vEmpire DDAO (https://v-empire.digital/), a project dedicated to restoring fairness to the Metaverse, today announced the launch of vEmpire: “The Beginning,” a blockchain-based two-player trading card game, that revolves around the expansion of a fictional empire by invading “decentraland,” a part of the metaverse and a tug-of-war for power between Romulus and Remus, two sons of a former emperor, staunch enemies of each other.

Romulus is a strong leader, who wins hearts with responsibility and promises of power and wealth. In contrast, Remus is sly and conniving, using underhand tactics to gain an advantage in a battle. While not as popular as Romulus, Remus cannot be bested easily in the long run.

Players get to choose which faction that they would like to play as. They will then be automatically matched up with an opponent taking the opposite side. Each faction has up to 40 faction-specific cards, as well as 12 universal cards that belong to both factions. When preparing for battle, players must choose 25 cards from their deck, which will make up their “Legion”.

“Each brother has at his disposal an army, with troops who have unique abilities. Players can choose their soldiers for different scenarios to counter any advantage their opponent might have. Players can either take an “all-out” attack approach, and throw their strongest troops at their opponent to win through brute force, or use tactics to outplay opponents by strategically removing their key players and increasing the number of cards in hand,” Dom Ryder, Founder of vEmpire said.

“Players are required to choose a faction and back a brother to the end, seeing him to his rightful place as the new Emperor. Players have to invest their time and resources to train their army into an unstoppable force, to conquer the Metaverse.”

Each player is randomly assigned a hand of 15 cards from their Legion. The remaining cards go into their “Battle Deck”. Although players' hands are dealt only 15 cards, some cards have abilities that enable players to dip into their Battle Deck, and access cards that they may not have been assigned in their original hand.

A virtual coin is flipped at the start of the game and the winner of the coin toss gets to play the first card. Players then take turns to play their cards until either both players decide to end the round or run out of cards.

Although the objective is to win rounds, there are a total of three rounds to play. This means that players will need to keep cards in reserve for later rounds. If a player runs out of cards before the game finishes, they will forfeit the following rounds. At the end of each round, all cards on the battlefield are sent to each player's respective discard pile and the following rounds are played with the cards remaining in the player's hand.

For holders of any of the Founding Soldiers NFTs, when choosing their Legion, if a card is picked for which they own the NFT for, they will be able to take the NFT and visually replace the generic card in play. While owning the NFT of a respective card will provide in-game boosts, the significance of the boost will not be overpowered and strategy will still primarily dictate the winner. In-game boosts simply give players an edge in battle.

Players are encouraged to have a powerful computer and graphics card to enjoy the games' fullest potential. The game is not currently operational on Macbooks. For more information and to download the game, visit: https://www.sandbox.game/en/create/game-maker/. 

About vEmpire:
vEmpire is focused on achieving true decentralization and holding DAOs accountable. Our official platform incorporates different staking strategies to incentivize Metaversal token staking to speed up the battle against centralization in the Crypto verse. Our protocol rewards MANA, SAND, AXS, STARL, and ETH stakers with our native token VEMP, alongside rewards in the token that they staked. vEmpire allows crypto enthusiasts to earn financial rewards on their holdings while also helping contribute to ensuring the important crypto projects can realize their true potential instead of being used as cash cows by centralized entities. 

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Media Contact:
Transform Group: vempire@transformgroup.com
vEmpire DDAO Ltd, romulus@v-empire.digital

Automotive Monthly Newsletter and Podcast
Auto demand levels remain depressed on chip famine alongside race between vaccine & variants; 2022 Light Vehicle demand set to post 82.4 million (+3.7%)

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Semiconductor shortages and wider supply chain disruptions expected to linger until 2023

IHS Markit forecasts new light vehicle sales of nearly 82.4 million globally in 2022, up 3.7%. IHS Markit projects the industry will finish out 2021 with nearly 79.4 million light vehicles sold, and industry demand levels will continue to be restrained next year as the semiconductor supply chain remains challenged. Tentative demand recovery will continue across most regions, assuming the ongoing availability of effective vaccines and apart from any major impacts from the Omicron variant.

Full year 2021 sales are expected to be up just 2.9% from the levels achieved in 2020. IHS Markit remains cautious on recovery prospects, as the global auto industry grapples with this "perfect storm" of unprecedented circumstances. Depressed vehicle output levels are expected to impact vehicle lead times for some time, pressuring depleted inventories and delaying fulfillment of prevailing order levels.

