Uniswap Labs is in the running for the first-ever Emmy Award in the crypto industry thanks to its recent acquisition of Crypto: The Game (CTG). This online survival game has become a favorite among dedicated gamers and is being considered for an Emmy nomination in the Outstanding Emerging Media Program category.
CTG follows a TV reality show format, with ten “tribes” of 80 players each competing in daily “immunity challenges” like arcade games and online scavenger hunts to survive in the game.
Players of CTG pay 0.1 Ether (ETH) to enter, and the last survivor wins the pot of entry fees, minus a 10% fee to keep the game running. Losing tribes must vote out members, while players can gain personal immunity by tweeting about the game. On the final day, previously eliminated players vote for one of the two remaining survivors.
Each season of CTG lasts for ten days, with the game unfolding in real time on the Base blockchain in a 24-hour cycle. Fans can follow the action on X or Farcaster and listen to a dedicated podcast about the game.
CTG was launched in January and is gearing up for its third season. The first season had a prize pool of around $150,000, while the winner of the second season took home $274,000 as the price of ETH rose. Season 2 participants purchased NFTs for entry within 15 minutes. Players have the option to sell their NFTs, transferring their spot in the game to the buyer.
Lead developer Dylan Abruscato revealed to Fortune that CTG players mainly consist of members of the crypto X community, crypto influencers, market players, and 10%-15% “normies” without prior crypto experience.
Uniswap Labs made a move into the CTG world on June 11, just before the Emmy nomination ballot was announced, by acquiring CTG. Known for its Ethereum-based decentralized cryptocurrency exchange, Uniswap Labs brought on Abruscato and the development team to lead season 3 and develop other interactive projects for the crypto community.
CTG is up against virtual reality experiences, Verizon’s Catch My iPhone game, the Billboard Music Awards, and products from notable figures like horror film director Eli Roth, composer Jean-Michel Jarre, Lucy Liu, and the Claymation characters Wallace & Gromit for a shot at the Emmy competition. Voting by members of a “peer group” will continue until June 25.
On June 12, Solana also expanded into a new market with the launch of its customer loyalty marketing service, Bond, showcasing the ever-evolving landscape of the crypto world.