Sure, the usual suspects like Twitter (or is it X now?), Meta, TikTok are key players, but they're just a fraction of the greater digital universe.

Back to Grimace…

McDonald's did well to ride the TikTok wave with his viral moment, driving an explosion of earned media. We're talking billions of views, with Grimace and his signature shake weaving its way into the mainstream fabric. Now, they should be capitalizing on the Roblox moment as well…a moment that could generate 200M+ kids asking their parents to get them that dubious purple shake.

But the reality for most marketers is that they lack the technology and speed to tap into these digital gold mines. Here's the secret sauce to seizing these Grimace Moments:

1. Recognize they exist and know where to look for them
2. Start with simple activations that are high-speed and low cost
3. Find a good tech partner to speed up your response to your next Grimace Moment

The point is this: to win big in the digital space, you've got to be more than just a trend follower; you need to be a trendsetter. It’s not just catching up on trends; it's about anticipating them, acting on them, and potentially steering them. Don't let your Grimace Moment get away. 

We’re excited to announce that we’re partnering with with international gaming platform Intella X to make our Universal Catalog of licensed IP available directly to gaming and metaverse developers in their ecosystem.

Through this partnership, gaming developers of all sizes will be able to search and contract with a massive catalog of intellectual property that can be brought directly into their games through the Intella X platform. Developers will be able to seamlessly license fresh content and new brands into their titles and digital marketplaces, tapping into the $54B spent annually on digital goods.

“Spaceport’s catalog of IP holds significant sway with our key markets and audiences. By leveraging these assets in our ecosystem, all Intella X Gaming partners gain a competitive edge.”

As game developers of all sizes look to increase their footprint with global audiences, this partnership provides a creative way to leverage licensed IP to infuse fresh narratives and exciting experiences into their games. This is particularly true across the metaverse where close to 500M monthly users will be accessing at least one digital world by 2024. Spaceport already works with major brands to bring their IP into Roblox and Intella X provides and new opportunities for those IP owner and the developers on the other side.

“Our goal is to make new revenue streams instantly available to IP owners and the Intella X gaming ecosystem is the perfect place to make that happen.”

We’re excited to announce that we’re partnering with Threadless, the nation’s largest crowd-sourced apparel and goods manufacturer, to make the creative works of thousands of artists available in digital worlds and metaverse platforms. Soon, fans can find their favorite Threadless t-shirt design available in games and digital experiences.

Through this collaboration, Spaceport will expand Threadless’ network of licensees to popular digital ecosystems such as Roblox, Fortnite and Unity. Licensees include game development studios and publishers, where utilizing Spaceport will drive accretive revenue as well as exposure to the passionate and engaged audiences associated with Threadless artist communities. Spaceport's technology also presents licensees with the ability to offer new, digitally authenticated products to consumers for the first time.

“We are thrilled to join forces with Spaceport to expand our artists’ reach into digital worlds. This partnership not only allows our creative community to explore new avenues for their artwork, but it also aligns with Threadless’ ongoing commitment to empowering and supporting artists and their fans.”

Started in 2000 as an online t-shirt shop, Threadless now supports a community of six million users who submit hundreds of thousands of designs a year for use across hundreds of product types.  Threadless has previously collaborated on physical licensing designs with brands like Unicef, McDonalds, and Disney and will work through Spaceport to extend future brand partnerships into digital goods and virtual worlds. Their products can be found online and in partner retail locations like Target, Hot Topic, Kohls, Spencer’s and Tillys.

“Our mission is to grow the pie for creators by making it easier and faster than ever to monetize their creations. As the premier hub for artists aspiring to transform their IP into high quality products, Threadless was a no-brainer partnership.”

Spaceport represents a wide variety of brands, artists and creators including recent work with innovators like Efdot, Couplet Coffee, and Frank White.

We can’t wait to share more with you as our partnership grows!