"The path of the pandemic remains an important driver of the 2022 auto demand cycle, especially the "race" between vaccine and variants. Concerns remain as winter arrives for Northern Hemisphere nations, and the emergence of the Omicron variant represents a worrying development," said Colin Couchman, executive director, global light vehicle forecasting, IHS Markit.

Most regions face limited recovery prospects on supply chain challenges and potential further COVID-19 flare-ups

The European auto industry looks set for a bleak mid-winter as widening virus concerns combine with ongoing supply chain woes, with concerns for German-based production. The 2021 Western and Central European demand forecast foresees 13.9 million units, just scraping into growth territory, up 0.2% y/y. 2022 demand is set at 15.0m units (+7.8%), according to IHS Markit.

"European car consumers are expected to hunker down for a second winter of COVID-19, but the new year might struggle to deliver meaningful improvement to new car sales levels," said Couchman.

Looking at 2022, US sales volumes are expected to reach nearly 15.5 million units, up an estimated 2.6% from the projected 2021 level of approximately 15.1 million units. "For 2022, the pace of sales is expected to quicken in the second half of the year. Given current inventory conditions, it's difficult to project significant demand recovery in the first half of 2022. But we expect to exit 2022 with a pace of sales more recognizable to pre-COVID levels, setting the stage for better volume outlooks into 2023 and 2024," according to Chris Hopson, manager, North American light vehicle sales forecast, IHS Markit.

In Mainland China—for 2021, IHS Markit analysts foresee the market down by 1% y/y, to 23.4 million units, as supply chain shortages choke off market growth. Near-term risks are balanced, and 2022 is currently set at 24.2 million (+3.3% y/y), with more meaningful recovery expected for 2023—back above pre-crisis levels to 26.9 million, up by 11.3% y/y.

Production expected to recover slowly through 2022

Global light vehicle production in 2021 is expected to finish at 75.5 million units, a paltry 1.2% improvement over 2020 levels.

For 2022, IHS Markit forecasts a rebound in light vehicle production of 9.0 percent, to 82.3 million units. The outlook will continue to be characterized by the availability of automotive-grade chips, at least until 2023. The balance of incremental capacity gains within the semiconductor sector, heightened 'chips-per-vehicle' requirements and robust non-automotive chip demand all feature in this assessment.

"Overall, while manufacturing operations in most regions are expected to improve, capacity constraints within the semiconductor supply chain remain the single most influential feature of the forecast. As the semiconductor tide recedes, will this expose further risks to the auto recovery? Threats elsewhere within the supply chain could become more apparent as chip supplies improve, notably, logistics, worker related issues, and key raw materials shortages," said Mark Fulthorpe, executive director of light vehicle production forecasts at IHS Markit.

In Greater China, IHS Markit forecasts modest growth for 2022 of 1.6 percent, to 24.3 million units. Europe is expected to produce 18.5 million units in 2022, up from an estimated 15.7 million this year. For the North American region, momentum is improving heading into 2022, though our outlook based on current forecasts remains at nearly 15.2 million units; this reflects growth of just over 2.2 million units year over year. A more normalized supply chain is forecast to support vehicle output levels of 90.6 million units for 2023, a further 10% y/y increase, and comfortably above pre-pandemic output levels of 2019.

Electrification remains a growing dynamic—2021 has seen an "arms race" of ambition as OEMs declare electrification targets for coming 5-15 years

Recent months have witnessed an unprecedented flurry of OEM announcements on electrification ambitions for the coming 5-15 years. Electric vehicles are fast evolving from a compliance side hustle into fully fledged core offerings for many OEMs. At COP26 earlier this year, policymakers and regulators also shared their visions for a greener future, including the US, the EU and the UK. Transformational change is firmly on the agenda and making sense of this arms race of ambition represents an ongoing challenge.

Dive Deeper:

Webinar | Supply Chain Crisis - What's Ahead for 2022. Watch Now

Electrical Steel - Temporary supply chain shortage or a threat to OEMs' electrification plans? Read the article

Accelerate your data innovation with IHS Markit's Data Lake. Learn more

Ask the Expert a Question - Mike Wall

California sparked a national push to ban gas lines into homes. Its success hinges on persuading home cooks the gas stove is obsolete.

