According to Blockworks, Karate Combat has announced the upcoming launch of its layer-2 blockchain, UP, which will be built on the Hedera layer-1 network. This initiative marks the first professional striking league governed by its own KARATE token. The project enables over 100,000 users to earn tokens by accurately predicting fight outcomes using its Up Only Gaming software. The UP layer-2 blockchain is scheduled for launch in Q1 2025, with its $UP token expected to be released within the same year. Up to 30% of the $UP token will be allocated to KARATE stakers.

Karate Combat’s pseudonymous co-founder, onlylarping, stated that the organization is highly motivated to expand its Up Only Gaming technology to other sports, esports, fantasy sports, and crypto projects. The UP technology will not only provide all the tech for free but also offer grants and access to its user base for early partners. The latest combat sporting event, KC 50, is being held at Permissionless III in Salt Lake City, UT, featuring a fight between David Hoffman, co-founder of Bankless, and Kain Warwick, co-founder of Infinex.

In other news, the blockchain gaming asset management platform Polemos announced a partnership with Buff.game, a gaming company that operates a loyalty program for over 15 million players across games like Dota 2, Fortnite, League of Legends, and Valorant. This partnership will leverage Polemos’ asset management wallet and non-collateralized lending solution, allowing gamers to trade, lend, borrow, and access in-game items without the need for upfront investment. Carl Wilgenbus, CEO of Polemos, highlighted that this collaboration represents a significant moment in the evolution of gaming, combining Web3 expertise with Buff’s extensive player base to drive the adoption of blockchain gaming technologies.

Additionally, Pudgy Penguin GIFs on Giphy have garnered more than 30 billion views. ENS domain names are now searchable on Google. The CryptoKitties NFT project is launching a new monster breeding game called “All the Zen” on the Telegram messaging platform. Gunzilla Games’ Avalanche-based battle royale shooter, Off the Grid, has gone live on PlayStation 5, Xbox, and PC, making it the first blockchain game available on PlayStation 5.