Televerse Lands $1M to Boost Engineering, Platform Features, and User Growth in the TON Ecosystem
Televerse, a pioneering mini-game network built on the TON blockchain, announced the successful closure of a $1 million seed funding round.
This funding was spearheaded by Summer Capital and saw contributions from Awakening Ventures, PrecisionEdge Capital, as well as Manta Network founder Victor Ji, who participated as an angel investor.
Additionally, Televerse has been granted incubation support from the Cyberport Creative Micro Fund (CCMF).
The purpose of the newly secured funds is to facilitate the expansion of the engineering team, the enhancement of platform functionalities, and the acceleration of user growth within the burgeoning TON ecosystem.
Akio, Founder of Televerse, expressed:
“We are excited to have the support of such strong investors to continue developing our platform and growing our community. This funding will allow us to accelerate our roadmap to bring the power of social gaming to the web3 world.”
In 2024, it was selected with outstanding results to be included in the TON Studio initiated by Bill Qian, Chairman of Cypher Capital and TON Foundation.
What is Torch Odyssey?
Televerse recently launched its inaugural game, Torch Odyssey, which draws inspiration from the iconic Olympics Torch Relay.
This game marks the commencement of the Telegram gaming season and lays the groundwork for an expansive gaming universe that Televerse is meticulously crafting.
To embark on this journey, players need only to claim their new profile picture (PFP), update their profile, and begin earning through the innovative proof-of-profile-picture (PoP) mechanism.
Televerse seeks to drive PoP mass adoption but why?
PoP is a fresh idea for recognising and rewarding active and loyal community members.
Instead of just participating, PoP encourages users to show their commitment by customising their profile pictures with symbols that represent their community.
Think of it this way: if platforms like Notcoin, Catizen, Hamster Kombat, DOGS, and UXLINK adopted a PoP system, users could proudly display community symbols on their profiles.
These symbols would showcase their achievements and dedication, turning participation into a badge of honour.
This not only boosts individual engagement but also strengthens the sense of unity within the community.
Members become ambassadors for their communities, sparking interest and attracting new members simply by displaying these symbols.
PoP turns profile pictures into powerful tools for community building and growth.
Torch Odyssey updated on 9 August that a new update has been included: complete daily sign-in quest to earn extra points.
So sign in consecutively to keep up the streak and earn even more points.
Strategic Partnership with Airdrop 2049
On 12 August, Televerse unveiled a strategic partnership with Airdrop 2049, featuring a substantial reward pool exceeding $200,000.
Participants who join the inaugural game, Torch Odyssey, via the Airdrop 2049 quest will have the opportunity to receive an exclusive, secret gift.
What is Televerse?
Televerse is developing a gaming infrastructure on Telegram's TON blockchain, offering developer gamekits and a gamebox platform for mini-games.
This infrastructure allows Web2 game developers to seamlessly port and publish their games on Telegram while integrating blockchain technology.
With regard to their vision, they explained that:
“Our vision is to drive the mass adoption of blockchain technology through Web 3 gaming. We are building developer gamekits and a gamebox platform for mini-games, enabling Web 2 game developers to easily bridge and publish their games to Telegram and integrate blockchain technology.”
This approach simplifies the transition of games into the Web3 space, capitalising on Telegram's extensive user base and the capabilities of the TON blockchain.
Televerse introduces novel mechanisms such as Proof-of-PFP, designed to effectively link game developers with the community.
These innovative features aim to foster a dynamic gaming network where both developers and players can flourish and reap mutual benefits.
Unlike other GameFi projects on the TON blockchain, Televerse is focused on facilitating the migration of Web2 game studios into the Web3 ecosystem and onto the TON blockchain.
The team noted:
“At Televerse, our mission is to bring fun to Ton by building a gaming infrastructure on Telegram TON. We aim to seamlessly onboard both Web 2 mobile game players and studios to the world of Web 3.”
Their debut game, Torch Odyssey, has garnered attention within the TON ecosystem for its innovative "Proof-of-PFP" gameplay.
This distinctive feature incentivises players to accumulate additional points by regularly updating their Telegram profile pictures, reminiscent of the WeChat Olympic torch icon lighting event, significantly enhancing gameplay and social engagement.
Considering the WeChat mini-games platform's impressive statistics—1 billion players, over 300,000 game developers, and the release of over 5,000 new games each month—building the infrastructure to bridge these mini-games to Telegram's TON blockchain has the potential to extend the reach and engagement of these existing Web2 mini-games to a global audience.
The team pointed out:
“We aim to replicate WeChat’s mini-game success on Telegram, bringing high-quality gaming experiences to TON and drive the mass adoption of Web3 gaming and blockchain technologies.”
Televerse's Roadmap
Televerse's roadmap starts from the month of August, with the launch of Torch Odyssey.
Televerse's Story
Televerse was established by a team of core members from Tencent and WeChat's mini-game divisions, who recognised a unique opportunity to leverage their expertise in traditional mini-game platforms and apply it to the burgeoning TON ecosystem.
Akio, Founder of Televerse, expressed:
“Televerse's experienced team and innovative approach to building social features natively on the TON blockchain give us a unique advantage in this rapidly growing ecosystem. As an early leader in WeChat Mini Games, we understand how to create truly engaging social gaming experiences that appeal to mainstream users.”
Information about the founder of Televerse is scarce, and details on the remaining three co-founders are even more elusive.
While it is possible that Televerse will provide more insights in the future, for now, Akio appears to be the primary representative of the company.
Akio, Founder
Akio is the former head of Tencent's blockchain team, and was previously in charge of a social content platform at Tencent with tens of millions of daily active users (DAU) and an annual revenue of one billion USD.
His socials: X
Televerse's Socials
Website
X
X (Torch Odyssey)
Telegram
LinkedIn
All About Teleporting Fun to TON
Televerse envisions a future where it leads the charge in this transformative journey, offering captivating gaming experiences that not only ensure high user retention and engagement but also cultivate a sustainable Web 3 gaming community.
The company has outlined its strategic plans for the upcoming weeks, with a focus on:
- Developing viral games to accelerate mass adoption into the web3 and TON ecosystems.
- Leveraging Telegram's 950 million monthly active users (MAU) to generate revenue and enhance the liquidity of $TON.
- Educating a broader audience about the potential of Web3 and the TON blockchain.
While Coinlive advises a cautious approach, given that the project is in its nascent stage and lacks comprehensive documentation such as a whitepaper, and the funding amount may seem modest compared to other projects, the presence of experienced team members from Tencent and WeChat's mini-game divisions warrants keeping a close eye on Televerse's progress.