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§ Private Profile · San Francisco, CA, USA
The Sandbox is a technology company.
The Sandbox is a decentralized metaverse platform, offering a virtual world where users create, play, own, and monetize digital assets and gaming experiences. Leveraging blockchain technology, it uses non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to grant true ownership of in-game items and virtual land. The platform empowers creators with tools, fostering a user-generated ecosystem.
Co-founded by Sébastien Borget, Chief Operating Officer, and Arthur Madrid, The Sandbox launched in 2011. Their game development partnership began in 2007. The founders saw the potential of user-generated content and digital ownership in gaming, envisioning a future where players contribute to and directly benefit from virtual worlds.
The platform serves a global community of gamers, creators, and digital asset enthusiasts within an open metaverse. The Sandbox's vision centers on establishing a vibrant, decentralized digital society where economic opportunities and creative freedom are accessible. It aims to evolve digital interaction and ownership, moving towards a future defined by community-driven virtual experiences.
The Sandbox has raised $115.5M across 3 funding rounds.
Key people at The Sandbox.
The Sandbox was founded in 2011 by Sebastien Borget (Co-Founder and COO).
The Sandbox has raised $115.5M in total across 3 funding rounds.
The Sandbox is a blockchain-based metaverse platform that enables users to play, create, and monetize immersive virtual experiences in gaming, entertainment, music, and art using web3 technologies and NFTs.[1][2] It provides tools like VoxEdit (a voxel editor for 3D assets), a Marketplace for trading, and Game Maker for visual scripting, empowering creators with true ownership of assets and rewards while serving gamers, brands, and celebrities.[2] Over 400 partners, including Warner Music Group, Gucci, Ubisoft, and Snoop Dogg, have integrated, driving a creator economy that disrupts traditional platforms by prioritizing user-generated content and monetization.[1]
The platform targets the gaming industry, solving centralization issues in virtual worlds by decentralizing ownership via blockchain, which allows players and creators to build, own, and profit from experiences.[2] As a subsidiary of Animoca Brands, it has shown strong growth through partnerships and tools that lower barriers to entry for non-technical users, positioning it as a leader in web3 gaming with sustained momentum post its evolution from mobile gaming origins.[1][2]
The Sandbox originated as Pixowl, a mobile gaming studio founded in 2011, which pivoted to blockchain metaverse development to enable user ownership.[2] Key founders include Arthur Madrid, who led the transition, building on early mobile hits like The Sandbox Evolution to launch the full metaverse platform.[2] The idea emerged from recognizing limitations in centralized gaming ecosystems, where creators lacked control over their work; this led to web3 integration for NFTs and decentralized economies.[1][2]
Early traction came from voxel-based tools that attracted creators, culminating in high-profile partnerships and Animoca Brands' acquisition, solidifying its Malta-based operations (with Hong Kong ties).[1][2] Pivotal moments include launching Alpha seasons for user testing and amassing partners like Paris Hilton and Attack on Titan, which validated its model and fueled expansion.[1]
The Sandbox rides the metaverse and web3 gaming wave, capitalizing on blockchain's rise for decentralized virtual worlds amid growing demand for user-owned digital economies.[1][2] Timing aligns with NFT/booming crypto adoption (post-2021 surge) and mainstream brand interest in immersive experiences, amplified by post-pandemic virtual socialization trends.[1]
Market forces like Ethereum's scalability improvements and Animoca Brands' backing favor it, as does competition from platforms like Decentraland but with superior tools for mass adoption.[2] It influences the ecosystem by pioneering creator monetization, inspiring web3 integrations in gaming (e.g., Ubisoft pilots) and attracting traditional IPs to blockchain, accelerating metaverse mainstreaming.[1]
The Sandbox is primed for expansion through deeper web3 tooling, LANDS sales, and metaverse seasons, leveraging its partner network to capture web3 gaming's projected multi-billion market.[1][2] Trends like AI-enhanced creation, layer-2 scaling, and enterprise metaverse adoption (e.g., Gucci virtual events) will shape its path, potentially evolving it into a full-spectrum web3 entertainment hub.[1]
Its influence may grow via cross-chain interoperability and mainstream gaming crossovers, solidifying true ownership as the metaverse standard—echoing its origins as a disruptor of centralized gaming.
The Sandbox was founded in 2011 by Sebastien Borget (Co-Founder and COO).
The Sandbox has raised $115.5M in total across 3 funding rounds.
The Sandbox's investors include Sebastien Borget, Sunset Ventures, Hashed.
Key people at The Sandbox.
The Sandbox has raised $115.5M across 3 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $20.0M Other Equity in June 2024.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 12, 2024 | $20M Venture Round | Sebastien Borget | — | Announced |
| Nov 1, 2021 | $93M Series B | — | Sunset Ventures | Announced |
| May 22, 2019 | $2.5M Venture Round | Hashed | — | Announced |