NEW YORK, NY, December 16, 2021 - Publicis Sapient, a digital business transformation company, today announced its partnership with Portion, the premier online art marketplace connecting artists and collectors through blockchain technology, enabling members to easily sell, invest and own art and collectibles with complete transparency. Publicis Sapient and Portion will collaborate on two initiatives that will allow Publicis Sapient's clients to extend their brands into Web 3.0, including the metaverse, and evolve the customer experience. 

The metaverse is an interconnected structure of digital and physical products and IP – a platform where individuals can interact within a virtually rendered world. Publicis Sapient and Portion will architect a first-of-its-kind metaverse-based experience that will act as a conduit for legacy channels to expand their brands into this new digital frontier. The collaboration will empower companies to evolve and appeal to a new generation of consumers who have a higher expectation for the user experience, including how transactions are processed, products are tested and digital interactions are recorded. 

The first initiative will focus on tackling one of the biggest and most expensive challenges Publicis Sapient's clients are facing today: identity resolution – or building a cohesive, omnichannel view of a single consumer. This will be achieved by the development of a turnkey platform that allows Publicis Sapient to facilitate the creation and fulfillment of transactions with NFTs of physical products. 

The second initiative creates an experience that's an extension of any brand's ability to deliver dynamic product experiences in the metaverse, connecting both Web 2.0 and Web 3.0. The metaverse economy is an untapped market where innovators will be able to create ongoing value.  Among other endeavors, Portion will be constructing an initiative within the metaverse that will act as a direct channel for brands to expand their sales and service channels.

The NFT market is rapidly expanding.  There is a $2 trillion of crypto net worth and investors are looking for new experiences, new technology and new markets.   Last quarter alone, $10 billion was transacted in NFTs. 

“Portion offers a seamless customer experience that users can trust. As the world becomes increasingly entwined with the digital metaverse, and data takes center stage, this level of trust is paramount between users and organizations,” said AJ Dalal, Publicis Sapient's GVP, Data Strategy & Consulting, North America Lead.  “As a leader in digital transformation, we are continuously evolving and exploring avenues of innovation. We look forward to a long and exciting partnership with Portion and the novel capabilities our collaboration will produce.” 

When Portion launched in 2016, concepts like DAOs, token-based metaverses, community owned financial protocols and NFT art were small scale experiments. Today, the platform's proven technology provides thousands of users with a decentralized marketplace, ensuring complete transparency, verification of authenticity, proof of ownership and frictionless settlements. 

“The power of the immutable blockchain technology, which allows the creation of products that are digitally permanent and completely singular, is what makes our platform unique,” said Jason Rosenstein, founder of Portion. “Our engagement with Publicis Sapient gives us a seat at an innovative table to develop these unique experiences that also provide incredible utility to customers.  As a team, we are creating two dynamic designs that are readily adoptable for companies, at any stage of their digital transformation, that are looking to become part of the Web 3.0 revolution.”

About Publicis Sapient:

Publicis Sapient is a digital transformation company. We partner global organizations to help them create and sustain competitive advantage in a world that is increasingly digital. We operate through our expert SPEED capabilities: Strategy and Consulting, Product, Experience, Engineering and Data, which combined with our culture of curiosity and deep industry knowledge, enables us to deliver meaningful impact to our clients' businesses through reimagining the products and experiences their customers truly value. Our agile, data-driven approach equips our clients' businesses for change, making digital the core of how they think and what they do. Publicis Sapient is the digital business transformation hub of Publicis Groupe 

with 20,000 people and over 50 offices worldwide. For more information, visit publicissapient.com.

About Portion:

Portion is the 21st Century Auction House for Rare, High-End NFT Art, Music, and Collectibles. Portion connects artists and collectors through blockchain technology to easily sell, invest and own art and collectibles with verified authenticity and tracked provenance. From taking 0% of artists' work to offering 11% royalties on secondary sales, supporting creators is Portion's mission.

Discord | Twitter | Instagram | Blog | Clubhouse | Decentraland

Media Contacts

Mia Carbonell – Publicis Sapient

mia.carbonell@publicissapient.com

Cheryl Douglass – Portion

cheryl@portion.io

As we all know, the Crowdfunding Software Development Platform is the leading and safest investment form of the portal where the group or investor can fund the startup companies in return for a share in equity. And the wonderful Crowdfunding scripts help you to raise the fund by crowdfunding as per your own needs, matters, or events. If you are looking for a professional Crowdfunding software development company, then trust me Fundraising Script is the best Crowdfunding Software Development Company with 500 + Crowdfunding platforms, integrated with more than 20 + different payment gateway. Fundraising Script is a reputed name […]

The post Best Crowdfunding Software Development Company appeared first on Crowdfunding software.

