Urbanball is a Street Football Eco-System that can Change a Player’s Life — Founder’s Interview
Chris: Hi there! Please introduce yourself.
Sean: Sean Garnier CEO of Urbanball.
Toli: Toli Makris CEO of EX Sports.
Chris: This is the second drop for the Urbanball NFT. How was the experience with the first series of the Urbanball on the Binance Network? What new is the new series bringing to the hugely popular collection?
Toli: The first drop sold out, and consisted of UK Edition Street football players, who were turned into NFTs and will drop in the Urbanball game that is coming out at the end of the year. The second drop consists of Belgium Edition street football players. It is important to note that Urbanball is based on real utility and real-life impact. The street football players are real life upcoming athletes, who have been scouted by superstar freestyle football player; Sean Garnier, in a unique selection process centred around Urbanball’s unique football format; Fightball, which is a high intensity 1v1 game that emphasises skill, creativity and freestyle, we refer to it as the UFC of football. Urbanball is a street football eco-system that can change a player’s life, improve their career whilst growing the sport of street football. For every NFT of a street football character sold, most of the revenue from the primary sale goes directly to the athlete. Additionally, as mentioned previously, the nft’s are required in the upcoming play-and-earn game, that will increase the street football players popularity and deliver unique fan engagement.
Chris: So, tell me, why did you specifically pick the Binance Network for the release of your collection? What are the benefits that drew you toward the blockchain?
Toli: The BNB chain offers speed, flexibility and safety at scale, combined with low fees, which is very attractive for us and our core audience on Urbanball, who are those who in developing countries.
Chris: Also, we read that theNFTswill be revealed through mystery boxes. What will be the contents of this box? How will the box be different from the NFT?
Sean: Inside the Mystery Box of the 2nd drop is either a character or skill NFT. Character NFTs consist of real street football players from Belgian, who won real life tournaments in their cities, granting them a place in the game and NFT collection. Skills cards consist of unique freestyle skills, created by of Sean Garnier, and will act as ‘powerups’ or ‘boosters’ in the game.
Chris: Also, how is eachNFTunique in its respect? What are the distinct traits and characteristics of the tokens? Does it follow the earlier series in some pattern?
Toli: As mentioned earlier, the NFTs are based on real street football, with the aim of delivering them real world benefits that positively impact their life and the sport itself. How we are doing this for the Belgian drop is as follows:
Sean Garnier flew to Belgium and held 1v1 fightball tournaments in Antwerp and Brussels, that consisted of local players who love expressing their skills, creativity, and freestyle ability in football. The winners in each City, Ilyas and Karim, earned themselves a place in the Urbanball NFT collection as a character in the upcoming play-and-earn game. Just before the drop, we flew both Belgium winners to Dubai in an all-expenses paid trip to compete in the ‘Belgium finals’ to determine who is the best. The Urbanball event was dubbed ‘Fightball on Ice’ and held at the Dubai Mall, in the Dubai Ice Rink, in front of a packed crowd. The winner of the event, Ilyas, will qualify as a play-and-earn athlete in the game, earning a percentage from every reward earned. So as well as each Belgium players earning revenue from the sale of their NFT, they also gain recognition and increased exposure that will help grow their career.
Chris: So, they are essentially cards. Do they lead to some sort of card game in the end? What is the theme of the gameplay? What are the rewards?
Sean: Yeap, as mentioned, the NFTs will be required to play in the upcoming play-and-earn game that is coming out at the end of the year. There will be different PVE and PVP game modes that replicate the feel and tone of the physical game; 1v1 ,for example, is where your character will battle it out in a turn-based game, pitting their skills against the opponents. The player can apply adjustments to the style of play, such as pressure, that affects the outcome of a round.
Chris: Essentially, how will the investors be able to play the game? Is prior knowledge of football necessary to play the card game or is it different from it?
Sean: No prior knowledge is required, just a SMART phone and an internet connection. We are making the game so that anyone can play on it, whether you have a $20 phone or $2000.
Chris: More importantly, what will be the cost of each mystery box? When will the mystery box unravel for the investor? How many mystery boxes can one buy?
Sean: Each mystery box varies in price. Currently the Belgium drop is $25, and is live NOW.
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