Challenges for IP in AI Training
AI training often involves third-party content, which raises legal and ethical questions:

1. Rapid Advancement: Technological advancements are rapidly raising novel legal issues. How these new questions are addressed by legal systems globally will impact how the technology evolves.
2. Legal Uncertainty: Fair use, a likely defense in many of the forthcoming AI training cases, is a complex doctrine. It is far from certain how the defense will be treated by courts. Its application or denial will have a critical impact in how present and  future AI’s are trained. 
3. Ethical Concerns: Unauthorized use of protected intellectual property raises ethical concerns. Is it acceptable for those training AI systems to utilize the protected material of others, without permission or compensation? If allowed, would this disincentivize the creation of new IP works? 

Why we care?
Spaceport serves to make IP of all kinds safely licensable for both the IP owner and the licensee. We’ll continue to track how companies and courts are addressing the IP rights of the data going into and coming out of increasingly advanced AI technology.

Conclusions
The Getty Images lawsuit brings attention to IP rights in AI training and how it unfolds will greatly influence how IP owners need to manage their business.

*This blog post was drafted by ChatGPT-4, edited only to format the text for easier reading.

Los Angeles, CA – December 14, 2022 – Spaceport, an intellectual property licensing platform that allows seamless monetization of intellectual property, today announced $3.6 million in pre-seed funding led by Arca, Decasonic and CRIT Ventures, the venture capital arm of publicly-traded game developer Com2uS.  Other participants included Cozomo De Medici, Diaspora Ventures, Infinity Ventures, FBG Capital, Nextview Ventures, Republic Asia and Valhalla Ventures.

Founded by serial tech entrepreneurs Le Zhang and Lida Tang, Spaceport was built to help creators, brands and agencies monetize their IP with greater velocity and to provide exposure to the metaverse vertical. The team combines traditional licensing know-how with seasoned software expertise to grow the existing $300B licensing market into a multi-trillion dollar market.

"We built Spaceport to give creators and brands the ability to monetize their IP faster and more easily than ever before," said Le Zhang, Co-Founder and CEO of Spaceport. "We're thrilled to have the support of such an incredible lineup of investors and partners and look forward to working together to expand the licensing market and open the door to a new programmatic approach to monetizing IP.”

Licensing has traditionally been a pen-and-paper industry where deals can take months to transact. Smaller creators are also locked out of the market due to the overhead involved. Spaceport’s platform and first application, Spaceport Core, solves these inefficiencies by providing a streamlined, one-stop-shop approach to monetizing IP for creators, brands and agencies.

“Spaceport unblocks a key challenge for creators to adopt Web3 by aligning value creation with their IP.  Their licensing infrastructure is accessible, easy to use and drives accretive revenues,” said Paul Hsu, Founder and CEO of Decasonic, venture fund focused on mainstream adoption of transformational technologies. “I see large potential today for smart contracts to improve the licensing process and contracts.”

“Com2uS is fully committed to supporting the future of Web3 and its evolution into the mainstream,” said Kyu Lee, CEO of Com2uS USA and Partner at CRIT Ventures. “The licensing infrastructure that Spaceport is building will be fundamental to bringing the world’s favorite brands and games onto the blockchain.” Com2uS is the owner and creator of Summoners War, a multi-billion dollar gaming franchise, as well as the producers of titles including MLB 9 Innings, Ace Fishing: Wild Catch, and NBA Now. 

Spaceport has already granted private access to their products through significant partnerships with media, gaming, and consumer goods companies that want faster, more streamlined licensing deals along with metaverse exposure. The team plans to use the funds raised to hire exceptional talent, supercharge partnerships with notable IP holders and build to a public launch of their products.

About Spaceport
Spaceport is accelerating the growth of the next digital economy by building tools for creators, brands and agencies to monetize their intellectual property. With a mission to break down the real-world limitations of IP, Spaceport offers a universal licensing catalog that enables greater deal velocity and provides exposure to traditional and digital verticals. Learn more at https://www.spaceport.xyz/ 

For media and business inquiries contact:
Craig Zevin
[email protected]

[Edited: March 24, 2023 for clarity.]