Zilliqa Monthly Newsletter - Dec 2023

As we conclude another busy and productive year, I find myself reflecting on the incredible journey we've shared at Zilliqa in 2023. The strides we made last year not only underscore our unwavering commitment to innovation and excellence but also set the stage for what promises to be a groundbreaking 2024 - a year filled with potential for Zilliqa and our expansive ecosystem.

December was a busy month for Zilliqa as we rounded off a year of landmark achievements. One of the biggest highlights from the last month was the announcement of the token sale for $FPS, the in-game currency for WEB3WAR. 

The team at Roll1ng Thund3rz aims to deliver a new and improved gaming experience powered by Web3, and it is exciting to see them move ever closer to redefining the world of gaming with the imminent launch of $FPS.

Our partnership with 1ex Trading Board, also secured in December, marks a major step in our efforts to bridge the gap between traditional digital trading and blockchain technology. We can’t wait to deliver new and exciting opportunities together with the ‘Bloomberg of Crypto’.

I would like to thank the technical team for their continued hard work in delivering a faster and more reliable network. Even in the face of unforeseen disruptions, the infrastructure team continues to enhance the Zilliqa blockchain and build a new and improved network for Zilliqa 2.0.

As we enter a new year and look back at all we have accomplished in 2023, I am proud to be part of this exciting ecosystem that will lead the charge in bringing the power of Web3 to the wider world.

Thank you to the Zilliqa community for your continued support and feedback over the last year. Here’s to an even more remarkable 2024!

There are many exciting new announcements coming soon, so stay tuned for a glimpse of what to expect from Zilliqa over the year ahead.

- Matt Dyer
Zilliqa Blockchain CEO

Check out all the highlights from December 2023 below.

WEB3WAR gears up to launch in-game currency

An important milestone in December was the news that WEB3WAR, the free-to-play multiplayer shooter developed by Roll1ng Thund3rz, is gearing up to launch its in-game currency, $FPS.

WEB3WAR combines AAA-grade first-person shooter gameplay with powerful Web3 features, allowing players to earn tangible rewards by proving their skill against others. The $FPS token is central to this engaging game design and is secured by the Zilliqa blockchain.

Ahead of the launch of its in-game currency, WEB3WAR will be available on different launchpads, and currently it can be accessed via the Sors Digital Assets Platform. 

This means that those who want to play a part in creating the future of Web3 gaming with WEB3WAR can now contribute to the project through the Sors Dealroom.

Read more about $FPS, the in-game currency for WEB3WAR.

The upcoming launch of $FPS and the WEB3WAR token sale received extensive coverage across the gaming and blockchain spaces, with the team participating in a host of AMAs and interviews to break down the specifics of the game’s design and the role $FPS plays in the FUS1ON ecosystem.

Matt Dyer and Valentin Cobelea made a number of appearances throughout the month, including in a popular video interview published by Decrypt. 

Partnering with 1ex to level up digital asset trading

In the world of DeFi and digital asset trading, Zilliqa also made headlines this December by announcing a new partnership with 1ex Trading Board.

The partnership brings the worlds of advanced digital trading and blockchain technology closer together, building around Zilliqa’s ability to deliver efficient and reliable blockchain infrastructure and 1ex’s vision to become the ‘Bloomberg for Crypto’.

This marks another step in the continuous journey towards growing the versatility and appeal of Zilliqa’s ecosystem by bridging the gap between disparate blockchain economies and professional trading.

Zilliqa CEO Matt Dyer appeared on an AMA session with 1ex Trading Board to discuss the details of the partnership and current trends in the wider blockchain and financial industries.

Watch the full AMA with Matt Dyer and 1ex Trading Board.

Improving reliability and performance

Throughout December, the Zilliqa infrastructure team continued to work on improving the reliability and performance of the Zilliqa network.

In line with the roadmap for the rollout of Zilliqa 2.0, the team has worked to implement a number of major improvements to the network aimed at enhancing reliability and performance while preparing for a shift to an improved sharding architecture and new consensus mechanism.

The team also worked on implementing proposals to deshard the network and implement active reward control following a vote for these changes being passed successfully on the Zilliqa governance portal.

The Zilliqa network suffered downtime on December 18, 2023 due to an interruption in block production, which was later resolved with normal functionality being restored later in the day.

Following this disruption, we conducted a root cause analysis to determine the nature of this issue and mitigate the risk of any future disruptions going forward.

We apologise again for the inconvenience caused by this downtime and appreciate the continued support of the Zilliqa community as we work to improve the network’s resilience and reliability.

Taking a look back at Zilliqa in 2023

December marked the exciting final stages of a landmark year for the Zilliqa network, replete with massive network upgrades, major collaborations with big tech, new features, and the launch of many new applications on the network.

Taking a look back at the impressive progress made across the Zilliqa ecosystem in 2023, Zilliqa CEO Matt Dyer recapped some of the biggest highlights from the past year.

Highlights included a strategic alliance with Google Cloud, the launch and continued development of EVM compatibility, major partnerships across several big industries, the formation of Zilliqa Group and launch of Roll1ng Thund3rz and MetaMinds, a strategic expansion into the fan loyalty industry, and much more.

Watch Matt’s full recap of the highlights from the Zilliqa ecosystem for 2023.

AMAs and Ecosystem news

The Zilliqa ecosystem was abuzz in December following major announcements such as the launch of WEB3WAR’s in-game currency.

Among many engagements in the past month, Matt Dyer joined Mario Nawfal’s Spaces show to explore the future of blockchain technology and lay out Zilliqa’s vision for the year ahead, and he also appeared on Edge of NFT to discuss the future of Web3 gaming and the launch of the $FPS token for WEB3WAR.

Touching on Zilliqa’s recent strategic alliance with Google Cloud, Matt Dyer and Google Cloud Head of Web3 James Tromans hosted an AMA to discuss the nature of this collaboration and the role blockchain infrastructure will play in the future of big data.

Read the full highlights from the AMA with Zilliqa and Google Cloud.

The Zilliqa ecosystem continued to grow, with many apps seeing continued growth throughout December, and the community was productively engaged in discussing and contributing to the success of the exciting new ventures being undertaken on the Zilliqa network.

To celebrate a wonderful year of innovation at Zilliqa, we also hosted a Christmas giveaway at the end of the month, giving lucky members of the community a chance to win $100 worth of ZIL.

There are exciting things to come in 2024 for Zilliqa, so stay tuned to our socials and subscribe to the Zilliqa blog to stay up to date with the latest news!