NBCUniversal Partner Aptos Labs on Web3 Game to Promote Nicolas Cage Featured Film ‘Renfield’

Aptos Labs, the creator of the Aptos blockchain, has collaborated with NBCUniversal on a Web3 game to promote the forthcoming movie Renfield, which stars everyone’s popular actor, Nicolas Cage, in the role of Dracula.

The online game, which can be accessed via QR code or URL, is already active. The objective of the game is to figure out which of an array of stylized photographs depicting sequences from the film contain concealed “bugs.” Renfield, Dracula’s aide and the main character of the film, supposedly gains superpowers by eating insects.

When the participants successfully recognize the flaws, Aptos enters play. The users are then entered into a digital lottery for the opportunity of winning three digital collectibles, including movie advertisements and comic book pages from the film. Those who are unfortunate enough not to discover the hidden bugs will still get a collectible. These non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, are issued on the Aptos blockchain and are accessible via Petra, an Aptos-built wallet.

“We recognize that audiences simply desire connection. Greg Reed, vice president of technology alliances at Universal Pictures, indicated in a statement, “They want tale and enjoyment with no obstacles to bonding with their fandom.” Our responsibility is to utilize scalable, high-performing systems.

As per Mo Shaikh, cofounder and CEO of Aptos Labs, NBCUniversal’s collaboration with Aptos Labs is the advertising giant’s initial significant venture into Web3. In only a year and a half since the launch of its protocol, the startup blockchain creator continues to secure high-profile collaborations.

“The collaboration emerged out of a mutual desire to explore Web3 and blockchain system to improve the fan interaction,” Shaikh told Fortune.

In October 2022, Shaikh and cofounder Avery Ching disclosed the Aptos blockchain to the world at large. They had earlier worked at Meta (formerly Facebook) on Diem (formerly Libra), the social media giant’s stablecoin initiative that was canceled in January 2022 due to considerable opposition from U.S. and European legislators and regulators.

Shaikh and Ching, who had been working on Diem’s stablecoin wallet, left Meta to establish Aptos, a layer-1 blockchain safeguarded by proof-of-stake, after the downfall of Diem.

Regardless of the controversial nature of the tokens dropped by Aptos, the game quickly took off. Currently, its native token APT has a market cap of roughly $2.35 billion. According to cryptocurrency research firm Messari, the blockchain has among the fastest transaction rates of all protocols. Along with NBCUniversal, Aptos Labs has announced collaborations with Google Cloud and MoonPay, a financial technology firm that develops platforms for cryptocurrency payments.