The Sandbox is one of the most popular crypto games, striving to create its own metaverse. In this virtual world, users can own land, use various items, and interact with each other. The term “metaverse” has become a mainstream buzzword, and as a result, the potential to create a global virtual world has attracted many high-profile companies. The Sandbox shows how such a digital world can be run.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
► The Sandbox is a play-to-earn game on the Ethereum blockchain that allows users to create and monetize virtual real estate and digital assets.
► It uses blockchain features like NFTs, a DAO, and the SAND token to engage in in-game activities and governance.
► The Sandbox directly competes with similar blockchain-based games like Decentraland, but distinguishes itself with unique tools like VoxEdit for creating assets.
► The potential growth of SAND is promising yet uncertain, with its value tightly coupled to the game’s adoption and the broader movements of the cryptocurrency market.
What is The Sandbox?
The Sandbox is a play-to-earn game that uses blockchain technology, DeFi, and NFTs to create a virtual world. The world allows users to customize and create their digital assets and games with various in-game tools.
It allows users to create and improve their characters, as well as interact with the virtual world. The Sandbox, at its core, is a game where players can purchase digital real estate called LAND. The game’s virtual goods can then be monetized using NFTs and sold on The Sandbox Marketplace for SAND tokens.
These items help create experiences that they share with others. The project, in this sense, is a model of a blockchain-based metaverse not dissimilar to Decentraland.
Crypto investors may take an interest in the game’s native token, SAND. Players need the token to conduct any transactions in the game. In other words, users will require it to maneuver through the digital world.
This model may be useful not just for gamers. Interested crypto investors can trade SAND on numerous popular exchanges such as Binance or Kraken.
Core features
The Sandbox allows users to create a virtual world using non-fungible tokens. It runs on the Ethereum blockchain. The platform helps users interact with the ecosystem by storing their SAND tokens in Ethereum wallets.
VoxEdit is a software tool used by Animoca to create 3D graphics for these virtual worlds. You can use this software to create blockchain-based assets in the game. To access different games, environments, and hubs in The Sandbox, players create their individual avatars.
You can think of the game as a DeFi version of Minecraft on the blockchain. In fact, the game’s origins lie in the attempt to mimic the game model used in Minecraft.
VoxEdit is a computer program that contains a modeler, an animator, and an NFT creator. This makes it a powerful tool to develop games of this kind. Voxels are the tiniest element of visual design. You can use them to create the items that populate the world.
Using voxels and Game Maker tools, users can create their own items. They can then sell this in exchange for SAND. The Sandbox marketplace allows users to upload their creations. These creations are then registered on the Ethereum blockchain as ERC-1155 tokens.
Tokenization in The Sandbox
Tokenization allows creators and artists to create all kinds of items. This ultimately helps the ecosystem function. SAND is not the only token available. LAND is also a token and serves as proof of the ownership of a land parcel.
Members of the community create assets and store them in their respective LAND or SAND wallets. LAND tokens are non-fungible tokens (NFTs), while SAND tokens can be fungible. This means that while each LAND token is unique in its own way, all SAND coins are interchangeable and function the same as money.
Like other games, The Sandbox is based on a hybrid structure. Game mechanics that enable the visualization of the virtual reality exist on central servers. Meanwhile, the information related to the tokens and collectibles exists on a decentralized blockchain network.
What is LAND?
The Sandbox game involves the ownership of LAND. The token allows users to access the platform’s version of the metaverse. Additionally, token owners can use the token to customize their plots. When another user wishes to access their property, they will pay the owner a small sum of crypto as a kind of ticket.
The LAND token gives the owner rights over a plot of 96 × 96 meters in the game. These plots are combinable. Users can purchase numerous tokens. To obtain an ESTATE, a player can join multiple LANDs.
Essentially, the LAND token is an ERC-721 token that serves as a delimiter of ownership for an area of land within The Sandbox.
The token is a way for players to make money from their gaming experience. Users can purchase them using SAND or Ether (ETH) through public LAND sales. Users can also buy up LAND from other users via The Sandbox Marketplace or NFT platforms such as OpenSea
A player who acquires a LAND buys real estate in this virtual world. The information appears on the Ethereum blockchain. Just like in real life, there’s a limited amount of actual land.
There will be only 166,464 LANDs. This makes them a rare commodity.
What is ASSETS?
The Sandbox prides itself on being a game that encourages its users’ creativity. Sure, the game offers the framework for the digital world, but it is the people who populate it. ASSETS are the NFTs created by the users.
They are valuable items inside the game. You can also trade these NFTs inside of the game’s marketplace or external NFT marketplaces. Trading assets is a good way for a user to earn SAND.
ASSETS are ERC-1155 tokens. They represent different elements within the game through voxels. The “voxel” is the smallest element used to create the items with which users interact with in the game. These NFTs could be an item of equipment that a character wears, your avatar, or a digital pet that you place inside it.
The ASSETS are Voxel Assets that are created using VoxEdit. They are uploaded to The Sandbox Marketplace, where they are converted into NFTs. Several types of ASSETS exist based on their role. These are Entity, Equipment, and Block ASSETS. All of them, in combination, create the virtual world.