The NMPA released 19 industry standards on December 10, 2021, with indications ranging from cardiovascular, plastic surgery, oncology, clinical chemistry and immunology, etc. The standards revisions are to provide manufacturers […]

The post NMPA Issued 19 Standards in One Day appeared first on China Med Device.

Conventionally, in the order you get your business financed, you needed some investors to whom you paid a return on investment. But, today crowdfunding has literally turned the conventional investment process. New startups and charities use the internet to appeal to potential funders to contribute a small amount towards your objectives. If you want to be there you need to focus on some points like the business model and how to create a crowdfunding platform. Take a look: Define your objective to commence a crowdfunding site: Your objective should be clear before you commence about thinking of a crowdfunding platform. […]

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The Karura Project has a lot to live up to. Winning Kusama’s first Parachain Auction in style (somewhat predictably, some might say), brings high expectations. Rather than shy away from the inevitable scrutiny such a victory evokes, Karura boldly self-proclaim as “THE all-in-one DeFi hub of Kusama”. This article explores just how deserving this mantle […]

The post Karura: THE all-in-one DeFi hub of Kusama appeared first on Coin Bureau.

SEC Commissioners Hester Peirce and Elad Roisman said in a joint statement that Gary Gensler’s recently released Regulatory Flexibility Agenda falls short of providing much-needed regulatory clarity on crypto and digital assets. The Commissioners said that while Gensler’s agenda was ambitious, they were ultimately “disappointed with its content.” While the statement was directed at the […]

The post SEC Commissioners Say Chairman Gensler Falling Short on Crypto Clarity appeared first on Coin Bureau.

vEmpire (http://www.v-empire.digital/), a project dedicated to restoring fairness to the Metaverse, has partnered with The Antara Universe to develop the official Antara strategy game based on the upcoming $50M “Antara” feature film, the first Hollywood Movie in history supported by NFTs. The Antara film is part of a broader transmedia rollout by the Arabian Camels community, and also includes the “Antara Strategy Game,” developed by vEmpire. Both Antara IP and vEmpire understand the importance of building utility for NFT projects, so holders of the Arabian Camels and The Founding Soldiers, vEmpire's NFT series, will automatically qualify to be gifted tokens for the official Antara game via an airdrop. 

The Antara film will be supported by the sale of new upcoming Movie NFTs, which will be a sequel to the original Arabian Camels NFT collection of 12,012 uniquely generated digital collectibles living on the Ethereum blockchain.  

The first iteration of Arabian Camels (Gen 1) available on OpenSea, provides added boosts and benefits for gameplay such as the ability to use Camels to conduct raids in the game. Players who don't own Camels can also effectively rent them from the NFT holders to enable more advanced & potentially higher-yielding gameplay. The upcoming Gen 2 Arabian Camels Movie NFTs will include exclusive rights to the Antara movie, allowing for shared ownership of the IP. Demand for the NFTs is expected to increase exponentially given the launch of the game and movie in the coming months. 

“vEmpire DDAO was an easy choice to partner with for our game production. vEmpire has the unique ability and experience in not just one, but across all of the major Metaverses. Alongside this, their own gaming experience and multidimensional thinking gives us a broader scope when choosing where Antara can put its roots down,” said Alexander Amartei, producer of Antara.

“It's a great honor to partner and be involved in a project that will go down in history as the first of its kind. At vEmpire, we understand that NFTs are a disruptive technology that will significantly improve a multitude of industries. Developing the official game for a historic feature film, that will change the landscape of how movies are produced, is something that we're very excited and proud to be involved with,” commented vEmpire founder Dom Ryder.

This is a monumental achievement for vEmpire as it signifies another major partnership, this time partnering with a historic project, to develop the first blockchain-based game based on the first feature film supported by NFTs. This will help vEmpire expand its reach in the metaverse and benefit from any tokens launched for the game and in-game revenue generation.

The Arabian Camels NFTs are available on OpenSea and the new upcoming Movie NFTs, soon to be released, will enable NFT holders to own partial movie rights to the film. 

