Casey Wagner

<div id="highlights-block_61f9488984b83" class="highlights">
 <ul>
 <li>MetaMask will soon support desktop, mobile, extension and browser wallets</li>
 <li>MyCrypto is an ethereum wallet integrated with web browsers and desktops</li>
 </ul>
 
</div>





Blockchain infrastructure company ConsenSys has acquired open source crypto wallet MyCrypto in a bid to eventually merge the two products.&nbsp;



MyCrypto is set to be combined with MetaMask, ConsenSys’ Ethereum wallet, to boost security and increase usability, both companies said Tuesday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed



Dan Finlay, co-founder of MetaMask, said in a statement that the collaboration will be better placed to help users “ make the best decisions through this rapidly evolving Web3 wallet landscape.”&nbsp;



“MyCrypto has consistently been one of the most reliable and intercompatible wallets in Ethereum, often shipping cutting-edge Ethereum features ahead of other wallets, while MetaMask has focused on general-purpose dapp interactions,” Finlay said.&nbsp;



MyCrypto, founded in 2015, supports Ethereum wallets via web browsers and desktops, while MetaMask employs mobile and browser extensions. The idea in combining the two wallets is to create a product that supports desktop, mobile and browser-based wallets. 



“With the rapid growth of the ecosystem and products racing to ship slick features, it is imperative that the leading wallet continues to build foundational and secure self-custody tools that empower the user,” said Taylor Monahan, founder and CEO of MyCrypto, in a statement.&nbsp;



The acquisition comes shortly after <a href="https://metamask.io/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">MetaMask</a> expanded its institutional offerings with the addition of its first <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/custodial-solution-for-metamask-institutions/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">built-in custodial</a> solution that supports multi-chain compatibility.



MetaMask’s institutional clients can now access the same multi-chain connectivity across all Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) chains that MetaMask provides retail traders. Compatible chains include Ethereum, Binance Smart Chain, Polygon and Avalanche.&nbsp;



Both products will continue to operate separately in the near term. Within the MetaMask team, MetaMask co-founders Finlay and Aaron Davis, along with MyCrypto founder Taylor Monahan, will work toward a unified product. MyCrypto’s team of 12 employees will be joining ConsenSys. 



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ConsenSys Acquires Open Source Ethereum Wallet to Expand MetaMask

Jacquelyn Melinek

<div id="highlights-block_61f163689f398" class="highlights">
 <ul>
 <li>“We want to help form DAOs and operate DAOs in a simpler way,” Founder Yury Lifshits told Blockworks</li>
 <li>There are about 10,000 to 20,000 operating DAOs, but Superdao anticipates the subsector hitting up to 1 million new DAOs by the end of 2022</li>
 </ul>
 
</div>



Superdao has raised $10.5 million to help people form decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) in a simpler way, Founder Yury Lifshits told Blockworks. 



The <a href="https://superdao.co/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">all-in-one DAO platform</a>, founded in October 2021, has hit a valuation of $160 million after the seed round, Lifshits said. It has raised $11.5 million to date to power software that creates and helps run DAOs.



“We want to help form DAOs and operate DAOs in a simpler way,” Lifshits said. “We want to help launch millions of DAOs and become ‘the Shopify for DAOs.’ It’s hard to launch an online store, and Shopify made an all-in-one place with an easy to use guide and template. We want to provide a [similar] template so a non-technical person can run a DAO, too.”



Investors include Alliance, DIGITAL, One Block Capital, Fika Ventures, Pear Ventures, as well as pre-seed investors Shima Capital and Fifty Years. Founders from 1inch, Protocol Labs, Mercury, Golden, and Request Network, as well as product leaders from Coinbase, OpenSea, Rainbow, Kraken, and Telegram also joined the funding round.



