Iconic entertainment firm Atari is partnering with The Sandbox (TSB) on the upcoming voxel-based blockchain version of its popular user-generated content and gaming platform.

In an announcement on March 27, blockchain startup Animoca Brands — parent company of TSB Gaming — revealed that the collaboration will involve creating 3D voxel versions of popular Atari game properties. These include Asteroids, Centipede, Pong and RollerCoaster Tycoon.

Scarce gaming real estate

In its blockchain iteration, based on Ethereum, The Sandbox will offer users three new features shaped by the technology: a tool for building non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and in-game voxel assets, a marketplace for trading these assets, and a game maker tool for users to construct, share and monetize interactive games.

Under the terms of the collaboration, Atari will receive large digital “estates” within The Sandbox gaming metaverse. These estates are scarce, digital spaces where gamers will have access to 3D voxelized versions of classic Atari games.

Estates can be assembled from groupings of LAND tokens, which can also be purchased by users to serve as locations for constructing and launching independent gaming content.

166,464 LANDs in total will be made available in The Sandbox, and feature alongside in-game virtual assets and native SAND tokens.

As part of The Sandbox, a theme park-like metaverse will also include a number of Atari game titles, alongside Atari-themed virtual attractions, buildings, and other objects. Users will be able to engage socially with Avatar characters and play collectively in immersive gaming experiences.

Collaborations and investments

As Cointelegraph has reported, the collaboration between Atari — developer of classic video games such as Tetris and Pac Man — and Animoca Brands has been long-standing.

Earlier this month, The Sandbox announced a host of big-name backers — Square Enix, B Cryptos, Mindfulness Capital, and True Global Ventures — for the upcoming third presale of the game’s virtual spaces (LANDs), scheduled for March 31.

To date, The Sandbox has had over 40 million downloads and brought in over 1,300 Ether (ETH) with the first and second of its LAND presales.