Proving, once again, that the crypto space is the home of innovation is the Sandbox Metaverse, a virtual world based on the Ethereum blockchain with a “play-to-earn” model. While Mark Zuckerberg plays catchup, the world of blockchain technology pushes forward at a rapid pace.
Combining the best of blockchain technology with the experience of a well-established team and existing product, Sandbox is looking to be one of the biggest NFT projects out.
While Sandbox brings a lot that will be familiar to the world of NFTs, it also adds its own spin to the metaverse genre.
Here, we’ll take a closer look at the Sandbox metaverse. We’ll explain how it works, how to get involved, what $SAND is used for, and learn just why Sandbox is becoming so popular.
What is the Sandbox Metaverse?
The Sandbox metaverse began its life as a 2D pixel mobile game in which players assume the role of a deity. In the game, players quite literally created their own universe, manipulating physics, matter, and the elements.
The game has proven a hit amassing millions of downloads since its launch in 2011. After releasing a sequel in 2016, entitled “The Sandbox Evolution,“ another challenger to games such as Roblox and Minecraft, existing in the same niche.
After the rise of the NFT scene, creators Sebastien Borget and Arthur Madrid wanted to explore the idea of letting players assert ownership over their in-game creations and earn rewards for doing so.
As a result, The Sandbox Metaverse has been created. Unlike its predecessors, the game is fully 3D but still retains the art style of the original universe, with added dynamic lighting and shading.
With the Alpha launched November 29, 2021, The Sandbox userbase is now set to explode, pushing it into the NFT-limelight alongside games such as Axie Infinity and another metaverse, Decentraland.
Most recently, The Sandbox successfully raised over $93 million in funding that will be used for future development. This round of fundraising was overseen by SoftBank Vision Fund 2, a Japanese mobile company, forming multiple high-level partnerships along the way.
With previous funding rounds behind it, The Sandbox, therefore, has the finances and the team behind it to further iterate on its already well-established platform.
How does Sandbox Work?
Whereas creations in Minecraft or Roblox can be admired by friends, family, and the community at large, The Sandbox allows players to establish ownership over user-generated content (UGC).
Through a trio of products, the platform allows the creation of a host of content. The Sandbox includes the ability to express your true character by creating custom avatars, construct structures and in-game buildings, and even make your own games. All of which can be owned and monetized thanks to NFT technology.
VoxEdit: ASSETS
First up in the suite of tools is VoxEdit that allows players to create voxel models for use within The Sandbox world. These models can be in-game items such as tools and cosmetics, avatars, and decorative items. Thanks to the user-friendly tools, the models can be animated and rigged by almost anyone and then exported for use in-game or traded on the marketplace.
ASSETS created utilize the ERC-1155 standard.
Games Maker: LAND
The Game Maker tool allows users to create genuinely spectacular games for use within The Sandbox world, enriching the metaverse for everyone. While the prospect sounds daunting, the tool requires no use of coding knowledge, and for those familiar with Minecraft’s redstone, the logic will be familiar. Within the tool, users can organize different in-game elements and NFTs on LAND.
Plots of LAND are also a way for players to monetize their NFTs. For example, players could charge other players for entry into their user-created theme park, run a casino, or rent out the plot to another for a weekly fee.
LAND NFTs exist on the Ethereum blockchain as ERC-721 tokens and can be bought and sold freely. An ESTATE is a combination of different LAND plots.
The Sandbox Marketplace: $SAND
The Sandbox marketplace is the go-to place to populate plots of LAND with user-generated content by buying, selling, and trading their NFTs.
The marketplace makes use of the native token $SAND to buy and sell these custom creations. You can earn SAND in a variety of ways, including simply playing the game, meaning all players are able to participate in the Sandbox ecosystem.
The marketplace allows creators to sell their creations and players or other creators to use this content to make their LAND their own. For example, a creator may sell a unique modern lodge NFT that a buyer may think would go particularly well with their other ASSETS. The buyer can then purchase the asset and proceed to place it into their plot of LAND using the game’s other tools.
The marketplace is also the place to go and buy plots of LAND, GEM, or CATALYST, new tokens used to determine scarcity.
SAND is an ERC-20 token and is, therefore, the currency of the entire Sandbox ecosystem.
The SAND Token of the Sandbox Metaverse
SAND is intrinsic to the whole Sandbox metaverse and has rallied since the announcement of the Alpha, as well as more general interest in all things metaverse.
As it stands, over 900,000 people now hold SAND in their crypto wallets, with the price likely to continue to rise as the platform’s utility becomes more well-known.
SAND can be used as:
- Currency: collecting SAND in-game or through sales on the marketplace. SAND can then be exchanged for fiat or used within the Sandbox ecosystem both in and out of game.
- Governance: owners of SAND can participate in governance decisions via voting.
- Staking: SAND can also be staked to earn rewards.
With the backing of some big names such as Adidas, Snoop Dogg, and gaming company Atari, the Sandbox metaverse’s SAND token is potentially going to be one of the most desirable cryptocurrencies available.
The total SAND token supply is 3 billion, with only 705 million SAND currently in circulation.