The platform aims to help users or businesses create DAOs with just “one click.” It’s currently in private beta, with plans to launch an open beta in a month or two.&nbsp;



There’s no timeline for the third phase — opening to the public — yet.&nbsp;



The company plans to tap the funding to grow its customer base and build out additional products.&nbsp;



There are about 10,000 to 20,000 operating DAOs worldwide. But Superdao anticipates up to one million new DAOs being created by the end of 2022 — if creators have the right tools.&nbsp;



“A lot of people want to start a DAO but what prevents them is the bad infrastructure,” Lifshits said. “We’re trying to fix that.”



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DAO Creator Platform Raises $10.5M, Projects 1 Million New DAOs by Year-end

Morgan Chittum

<div id="highlights-block_61e74df744b95" class="highlights">
 <ul>
 <li>Microsoft will acquire Activision Blizzard for $95 per share, around 45 percent above the company’s previous share price</li>
 <li>Activision shares spiked more than 25% on the news </li>
 </ul>
 
</div>



Microsoft is set to acquire gaming publisher Activision Blizzard in a $68.7 billion<a href="https://news.microsoft.com/features/microsoft-to-acquire-activision-blizzard-to-bring-the-joy-and-community-of-gaming-to-everyone-across-every-device/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> all-cash dea</a>l meant to further the trillion-dollar company’s metaverse ambitions, experts say.



David Nage, a portfolio manager for digital-assets investment firm Arca, told Blockworks that Microsoft&#8217;s plans for the metaverse have been growing.&nbsp;



“Over the course of the last few quarters [Microsoft] has been aggressively building out into the metaverse,” Nage said. “A very large part of their business line is Xbox gaming and so immediately I thought that this had some sort of semblance or focus on the metaverse.”



Microsoft called the acquisition a way “to accelerate the growth in Microsoft’s gaming business” and to “provide building blocks for the metaverse” in a <a href="https://news.microsoft.com/features/microsoft-to-acquire-activision-blizzard-to-bring-the-joy-and-community-of-gaming-to-everyone-across-every-device/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">statement</a> announcing the deal on Tuesday. 



&#8220;Gaming is the most dynamic and exciting category in entertainment across all platforms today and will play a key role in the development of metaverse platforms,&#8221; Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella said.



Microsoft, which makes Xbox consoles and produces Minecraft, will acquire Activision for $95 per share, around a 45 percent premium.&nbsp;



With the purchase, Microsoft will gain hit gaming franchises such as Call of Duty and Candy Crush. When the transaction closes, Microsoft is set to become the third-largest gaming company by revenue.&nbsp;



Microsoft made headlines when Nadella first mentioned the term “metaverse” at its annual conference in November 2021. Nadella said the software giant will roll out almost 100 new services and updates in three areas — including the metaverse. Additionally, Microsoft is set to release its own virtual reality goggles and gloves later this year.&nbsp;



“As the digital and physical worlds come together, we are creating an entirely new platform layer which is the metaverse,” Nadella said. “In a sense, the metaverse enables us to embed computing into the real world and to embed the real world into computing bringing real presence to any digital space.”



The acquisition comes as Activision has faced several allegations of sexual harrasments and gender inequities that resulted in a lawsuit from California regulators in July 2021 for promoting a culture of “constant sexual harrasment,” according to <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2021/7/22/22588215/activision-blizzard-lawsuit-sexual-harassment-discrimination-pay">The Verge.</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;



Activision CEO Bobby Kotick is expected to exit the company after the deal closes, the Wall Street Journal <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/microsoft-to-buy-activision-blizzard-games-11642512435">reported,</a> citing people familiar with the matter.&nbsp;



Nage predicts that Microsoft may tap Activision properties to experiment with non-fungible tokens in the company’s video games and will eventually “build a robust metaverse.”



“I think this is just the start of Microsoft&#8217;s adventure into play-to-earn gaming,” Nage said. “Microsoft will start to look beyond Activision Blizzard and into some of the [blockchain-based] games that are starting to evolve today … I think they will start to incorporate some of [those] into their own metaverse.”&nbsp;



Microsoft (MSFI) shares traded 2.43% lower to $302.65 at the close. Activision Blizzard Inc. (ATVI) soared 25.8% to $82.31.

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