More information surrounding the upcoming Antara film can be found on the official website or by joining the Arabian Camels Discord community.

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About vEmpire
vEmpire is focused on achieving true decentralization in the cryptocurrency industry. The official vEmpire platform incorporates different staking strategies to incentivize metaversal token staking to fund the battle against centralization. The protocol financially rewards stakers with the native VEMP token alongside rewards in the token originally staked. This enables vEmpire to financially reward those bold enough to stand up against centralized powers. vEmpire has also developed a blockchain-based trading card game, where users can battle each other, in engaging and exciting ways, to earn better rewards.

Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Telegram | Discord

About Antara
Antara is a feature film directed by one of the most sought-after Hollywood Directors, that covers the life and adventures of Antara Ibn Shaddad, a desert warrior from ancient pre-Islamic Arabia. The film is the first big-budget film to be supported by NFTs, before its theater and streaming debut, as well as the first NFT to facilitate the part ownership of IP. As part of the ‘Antara IP' a transmedia rollout, the film is a part of a franchise that includes sequels, a crypto-infused ‘Assassins Creed Styled' multi-player game, a comic, and a strong brand with a long term merchandising and licensing strategy.

To get access to the Antara Movie NFT, please go to: 

• https://discord.gg/VXDMpCyZ2f 

• https://twitter.com/ArabianCamels

• https://twitter.com/Antara1212 

• https://instagram.com/arabiancamelsnft?utm_medium=copy_link

• https://www.facebook.com/ArabianCamels/?ref=page_internal

Crypterium, the cryptocurrency wallet app with over 500,000 clients in over 170 countries, has partnered with the top-tier crypto custodian project Fireblocks to ensure the optimal security of users' funds.

The two companies will launch a technical integration in the near future — one that will increase users' security of funds, enhance the platform's quality of service, and streamline the input and output process of new coins.

This partnership enables Crypterium to harness the power of Fireblocks' multi-layer technology that combines the latest breakthroughs in MPC cryptography with hardware isolation that secures customer and investor funds from cyber-attacks, human error, and other issues. Such cryptography acts as insurance to cover assets during both transit and storage.

Fireblocks also offers an enterprise-grade infrastructure for handling digital assets, supporting over 800 tokens and 25 protocols. Such infrastructure integrated into Crypterium's services will assist in the platform's development and user growth.

“An important event for our users and the development of the Crypterium ecosystem. Our partnership enables diversification of risks, access to new opportunities in the crypto market. We are happy to have such a strong and reliable partner. Together we will provide increased security of user funds, improve the quality of service, and support the input-output of new coins in the near future,” said Crypterium CEO Vladimir Gorbunov.

“Fireblocks' MPC-CMP infrastructure will provide Crypterium's customers with unparalleled security while allowing for new products and services to be made available,” said Michael Shaulov, CEO of Fireblocks. “We look forward to growing alongside their community.” 

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About Crypterium

Crypterium Wallet puts together all the services you need, right where you need them. The wallet is available in over 170 countries. You can download Crypterium Wallet on iOS and Android devices, or access it with your desktop. Crypterium was the first company to develop a crypto-to-fiat payment card available in 180+ countries. The contactless, free Crypterium VISA Card gives every digital asset holder the possibility to pay instantly in over 42 million retailers worldwide, and withdraw in ATMs all across the globe. More info on https://crypterium.com

About Fireblocks

Fireblocks is an easy-to-use digital asset security platform that helps financial institutions protect digital assets from theft or hackers by using breakthrough MPC & patent-pending chip isolation technology to secure private keys, API credentials and eliminate the need for deposit addresses.

Fireblocks is an enterprise-grade platform delivering a secure infrastructure for moving, storing, and issuing digital assets. Fireblocks enables exchanges, lending desks, custodians, banks, trading desks, and hedge funds to securely scale digital asset operations through the Fireblocks Network and MPC-based Wallet Infrastructure. Fireblocks serves over 600 financial institutions, has secured the transfer of over $1 trillion in digital assets, and has a unique insurance policy that covers assets in storage & transit. 700+ customers, $1.7T assets transferred.

Hundreds of crypto and digital asset businesses are already using Fireblocks software and APIs to custody, manage treasury operations, access DeFi, mint & burn tokens, and manage digital asset operations.

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Crypterium team contact

pr@crypterium.com