2022 is in full swing, which means it’s time to share some updates about this year’s progress, as well as what players can look forward to in the coming months. This year has already been incredibly exciting, and we are primed to continue building on that excitement with the unveiling of a variety of new systems, most notably, Cars and Private Transportation! Layer by layer, the metaverse is slowly coming to life. Soon, Upland will become one of the most diverse Web3 platforms, embedded with rich ecosystems that offer unique experiences for everyone. 

Today, we’d like to shed some light on what we’ve been up to over the past several months, as well as what players can look forward to in Q2 of 2022. Following today’s update, we will be hosting an AMA featuring co-founders Dirk Lueth and Idan Zuckerman to provide more context on the recent Roadmap developments and to answer any questions the community may have. The AMA will take place next Tuesday, March 15th, at 11:00 AM PT on YouTube.

Before we jump into our Roadmap updates, we want to welcome our new development studio operating out of Sao Paulo, Brazil! This new network of talented developers will bolster our development resources and empower our ability to deliver our roadmap objectives. Please join us in offering our new friends in Brazil the warmest of welcomes!

Looking Back on Q1

Back in January, we initiated the Block Explorer Shop Beta and introduced the very first Metaventures into Upland, creating the next evolution of the Upland economy. Later that month, we also launched the Community Directory on the Upland Website, allowing players to discover the various node communities that make Upland special.

In early February, we introduced Peer-to-Peer UPX transfers and a player search function to allow players to send UPX directly to each other for the very first time. Later on, we expanded the existing NFLPA Stadium Shops with 2021 Essentials, which lets players mint NFLPA Essentials Legits for the current season. Rounding out February, we began the Master Builders Contest to let players design the very first city-specific models in the Upland metaverse.

So far in March, we’ve kicked things off with the Property Collections Visual Rework and detailed our plans to introduce collection holding periods. The fun won’t end there, expect to see more developments over the coming weeks, but for now, let’s dive into what we’ll be focusing on in Q2…

The Future of Transportation in Upland

Cars and private transportation are actively in development, and we’re incredibly excited to share this brief look into what this all means for the future of the Upland Metaverse…

NFT Manufacturing

Before the private transportation system can really get up to speed, Uplanders are going to need to get their hands on some cars. Sometime in Q2, expect to see the deployment of our very first manufacturing plant in Santa Clara, CA, which will serve as the headquarters of Upland’s native car brand, “Metaverse Motors.” Soon, Upland will begin the process of manufacturing the very first cars in the metaverse, which players will ultimately use for racing, ridesharing, delivery services, and so much more. Construction on the Santa Clara plant is now underway! 

Manufacturing is a critical infrastructure layer for Metaventures and will provide the bedrock for all metaventures that manufacture items using Spark, such as Outdoor Decor, Structure Ornaments, and cars. This includes but is not limited to, managing production queues, defining and managing manufacturing lots, the ability to place and reposition multiple items on the same property, and much more. In other words, the launch of NFT manufacturing is a huge step forward to empowering and diversifying the Upland ecosystem.

As we get closer to the launch of the first cars, we’ll provide more details about how players can reserve the first batch of cars as production begins over the coming months. When manufacturing goes live, Upland will be the first manufacturer in the metaverse, but we are actively exploring ways to extend that opportunity to both existing brands and of course, our Uplanders. 

Racing

Racing will be the first fully immersive Unity-based experience in the Upland metaverse. It offers dynamic, repeatable, competitive, and lucrative content that will create an entirely new set of experiences; all fully animated in 3D. This creates an inherent demand that will power an entirely new dimension of the Upland economy that’s driven by goods and services. Racing also introduces a whole new level of utility for Block Explorers, as they will act as the drivers for vehicles in the metaverse, with their own set of diverse traits that are trainable by competing in races and via “Racing Academies.” 

At SXSW this year, we will be unveiling a playable, alpha demo that will showcase a select set of race tracks that take place in present-state Upland. Once players get their hands on the first cars, we plan to open up this demo to allow individual players to simulate races using their own cars on their own self-generated tracks in the metaverse. 

What Else We’re Working on in Q2

The following projects are currently in development, some of these items may be delivered in Q1, while others will likely be delivered in Q2 of 2022…

Metaventures

Showrooms

Showrooms will power the marketplace for all manufactured items in Upland, such as cars, outdoor decor, structure ornaments, and more. As demand for these NFTs grows, there will be plenty of opportunity for members of the community to kickstart their own Showrooms. 