Comparison with competitors
The Sandbox was one of the first games of its kind. In 2022, “metaverse” was the buzzword in the crypto industry. Play-to-earn blockchain games have also earned a good deal of attention from the public. With this in mind, several games are looking to harness the potential of the metaverse.
The Sandbox was originally a direct competitor of the popular game Minecraft. The initial version of The Sandbox appeared in 2012. The current iteration hopes to be a Minecraft that utilizes crypto and NFTs’ potential.
However, The Sandbox’s biggest competitor is certainly Decentraland. This is a game with a similar real-estate theme. In Decentraland, users purchase plots using a LAND token. Users are also able to craft their own NFTs and sell them on the game’s market. Like The Sandbox, Decentraland runs on the Ethereum network. The game’s native token is MANA.
| Game | Type | Genre | Token | Launch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Sandbox | Blockchain-based | Metaverse | SAND | 2012 |
| Minecraft | Console/PC | Survival | N/A | 2011 |
| Decentraland | Blockchain-based | Metaverse | MANA | 2020 |
Roadmap and development history
The Sandbox as a crypto project was essentially started in 2018. The project raised $3.41million from strategic investors like Square Enix, Hashed, and True Global Ventures.
The Sandbox has secured more than 60 partnerships to create content on the platform. These include cartoon-related brands like Shaun the Sheep and Smurfs. IT also sparked the interest of famous game companies like ATARI.
Although the game was announced in 2018, its development phase was relatively slow. In 2019, glimpses of the game’s content were released to the public. That same year, The Sandbox held a LAND pre-sale and had a beta release for VoxEdit.
The alpha stage of Game Maker took place in 2020. By the end of 2021, The Sandbox was ready to release an alpha version of the multiplayer functionality. The play-to-earn seasons appeared at the tail end of the year.
In 2022, The Sandbox looks to progressively open up new metaverse features to owners of LAND. A DAO, virtual concerts, and a mobile version of the game were released in 2022.
By 2023, the platform onboarded over 5000 games. New NFT partnerships and additional LAND sales occurred in the same period. As of 2024, the game is currently in its Alpha Season 4.
The SAND token
SAND is the native token of The Sandbox game. It acts as the central currency throughout the metaverse. Any transactions between involve the token. The developers announced that only 3 billion SAND will ever exist.
SAND is a utility token. It can be used to transact and interact with other users within The Sandbox ecosystem. It is required for all types of transactions. To play the game, modify their avatars, purchase LAND, or trade ASSETS, players must first own SAND.
SAND is also a governance token. Through a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO), SAND holders can vote and propose changes to the platform. Holders can also stake SAND in the game. They are incentivized with rewards. One such reward is a share of the revenue generated by all transactions in SAND tokens.
Staking SAND can increase a user’s chances of finding valuable GEMs or CATALYSTs. These are game resources that allow users to create ASSETS with higher rarities. You can also earn SAND by taking part in mini-games.
Tokenomics
The Sandbox features several tokens with other kinds of uses, but the most essential is SAND. This SAND token is an ERC-20 token. The distribution of the token is fairly straightforward.
| Purpose | Distribution |
|---|---|
| Company reserve | 25.8% |
| Founders and team | 19% |
| Seed sale | 17.2% |
| Lunahcpad sale | 12% |
| Foundation | 12% |
| Advisors | 10% |
| Strategic sale | 4% |
SAND tokens can also be staked to obtain more SAND as well as Gems and Catalysts. Catalysts, ERC-20 tokens, are used to define the scarcity in your ASSETS. Gems are also ERC-20 tokens. You can purchase them from other players. The Sandbox also distributes LAND, with 10% held by the game itself, 16% for the reserve, and 74% for players.
The Sandbox covers the Ethereum gas fees for players. This makes it easier to use the platform. The Sandbox Foundation receives 50% of all SAND token transactions. This foundation supports the ecosystem through funding grants and promotion.
Price and price predictions
Naturally, general investors are always on the lookout for new, profitable investments. Could SAND be one of these? There are several factors that are worth considering.
First of all, SAND price depends on the game’s evolution. Growing adoption should help raise interest in the project. If the project can compete with Minecraft, the price of the token could increase. However, it is difficult to predict the price of any asset, as a technical analysis can’t take into account any extenuating circumstance.
To learn more about the possible performance of The Sandbox (SAND), check out BeInCrypto’s price prediction.
Should you buy SAND?
The evolution of The Sandbox has followed a largely positive trend. The project tries to maintain the objectives listed in its whitepaper. Furthermore, it has partnered up with several high-profile companies and artists. There’s also the matter of the metaverse. The concept has proven very popular and has entered the collective mainstream.
If the market proves bullish for most cryptocurrencies, SAND should also benefit. As the game gains more adopters, the value of its native coin could rise. However, it is important to point out that cryptocurrencies are inherently volatile, you could lose money, and you should always make financial decisions based on your particular situation.
The Sandbox metaverse holds enormous potential
The Sandbox is a project that offers a proof of concept of what the metaverse can resemble. The game has created its own economy, with its own currency, and users can interact to win prizes. It is not the only play-to-earn game developed on the blockchain. It is, however, among the first and the most popular.
Frequently asked questions
How do you get SAND in The Sandbox?
What is The Sandbox crypto (SAND) used for?
Is SAND a good investment crypto?
How does The Sandbox work?
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