The Game Makers Fund
One of the most exciting things about The Sandbox metaverse is The Game Maker Fund. The Fund is being used to create a plethora of fully-fledged gaming experiences within the Sandbox Metaverse.
This initiative intends to support game designers to use the platform, incentivizing talent to participate in the ecosystem. The Game Maker Fund is the platforms attempt to nurture talent and help game designers who use the Sandbox platform.
The Game Makers Fund will give grants to creators to populate the metaverse and marketplace with quality, unique content. Creators are free to create, share, and monetize their creations as they see fit.
Whether it’s exploration, shooters, RPGs or even puzzle games, Game Maker Fund is encouraging creators to flock to the Sandbox platform.
The fund is being used to incentivize creators who demonstrate talent and skill in creating fun and engaging content that can be used in the Sandbox Metaverse. Already the Fund has brought to life some amazing projects that span multiple genres of gaming.
Dethrone, for example, is a game created for The Sandbox where players are stuck in a dark cave. Players will have to work their way through quests of ever-increasing difficulty and complexity, uncovering the story through several chapters, battling monsters along the way.
The Sandbox creators, Pixowl Inc., claim they want the fund to “create amazing experiences” that can only be found on the platform. Keeping in with the crypto-spirit, owners will still own full copyright of their creations.
Access to the fund is by application only.
With the Sandbox Metaverse still in the early stages of release, the promise of true blockchain backed ownership, ultimate control, and the support of the Game Maker Fund, the platform is expected to attract yet more talented creators in the coming years.
–
While toppling Minecraft’s claim to the sandbox crown will be tough, The Sandbox is doing everything right. From its incentivization of creators to the well-established marketplace and utility token, SAND.
In allowing users to truly own what they’re playing with, The Sandbox’s play-to-earn model is attracting attention from all angles.
Originally a mobile game launched in 2011, The Sandbox has evolved over the years with the franchise now owned by Animoca Brands. The game has now received over $100 million in funding and has transformed itself from a 2D pixel-art style mobile sandbox into a fully-fledged 3D-voxel title with fully NFT integration, using the Ethereum blockchain. Players can use the suite of tools to transform the game world and populate it with content similar to games such as Minecraft but with the ability to take ownership and share their creations.
With the alpha release launched on November 29, 2021, the Sandbox Metaverse is about to change the way we think about games. Leveraging itself as a community-driven platform in which creators and players can own, share and use custom content in-game, as well as monetize their creations, The Sandbox is looking to become one of the most definitive blockchain gaming experiences.
What is (SAND) Token?
Central to the Sandbox Metaverse is its utility token, used ubiquitously throughout the game’s entire ecosystem. It is used for everything from transactions and interactions to in-game access to private LAND plots and games. SAND is also used for staking and is used as a governance token in determining the future of the Sandbox Metaverse.
As the main medium of exchange in the Sandbox Metaverse, owning some SAND is almost a necessity to fully engage with the platform. It is used for the purchase of the following:
- LAND
- ASSETs
- Customizations
- GEMs
- CATALYSTs
SAND is an ERC-20 token and, therefore, exists on the Ethereum blockchain. It has a finite supply of 3 billion.
ERC-20 tokens are used for smart contracts and provide a list of specific rules that Ethereum tokens must abide by. These rules define basic functions such as how tokens are transferred and what information is accessible. ERC-20 tokens are interoperable, meaning Sandbox tokens can be bought and swapped on exchanges such as Uniswap and even used within DeFi applications.
On launch, SAND was worth just 0.008333 USD. At its peak, SAND saw an all-time high of $8.4022, now sitting somewhere around $5.50 at the time of writing.
SAND can be bought in a multitude of ways, with the creators recommending the use of Binance, Uniswap, or Simplex. Here, users can purchase SAND, add it to their crypto wallet and begin using it immediately.
What are ASSETS, LAND, and ESTATE
ASSETs are the voxel creations that populate the Sandbox Metaverse. These entities range from individual decorative items to fully interactive games and environments such as custom games. ASSETs are classed as User Generated Content (UGC) and exist as ERC-1155 smart contracts. This means ASSETs are NFTs that can be minted multiple times.
LAND is the name used for the digital plots of real estate that make up the Sandbox Metaverse. Creators use LAND to develop experiences for other players, such as interactive dioramas filled with ASSETS or even truly unique games. Each plot of LAND is an individual ERC0721 token, with a total of 166,464 available.
ESTATEs are multiple plots of LAND that combine to become a larger parcel of real estate. ESTATEs are usually bought and sold in square “blocks.” While most ESTATEs start with 9 plots of LAND, they can be formed from just 2, establishing a 1×1 parcel.
| ESTATE Class | ESTATE Dimensions | Total Land |
| Small | 3×3 | 9 |
| Medium | 6×6 | 36 |
| Large | 12×12 | 144 |
| X-Large | 24×24 | 576 |
DISTRICTs are ESTATEs owned by multiple parties. ESTATEs that make up a DISTRICT must be adjacent to one another, have more than one unique owner, and each owned will need to stake $SAND into a Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) that will govern it. Future changes will then be governed by vote through the DAO.
