South Korean metaverse platform Zep announced a new partnership with Near Protocol. Using the Layer-1 blockchain platform Near Protocol, Zep aims to create online games in the metaverse ecosystem and onboard more users onto its platform. Zep is a joint venture between online game developer Supercat and creator platform Zepeto. It claims to have 1.3 million monthly active users and 8.3 million total users that joined its platform this year. In the coming months, Zep plans to expand internationally to the Japanese and Southeast Asian markets.
In a bid to help Zep create a diverse range of online games in the metaverse, Near Protocol’s offerings like large scale user-oriented services, user-friendly interface, and Web2-like stability will come in handy. It is because of these offerings, that Near-based Web3 apps have managed to rank 1st and 2nd among all blockchain applications as per DappRadar.
As part of their partnership, Near Protocol and Zep are looking to develop Web3 features that would not only make the metaverse experience more immersive for end users, but also assist developers in regard to the convenience of creating.
“Through collaboration with dApps in the content and gaming fields based on NEAR, we will assist ZEP’s business expansion in the Web3 domain,” Mark Mi, Gaming Director of NEAR Protocol said in an official statement. “
South Korea has been evidently supportive in terms of exploring the metaverse industry. Last year, South Korean lawmakers had spoken about plans of investing over $177 million (roughly Rs. 1,370 crore) in supporting metaverse projects that will also trigger job opportunities in the sector.
In February 2022, Seoul’s Ministry of Science, ICT, and Future Planning of South Korea allocated KRW 223.7 billion (roughly Rs. 1,400 crore) towards the development of a national metaverse project.
In December 2022, Shinhan Bank, named among the top four lenders in South Korea, launched a metaverse site named ‘Cinnamon’, where people get to access an array of services from financial, as well as non-financial sectors.
This support for metaverse from South Korean industry mammoths coupled with a nudge from the government and a big online gamer base, Near Protocol can also attempt at reaping big benefits from expanding its platform’s presence there.
“Based on this collaboration, ZEP’s partners are expected to easily issue and distribute various Web3-based digital assets, allowing users to enjoy a convenient Web3 experience in the ZEP metaverse environment,” the official press release from Near Protocol said.