Riyadh, KSA, March 20th, 2024, FinanceWireOuter Edge, Animoca Brands and King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) present Summit on 23 April to highlight advances in Web3 and gaming ecosystem development in Saudi ArabiaOuter Edge, one of the pioneer events in the world of Web3, tech, culture, and entertainment, today announced a partnership with Animoca Brands, the company advancing digital property rights for gaming and the open metaverse, and King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), the national labs of the Kingdom, to debut Outer Edge Riyadh on 23 April. The dynamic event is set to bring together some of the biggest names in the blockchain, AI, and gaming ecosystems from all over the world to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.Outer Edge, historically based in LA and now expanding to the Middle East, is known for hosting memorable events and presenting invaluable networking opportunities for founders, builders, and venture capitalists in emerging technologies.The Saudi Arabia tech revolution has already made major strides in developing various industries as the country builds a solid ecosystem for digital entrepreneurship. Saudi Arabia is focusing on enhancing its technology sector in line with the Saudi Vision 2030 plan, as businesses continue to invest in new tech such as AI, blockchain, VR, AR, and the Internet of Things.Outer Edge Riyadh, a partnership between Edge of Company and Animoca Brands, presented by King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), comes at a pivotal moment during the growth of the blockchain sphere. The partnership aims to bring together industry leaders, experts, creatives and more to Riyadh’s innovation district, The Garage, a technology hub for local and international startups. KACST’s strategic partnership with Animoca Brands includes plans for the development of a physical Web3 hub in Riyadh to enhance research and development efforts within the fields of Web3, blockchain, gaming, AI, as well as providing bespoke educational programs.Mohammad Hadhrawi, general manager, Gaming and Immersive Technologies Institute at KACST, notes: “At KACST's Gaming and Immersive Technologies Institute, we are dedicated to advancing the frontiers of R&D in gaming and immersive technologies. Our efforts are aligned with the national vision and strategies, aiming to foster an innovative ecosystem that nurtures creativity, technological advancement, and economic diversification

Decrypt’s Art, Fashion, and Entertainment Hub. Discover SCENEShrapnel, the anticipated first-person shooter being built on Avalanche, has unveiled a string of new updates for players participating in its early access experience on PC via the Epic Games Store, including the launch of a marketplace for purchasing premium cosmetic items.Neon Machine launched the Shrapnel Training Exercise 2 (STX2) version of the early access game on Wednesday, which introduces equipable in-game cosmetics like premium weapon skins that players can purchase using the game's SHRAP token."The debut of our marketplace and premium cosmetics marks a pivotal milestone in our journey towards a unique Shrapnel economy that rewards creators and players in new ways," said Shrapnel CEO Mark Long, in a statement.ADADIn addition, STX2 adds a new sub-machine gun weapon, a suppressor attachment for quiet firing, and new environment art. While players can't loot cosmetics from others yet, that ability is planned for future releases along with options to sell, trade, and create user-generated content.✦ WEAPON SKINS ✦ On March 20th (tomorrow), 9.30AM PST, we are releasing 20 Shrapnel Official weapon skins on our marketplace, including our very first set of Legendary skins - “NISHIKIGOI”! ➜ Can be purchased with SHRAP only➜ 10 marketplace exclusive, 10 which can be… https://t.co/ADudFbnbuA pic.twitter.com/tfVdNm62st — SHRAPNEL 🔺 (@playSHRAPNEL) March 19, 2024Skins range in price between 5 SHRAP (about $1.40) for “common” skins and 30 SHRAP ($8.25) for “legendary” skins. It’s unclear whether these in-game cosmetics are represented by NFTs or if they will be in the future when the selling ability is added. Decrypt’s GG asked a Shrapnel representative for clarification, but did not immediately receive a response.Shrapnel also noted that people who own the game’s Operator Collection NFTs, Extraction Packs, and Partner NFT or tokens will be “rewarded with various cosmetics and loot.” Furthermore, ecosystem partners like Superverse, BoDoggos, Alchemy, and NeoTokyo will airdrop weapon cosmetics to their respective communities.The "Cosmic War" pistol skin. Image: ShrapnelShrapnel’s STX2 early access release corresponds with the latest in-game competition to score some bags of SHRAP, with 298,971 total tokens being given out to players based on their leaderboard placement between Wednesday and Saturday

"Shrapnel" will compete with other high-profile blockchain games like "Star Atlas" and "Illuvium," which are also available on the Epic Games Store in early-access form.