📔 Weekly Journal: Futureverse Makes Strategic Move with Candy Digital Acquisition
[6 min read] Your weekend guide to getting ahead on the digital frontier. Learn how The New Zealand group just got access to DC and Netflix IP to power AI-driven storytelling across the Metaverse.
Welcome to this week’s Weekly Journal 📔, your guide to the latest news & innovation in emerging technology, digital assets, and our exciting path to the Metaverse. This is week 124 of the 520 weeks of newsletters I have committed to, a decade of documenting our physical and digital lives converge. New subscribers are encouraged to check out the history & purpose of this newsletter as well as the archive.
- Ryan
🌐 Digital Assets Market Update
To me, the Metaverse is the convergence of physical & virtual lives. As we work, play and socialise in virtual worlds, we need virtual currencies & assets. These have now reached mainstream finance as a defined asset class:
🔥🗺️Heat map shows the 7 day change in price (red down, green up) and block size is market cap. Finally, some nice green after a rough couple of weeks
🎭 Crypto Fear and Greed Index is based on volatility, social media sentiments, surveys, market momentum, and a few other bits and pieces. Still pretty grim sentiment out there, it might not flip again until back over $100k.
🗞️ Metaverse news from this week
Futureverse Acquires Candy Digital—Paving the Way for AI Batman and the Next Era of IP in the Metaverse: Futureverse, the New Zealand-based AI and metaverse powerhouse, has acquired NFT and digital collectible platform Candy Digital in a bold move that gives it access to major entertainment licences—including DC Comics, Major League Baseball, and Netflix. This means AI-generated adaptations of iconic characters like Batman, Superman, or even Brainiac could soon appear as interactive experiences within Futureverse’s immersive ecosystem. The deal integrates Candy Digital’s IP library and user base (1.5 million accounts) into Futureverse’s Layer 1 blockchain, The Root Network. According to CEO Aaron McDonald, the goal is to create rich, immersive experiences that straddle digital and physical fandom, powered by Futureverse’s proprietary AI and Web3 tech stack. These experiences might include AI-powered avatars, smart ticketing, gamified loyalty programmes, and user-generated content marketplaces that centre around beloved characters. What makes this acquisition stand out is Futureverse’s approach to IP protection in the age of generative AI. Rather than relying on legacy copyright law, it embeds protection into the underlying tech—giving brands fine-grained control over how their assets are used across AI tools, gaming platforms, and metaverse environments. This isn't just about fan service—it's a signal that the next iteration of the open metaverse will be defined by interactive storytelling, AI-personalised characters, and brand ecosystems where digital ownership and licensing are natively enforced on-chain.
The Sandbox Launches “Oasis of Quantum Consciousness” with Deepak Chopra as Web3 Wellness Takes Root. As part of Alpha Season 5, The Sandbox has unveiled a new immersive wellness experience called Oasis of Quantum Consciousness, created in collaboration with renowned spiritual teacher Deepak Chopra. This gamified virtual zen garden features Chopra's own avatar—voiced by him—guiding players through meditative journeys designed to blend mindfulness and interactive play. The experience includes three “Meditation Moments,” lasting between three and ten minutes, enhanced by the platform’s first use of binaural sound to create a deeply immersive audio environment. Players who complete in-game quests can earn exclusive wearables, such as the Awakening Mask and Crown Chakra Headpiece. This launch is part of a broader strategy by The Sandbox to evolve into a fully immersive social gaming and lifestyle platform—one that increasingly intersects with wellness, culture, and branded entertainment. With Chopra’s involvement, The Sandbox is carving out space not just for entertainment, but for personal transformation within the open metaverse. As metaverse platforms mature, experiences like this point toward a future where digital worlds serve not only as venues for play, but also as spaces for mental wellness, self-development, and community connection. Chopra’s garden isn’t just a meditation space—it’s a signal that the metaverse is expanding beyond avatars and assets to include more meaningful human experiences.
👓 Read of the Week: "U.S. tech giants are betting big on humanoid robots — but China’s already ahead, analysts say"
In this eye-opening report, Dylan Butts investigates the growing race to dominate the humanoid robotics industry — and how China may already be pulling ahead of the U.S. With major endorsements from tech leaders like Nvidia’s Jensen Huang and Tesla’s Elon Musk, humanoid robots have become a new frontier for AI-driven innovation. But while Tesla’s Optimus project eyes mass production in 2025, Chinese firms like Unitree and Agibot are already deploying units in factories, launching consumer-ready robots, and significantly undercutting U.S. pricing.
The piece highlights:
How Unitree’s $16,000 G1 robot has disrupted the market.
Why China holds the majority of patents and supply chain dominance in humanoid robotics.
How geopolitical and industrial strategies may decide the winners of this next tech revolution.
For me this isn’t just about robots — it’s about the next chapter in global tech rivalry. I’ll be watching with my popcorn 🍿
🎥 Watch of the week:
Clone Robotics has unveiled Protoclone, a groundbreaking humanoid robot that closely mimics human anatomy and movement. This bipedal android features over 1,000 artificial muscles, known as Myofibers, attached to a polymer skeleton replicating all 206 human bones. Equipped with 500 sensors and a sophisticated hydraulic system, Protoclone exhibits lifelike motions and even employs a cooling mechanism akin to human sweating to regulate heat. In a recent demonstration, Protoclone was suspended from the ceiling, showcasing its ability to flex, twitch, and perform human-like movements, highlighting the potential of biomimetic robotics. While still in development, Clone Robotics plans to release a limited "Alpha" edition later this year, aiming to revolutionise the field of humanoid robots.
AI Showcase🎨🤖🎵✍🏼:
In the Metaverse, AI will be critical for creating intelligent virtual environments and avatars that can understand and respond to users with human-like cognition and natural interactions.
This week’s AI showcase spotlights the rapid rise of “embodied AI” in China, where artificial intelligence is increasingly taking physical form in the real world. From autonomous food delivery drones in Shenzhen’s parks to humanoid robots performing in front of billions on national television, China is demonstrating how AI can reshape daily life through robotics. The government sees this as more than a technological curiosity — it’s a national strategy to address labour shortages, boost economic growth, and compete with the United States. The breakthrough came earlier this year when Chinese firm DeepSeek released its R1 model, a powerful open-source AI system that rivals Western models while running on less advanced chips. The release sent shockwaves through global tech markets and ignited optimism within China’s AI community. Now, with strong government backing and real-world deployments of delivery drones, robot dogs, surveillance buggies, and factory-floor humanoids, the country is positioning itself as a global leader in embodied AI. While many of these robots still have practical limitations, China’s strategy is clear: scale fast, iterate in public, and put AI to work — not just online, but everywhere.
That’s all for this week! If you have any organisations in mind that could benefit from keynotes about emerging technology, be sure to reach out. Public speaking is one of many services I offer.