Multiverse.ph: A universe of information that meets the challenges of the future today
In today’s rapidly changing digital landscape, staying ahead of the curve is more crucial than ever. The Philstar Media Group has found a way to achieve this with multiverse.ph, the newest web portal that highlights the latest and most important news within Web 3.0.
During the launch held at Ayala Museum in Makati on Tuesday, March 21, Philstar Media Group executive vice president Lucien Dy Tioco said the platform’s goal is to offer a fresh and dynamic viewpoint on the world, while also providing creatives, artists, and writers with a platform to showcase their work.
“Multiverse.ph is a project that we’re incredibly proud of, and we are thrilled to finally be able to share it with the world,” Dy Tioco said in his speech. “We aim to bring the country’s Web 3.0, NFT, blockchain communities together, and have them flourish even more to bring a movement that fosters humanity and sustainability through these new technologies.”
Multiverse.ph will feature experts, opinion leaders, and seasoned editors, delivering the most essential stories day after day, locally and from around the world. It is the only mainstream news site of its kind in the Philippines that covers Gaming, Financial Technology, Blockchain, Cryptocurrency, NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens), DeFi (Decentralized Finance), and everything else that the rapidly evolving Web 3.0 offers.
Dy Tioco emphasized that the intent of creating this website is to gain insights into new technologies that can significantly impact our daily lives. He added that learning how to further embrace these new technologies “will have a better effect on how we do things.”
“We’re dedicated to closely working with clients to help them leverage the power of multiverse.ph by creating customized solutions that align with their specific needs and goals because we firmly believe that multiverse.ph has the potential to be the game changer in the digital landscape.”
Paolo Romero, editor of multiverse.ph, said that the web portal is not just about reporting the news but also about intersection, which means bringing the media closer to the people through technology.
“Before, we have the readers, we have the viewers and the listeners and there’s the media. But now, it’s about communities, and it is not just about inclusion but also intersection,” the editor said.
Romero pointed out that what may seem like a narrow, technical field like Web 3.0 for most people is actually mainstream to many. He cited the example of Axie, which became a household name in the Philippines during the pandemic.
However, he acknowledged that there is still a lot of work to be done for reporting and educating people about the opportunities as well as potential risks and dangers of Web 3.0.
“There are a lot of good online news sites, but multiverse.ph is the only one [that focuses on Web 3.0] from the mainstream and powered by The Philippine Star, which is the top news media organization that the country has.”
Online elections
When it comes to the public sector, Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Secretary Ivan John Uy expressed the government’s interest in the potential of blockchain technology.
Uy acknowledged that there have been numerous discussions about the adoption of blockchain in the Philippines. He noted that the government has been engaged in discussions with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) about the potential of using blockchain technology for voting, including the possibility of having it done online.
He said that these discussions are ongoing as the government explores various use case scenarios for blockchains in the public sector “especially on the registry side, land registration, title registration.”
Institutional adoption
Speaking at a recent launch, Catherine Casas, UnionBank senior vice president and head of Blockchain and API Business Group, emphasized the importance of institutional adoption in driving national and wider-scale adoption of cryptocurrency and Web 3.0.
According to Casas, policies alone are not enough to drive adoption and a lot of work needs to be done to build the necessary infrastructure, including talent and skills development.
“What does it take for institutional adoption? It’s not just having the policies in place. You need to have a lot of the nitty-gritty of those policies, right? We need to have production of talents and skills here in the Philippines,” Casas said.
“You need legal considerations. You need risk management, compliance. So if you have these infrastructures in place, I guess institutions will start adopting. You’ll see a lot of their digital infrastructures as close to getting into this space,” she added.
Bringing education on emerging tech to remote areas
Meanwhile, Lito Villanueva, executive vice president and chief innovation and inclusion officer for RCBC, has challenged the Philstar Media Group as well as the Philippine Blockchain Council to bring education on cryptocurrency and blockchain to far-flung areas.
Villanueva highlighted the importance of educating people in remote areas about these technologies, as they are more susceptible to cyber fraud and other illegal activities. “I think that the industry has to join forces in terms of having to provide that to the grassroots.”
He also pointed out the growing interest of Filipinos in emerging technologies, particularly in blockchain and cryptocurrency. He noted that there are currently about 46 blockchain startups in the Philippines, with 34 specifically focused on cryptocurrencies, indicating a growing trend in interest and investment in these fields.
Boosting the adoption of blockchain-based gaming
Jayvee Fernandez, another industry expert who is the chief marketing officer and co-founder of Anito Legends, discussed the challenges faced in communicating the concept of blockchain-based gaming to individuals who have no prior knowledge of cryptocurrency. He said the onboarding process can be intimidating, especially when introducing the idea of wallets and seed phrases.
However, Fernandez believes that there are startups in the country that work on making the adoption of NFTs easier for non-crypto users. These startups are creating user-friendly platforms that help gamers earn rewards without even realizing that they are using NFTs. He said that this approach will be key in driving the adoption of blockchain-based gaming among the wider public.
Fernandez also emphasized the importance of partnerships in driving more innovation in the country’s blockchain space. He believes that websites like multiverse.ph can help bridge the gap between key opinion leaders (KOLs) and ordinary users, and can even translate into real-life collaborations.
According to Kat Gonzales, the head of operations for Yield Guild Games (YGG) in the Philippines, the blockchain-based gaming sector is “quite exciting” as there are numerous games currently being developed across all genres, and many big companies like EA and Ubisoft are now entering the space.
Gonzales believes that these companies will bring a lot of playable and exciting games, from casual games to triple-A games, which is expected to boost the adoption of blockchain-based gaming in the country.
Developing a game in the Web 3.0 space takes about two to four years, Gonzales said, adding that several games will be launched in the next year or so.
When asked about the challenges hindering the growth of blockchain- based gaming in the Philippines, she pointed out that this is not just a local issue, but a global one. She noted that adoption is not happening as much in Web 3.0 games in North America, but rather in emerging markets like Southeast Asia.
The pain point, according to Gonzales, is the current setup where players have to navigate the process of finding an NFT marketplace and converting their tokens, whether on a centralized or decentralized exchange, which can be complicated.
Hence, Gonzales believes that the adoption of Web 3.0 games for Filipinos is going to be “quite quick” for some of these other games as well.
Digital nomad Jopet Arias, co-founder of Cryptoartph, and visual artist Aldrine Alarcon from CANVAS were also present during the event. The two artists discussed the opportunities in NFTs not just in marketplace earnings but also in asset protection, and the repercussions of AI in different fields.
Dy Tioco said his team is dedicated to creating custom solutions that align with their clients’ specific needs and goals through the power of multiverse.ph.
“We firmly believe that multiverse.ph has the potential to be a game-changer in the digital landscape, and we are more than excited to extend this project to the world,” he said. “Join us as we deep dive into the future and make a difference, together.”