NFLPA Fan Shops

NFLPA Fan Shops are right around the corner! Soon, 40 new beta participants will be launching the very first Fan Shops in the metaverse. NFLPA Fan Shops will be the first true secondary market opportunity for players who collect NFLPA Legits, further bolstering economic activity in the metaverse! 

Venture dues

With the arrival of NFLPA Fan Shops, we will be introducing the Venture Dues model to all metaventures in the Upland metaverse. Each month, owners of Metaventures will be required to pay a variable fee that is calculated based on the median UPX contribution made from metaventure owners (of the same type in the same locale) to the Upland Community Pool. 

Metaventure Sub-Merchants

In the very near future, we will also introduce the ability for metaventure owners to sell items on behalf of other players for a commission. Players will be able to manually adjust the commission rate for their metaventures and will pave the way for new revenue streams.

BE Shop Open Beta

Sometime in the near future, we plan to open up the Block Explorer Shop program to all players! This will let any willing Uplander launch their very own custom-branded Block Explorer shop. 

Outdoor Decor Manufacturing Plants and Showrooms

Once NFT manufacturing goes live, expect the Outdoor Decor Beta to kick into gear with their respective Manufacturing Plants and Showrooms, followed by Structure Ornaments since these metaventures will leverage the same manufacturing infrastructure for cars.

NFLPA Legits 

NFLPA Legit Collections

We are actively working on Collections for NFLPA Legits. Once NFLPA collections go live, players will be able to place their Legits into collections (much like property collections) to further boost their fan scores. Legits that are held in a collection will have a multiplier applied to their base fan points. Completing Legits collections will be an important strategy for improving each player’s odd of minting the best Mementos. Once collections are deployed, expect for Autographs and Replicas to follow soon after.

Economic Updates

Uncollected Earnings Accumulation Cap

Players will soon be required to log in and collect their earnings before their accumulated earnings reach a certain threshold; variable by Upland status. This does not mean that Upland is placing a cap on how much players can earn. Rather, it is a cap on how much UPX can go uncollected before it stops accumulating. In other words, if the accumulation cap is 500,000 UPX, earnings will stop accruing until the player claims their UPX. This means that the most engaged players will always have access to their full earnings potential, while lapsed players may miss out on some rewards.

Collection Holding Periods

Collections are one of the core mechanics of buying and holding property in Upland, allowing players to mix and match their holdings to boost their yields significantly. With the large influx of activity, we felt it necessary to revisit these mechanics to prevent current and future abuse of these bonuses. As such, we will be introducing a holding period to collection bonuses, meaning that above a certain reward threshold, players will have to hold the collection for a fixed period of time before they can collect their one-time UPX bonus. ‍

Minting New UPX

In order to support Upland’s ongoing economic growth, we are exploring ways to start minting new UPX to the Upland Community Pool.

3rd Party Developer Tools

We are actively developing 3rd party developer tools to empower creators to build their own projects for the Upland metaverse. These tools will include not only read-only APIs but will also support permission-based asset management, meaning 3rd parties can leverage Uplander’s assets (with explicit consent from the owner) to build completely new and unique experiences and services. 

Treasure Hunting Tier Overhaul

In the coming weeks, we will announce a minor overhaul to Treasure Hunting tiers, rewards, and send fee margins to better match our new framework for classifying cities. This overhaul will include an expansion of treasure hunting tiers, as well as adjustment to send fees for several cities in Upland. 

Features Pending Deployment

NFT Portal (Reclaim Uploads)

Reclaim Uploads will allow players to export their imported assets back to the blockchain of origin. Soon, this program will expand to bridge Upland to multiple popular blockchains in the crypto ecosystem.

Spark Login Bonus

In the near future, all players will be eligible for a Spark login bonus. For example, if a player logs in consecutively for 7 days, they will receive a variable Spark bonus; subject to adjustments in balance of supply and demand of Spark. This new feature matches our goal of steadily injecting Spark into the economy to incentivize building activity while rewarding the most active participants of the metaverse. Using Spark as a reward mechanism also relieves the pressure on UPX as the sole economic incentive in the Upland metaverse.

Closing Thoughts

As you can see, we’ve been busy, and we have huge plans for the remainder of 2022. Over the course of the next year, we plan to expand the economy significantly with the introduction of several new systems and features. We can’t wait to show you what’s coming. As always, thank you all for your continued support of the Upland team and the development of the metaverse!