Spartan Poker is pioneering in the gaming tech revolution with the launch of 'Spartan-verse'

First Indian online gaming brand to enter metaverse by honoring Poker legends By spearheading into the metaverse with their bespoke space named ‘Spartan-verse’, the online poker giant Spartan Poker has joined an elite group of global companies. Leveraging cutting-edge technologies such as 3D reconstruction, virtual reality, and blockchain to provide customers with a more immersive experience, Spartan Poker becomes the first Indian online gaming company to enter the metaverse! The ‘Spartan-verse’ will honor the legends of the Indian poker fraternity with a virtual Hall of Fame, hosting the winners from all the editions of their mega flagship poker tournament, the India Online Poker Championship (IOPC). The 13th edition of IOPC is currently underway on Spartan Poker, from June 2-19, with a massive 33 crore GTD, which makes it the largest ever poker tournament in the country! Blockchains, web 3.0, cryptocurrencies, NFTs, and, more recently, Metaverse, are all considered the future of all social engagements and commerce on a global scale. Gaming, on the other hand, has long been a cornerstone of human entertainment. The Indian online gaming market has been expanding at an exponential rate for at least the last two years. Some of the leading Indian gaming enterprises, like Spartan Poker, have been at the forefront of efforts to bridge the gap between technological advancement and industry growth.

Spartan Poker's Founder and CEO, Amin Rozani, shares his vision for the Indian Poker industry and the adoption of important technologies such as NFTs, Blockchains, Web 3.0, and Metaverse in the sector's growth strategy. “Gaming companies are actively attempting to establish a connected universe of virtual realities, and gaming has found a new home in the metaverse. As the technologies advance in web 3.0, AR, VR, and 3D reconstruction, Spartan-verse will also expand from currently hosting a Hall-of-Fame for one of India's largest gaming tournaments, IOPC, to one day soon hosting the entire tournament in the metaverse, with an immersive virtual experience unlike anything experienced before.” The metaverse is a unified and interoperable virtual reality arena in which users can interact with each other and the digital world around them using enhanced human-computer interaction (HCI) gear and software, pushing VR gaming to new heights.

Spartan Poker recently concluded their live poker event, India Poker Championship in Nepal, and are currently in the last week of the biggest online tournament, the India Online Poker Championship. Sharing more information on the two back-to-back flagship events, Mr. Rozani said, “India Poker Championship held in Casino Vegas by Big Daddy, Nepal, was a high-octane Megastacks tournament with a whopping prize pool of Rs. 3.5 crores GTD, heavy buy-ins, and high stakes for an incredible gaming experience. The country’s best poker players battled it out in this biggest and most popular live tournament, and finally, Mumbai’s Siddhanth Kripalani emerged as the India Poker Champion 2022.

Following the massive success of IPC, we came back and committed to hosting the 13th edition of IOPC, which is an 18-day-long virtual series with 132 tournaments with participation from all over the country, providing a uniquely exhilarating online experience. With India’s largest leaderboard of 1 crore, our event’s final tournament will have prize money of Rs. 4 crores GTD, along with a diamond-studded crown, and an induction into the Spartan-verse Hall of Fame!” Mr. Rozani asserted that Spartan Poker has tried to up its game every year during its tournaments, by breaking its own records. He said, “The USP of IPC & IOPC is that with every edition, we try to adopt upcoming trends in the tech industry. The last IOPC in Jan ’22 had India’s first-ever gaming NFTs handed over as prizes to the winners, while the IPC in May ’22 saw the winners being awarded Phygital trophies. With this IOPC June ’22 edition, we foray into the metaverse by inaugurating the Spartan-verse, which will allow us to develop cutting-edge experiences for both current and future poker enthusiasts.” Spartan Poker was the first company to bring NFTs and Phygital rewards into the gaming industry, and now, with the launch of Spartan-verse, they should soon be able to create entirely new virtual economies, Metanomics, wherein players could be rewarded with assets like NFTs and in-game cryptocurrencies that can be swapped, sold, or borrowed. Thanks to Twitter's recent adoption of NFT profile photos, people have begun to accumulate NFTs for social credit, status, and a sense of belonging that is found in a community of like-minded followers. By personalizing and adding functionality to virtual goods, NFTs allow users to obtain value in the metaverse.

Mr. Rozani concluded by saying “Metaverse is set to change the gaming arena for good, and Spartan-verse will be a platform that will provide space to promote, compete, earn, and stand strong together in the virtual future. The play-to-earn model in the online real money gaming space will be a crucial element of gaming in the metaverse. Apart from following linear storytelling and rules, players can engage in profitable activities. Spartan Poker team is geared up to work towards shaping the future of the metaverse and making it safe and fun for all gaming enthusiasts while building an immersive virtual experience.”