Singapore-based global GameFi platform, Digital Entertainment Asset Pte. Ltd. (DEA), has partnered with the Japanese-affiliated Cambodian soccer club Angkor Tiger FC.
Angkor Tiger FC will participate in DEA’s Play-to-Earn ecosystem as a “gaming guild” as part of this partnership. To that extent, the soccer club will purchase NFTs of digital assets and in-game items on DEA’s gaming platform “PlayMining” by utilizing the investment funds of the club’s sponsors.
Within the DEA ecosystem, gaming guilds are organizations that invest in NFTs of the platform’s Play-to-Earn games and generate revenue from the games by playing them in an organized manner. Such guilds are rapidly expanding, especially in Southeast Asia, and are attracting attention as a new means of job creation.
According to Naohito Yoshida, CEO of DEA, “The business models we are working on under ‘PlayMining,’ such as GameFi and Play to Earn, are not only a fusion of gaming and fintech, but they also aim to solve sustainable social issues and help people around the world to achieve their goals. We are committed to ensuring that the efforts of DEA and Angkor Tiger FC will contribute to creating jobs and improving people’s livelihood in Cambodia.”
The COVID-19 pandemic had a drastic impact on the global economy. Cambodia was among the worst-hit economies, as the country now battles rising unemployment due to the stagnation of economic activities in the country over the last couple of years. Through this partnership with DEA, the Cambodian soccer club aims to help create new income streams in Cambodia by leveraging DEA’s diverse range of play-to-earn games. Additionally, the football club has also insisted supporters who earn rewards by participating in the play-to-earn games deposit their winnings for club-related activities, which will accelerate the stimulation of Angkor Tiger FC’s economic zone.
Akihiro Kato, Angkor Tiger FC’s owner, is optimistic that this partnership will help strengthen the Cambodian economy and the club simultaneously. He notes, “Our aim is to be more than just a soccer club. In our hometown of Siem Reap, usually a vibrant tourist destination, many people have lost their jobs because of the Corona pandemic. As we were thinking about what we could do as a club besides soccer, we met Mr. Yoshida and decided to start the Tiger Guild project because we saw the possibility of improving the livelihood of our supporters and the people of Siem Reap. I would like to team up with DEA to create a new form of club management for the next era.”
About Angkor Tiger FC
Angkor Tiger FC is a prominent soccer club in Cambodia’s premier professional league based in Siem Reap, home of Angkor Wat. Purchased by current owner Akihiro Kato in 2015, the club relocated to Siem Reap in 2017. During the 2018 and 2019 seasons, the club won “the club with most fans in Cambodia” awards. However, in 2020 and 2021, the club played league games with no spectators, primarily because of the pandemic. During these challenging times, Angkor Tiger FC came forward to support the community by providing material aid to citizens and making donations to the provincial government.
About DEA
Digital Entertainment Asset (DEA) Pte. Ltd., a GameFi platform business, was founded in Singapore in August 2018. It is developing JobTribes, a play-to-earn game, and PlayMining NFT, an NFT marketplace. Using blockchain technology, the company aims to realize a world where one can create value by having fun.
Image by Daniel Norin on Unsplash
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