How much land is left in the sandbox?
In total, there are 166,464 LANDs in the Sandbox Metaverse that is available for purchase. With each 1×1 space of land being 96 meters. Therefore, since there are only 166,464 amount of Land left in the Sandbox, the scarcity of Land makes it really valuable. Although, there are no limits on how much Land you can buy, LAND is definitely going to be expensive because of the scarcity.
How Can Creators Make Money from the Sandbox?
Monetization is a key feature of the Sandbox Metaverse with the game’s creators developing different SAND revenue streams depending on your skillset and how you wish to engage with the platform.
Creating ASSETs
One of the most exciting ways to make SAND is to use the platform’s VoxEdit software to create voxel-based ASSETs to sell on the marketplace. The software has been designed to be as user-friendly as possible and, with a monetary incentive, the expectation is for the platform to become flooded with quality UGC.
Monetize LAND Experiences
While creating a static theme-park in Minecraft is all-well-and-good, it’s not much fun if it can’t be used and interacted with by other people. In The Sandbox, your creations don’t go to waste. Instead, they can become visitor attractions with creators choosing how to monetize their LAND. You may charge for entry or request donations if someone enjoyed your diorama, for instance. If you create a popular game, for example, you could charge a small amount of SAND to play, as an arcade would do. Thanks to blockchain technology, players are free to choose.
Rent LAND
Players can also rent out their parcels of LAND to others, allowing others to create and monetize on the real estate. Owners of LAND may negotiate a percentage of income from the LAND or just a set monthly fee.
Playing the game
The Sandbox is also set to reward players with SAND from simply playing the game.
Gems and Catalysts
GEMs are expendable ERC-20 utility tokens given away to those who stake SAND on LAND or purchased from the marketplace. One GEM provides 25 attribute points to an ASSET.
Attributes come in 5 forms: Power, Defence, Speed, Magic, and Luck.
Attributes are assigned a value ranging from 1-100, with power stacking when more than one GEM is used.
CATALYSTs are “sockets” for GEMs with different tiers of rarity. They are also an ERC-20 and are burned upon usage with an ASSET. CATALYSTS also determine the scarcity of an asset by limiting the number of copies that can be made.
| CATALYST Tier | GEM Sockets | No. of Attributes | Scarcity |
| Common | 1 | 25 | 20,000 |
| Rare | 2 | 50 | 4,000 |
| Epic | 3 | 75 | 1,500 |
| Legendary | 4 | 100 | 200 |
How to Buy LAND in the Sandbox Metaverse
Getting hold of your first plot of LAND is relatively simple, involving four steps:
1. Link your wallet to your Sandbox account
First up, you’ll want to create a Sandbox account on the official website. This will be used to link your wallet and allow you to buy and sell on the Sandbox marketplace.
After creating your account you’ll need to link a crypto wallet.
The Sandbox is compatible with MetaMask, Bitski, or Arkane.
Simply ensure you have your wallet’s plugin installed (if applicable) and click “Connect Wallet” on the Sandbox website.
Choose your wallet and follow the on screen instructions, choosing a name and inputting any relevant information.
2. Get some $SAND
Next, you’ll want to get hold of some SAND so you can buy your LAND.
There are two ways to do this: purchasing some directly from Binance or swapping some ETH on Uniswap.
Binance
If going down the Binance route, you’ll need a verified account with the exchange.
There, you’ll want to go ahead and purchase some cryptocurrency with fiat, with Bitcoin, BNB, or Ethereum recommended.
After purchasing some crypto, you need to click “Trade” at the top of the screen, selecting “Classic” in the sub-menu.
On the next screen, you’ll to choose a pair, selecting $SAND and your crypto of choice. E.g., $SAND/ETH.
This will convert your crypto to $SAND, ready to be sent to your Sandbox account.
Uniswap
The other method is to swap ETH you already hold for $SAND on Uniswap.
Simply go to the UniSwap DApp and use the official swap pool to convert your ETH:
https://uniswap.info/pair/0x3dd49f67E9d5Bc4C5E6634b3F70BfD9dc1b6BD74
3. Transfer your $SAND to your Sandbox account
$SAND acquired, it’s time to get it into your Sandbox account.
Firstly, click on the “Me” icon on the left panel.
Under “My Wallet Address,” copy the string of text and numbers.
From your Binance account or wallet, send your $SAND to that address.
4. Purchase your LAND from the marketplace
With $SAND you can now browse the LAND marketplace and look for a piece of digital real estate.
You’ll be greeted with a grid of plots of various sizes. Clicking on these plots of LAND and ESTATE will present you with details on the amount of parcels included, the price, and location.
Once you’ve made your choice, simply click “Buy LAND” and proceed to purchase.
Note: as with all Ethereum transactions, you’ll need enough ETH in your wallet to cover transaction gas fees.
–
As can be seen, $SAND is an extremely useful token in the Sandbox Metaverse. It not only allows users to buy and sell ASSETs on the marketplace but also acquire plots of LAND, earning income in the process. With the ability to off-ramp $SAND to fiat, the token is set to become extremely valuable.
