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NEAR & Gaming: A Deep Dive into OP Games

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4 years ago

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Alongside DeFi and NFTs, Web3 gaming is proving to be one of the most vibrant and creative spaces in crypto. From play-and-earn titles to fractionalized game ownership, crypto gaming’s moment is now. And it’s evolving in real-time. 

OP Games, arguably the most successful gaming company building on NEAR right now. With Arcadia, its aptly-named community-owned arcade, a plug-and-play developer SDK, and monetization features, OP Games is revolutionizing gaming with Web3 technologies. 

In the latest installment of our 4-part series “NEAR & Gaming”, we take a deep dive into OP Games. Not only does OP Games have some lessons for developers building during a down market, they have offer up some useful ideas for onboarding Web2 users into the Web3 world, and more. 

Born in the crypto bear market of 2018

While OPGames is a major gaming platform on NEAR, its origins weren’t exactly auspicious. Growing out of the mobile gaming company Alto, OPGames emerged in the crucible of 2018’s Great Crypto Bear Market. 

Co-founders Chase Freo (CEO) and Paul Gadi (CTO) had a background in Web2 gaming and on other tech projects. A game publisher and investor, Freo grew disillusioned with the 70/30 revenue split that was standard for game publishers and designers. But it was through their work in Web2 gaming that Freo and Gadi, and one of the other original Alto founders, Gabby Dizon, came to know each other. 

“We realized we aligned in terms of how gaming would work outside of the traditional [mobile and desktop]space,” says Freo. “We also realized we were  all into blockchain and crypto, so we co-founded OP Games, which was called Alto at the time.”

Given the bear market of the period, Freo and Gadi  started building a lot of different products, especially in the NFT space. At the time, Web3 developer funds were hard to come by. Freo and Gadi watched as Dapper Labs and The Sandbox got funding, and thought these were good signs. 

While funding didn’t immediately materialize for OP Games, the pair’s work on NFTs was not in vain. Indeed, that work convinced Freo and Gadi of OP Games’ direction and, ultimately, led them to NEAR. 

“There’s a certain way game developers make money in Web2 and it’s skewed towards bigger game companies, bigger game developers, and bigger game publishers,” Freo explains. Developers gravitate toward publishers, who can distribute the game and onboard millions of players. Unless, of course, a game goes viral, like Flappy Bird—which is rare. 

“Because of this extreme reliance on publishers, the deal flows became very one-sided,” says Freo. “And that made me question if I was doing anybody a favor by being a game publisher. That changes the power structure in terms of how much a game developer earns versus how much a publisher earns, and how then how much Apple and Google earn. So there’s a lot of gatekeeping involved.”

What Freo and Gadi saw in Web3 was elegantly simple and profound: the democratization of gaming. Each player had their own wallet and developers didn’t need one million players to succeed. 

“Most players in Web3 are also paying players via NFTs, right,” Freo explains. “Obviously, there’s a lot of experimentation involved in play-to-earn, which has now evolved to play-and-earn. But we’re hopeful and we’re always thinking about newer models that will benefit people in the long run.”

Building OPGames for other games developers

During the 2018/2019 crypto downturn, OP Games received grants from a few different entities. Freo says there is a tendency to spend funds on an entire product suite. “Build the dream”, as he refers to it. But Freo and Gadi took another approach. 

“We realized very quickly that we have to be very modular in terms of what we’re building, so that we can still continuously create something, even though it’s at a much slower pace,” says Freo. “But it would allow us to create multiple things that would be useful right away in that period.”

Freo compares the  OP Games platform’s modularity to Legos: it gives developers all of the pieces they need to design and launch successful Web3 games. Early on in this slow build process, Freo and Gadi developed SDKs and APIs that game developers could use in their own slow builds. 

“We modularize how we want to build,” says Freo. “We want to make sure that each and every single one of these product lines will be as useful now as it will be in the future. And once we succeeded in building these products,  it was much easier to fundraise when the bull market was in full swing.” 

“We’re building the supply of games in Web3 by bringing Web2 game developers into the mix,” he adds. “And we have this tooling, like Legos, that they can use right away. It’s simplified so that it’s easy for their games to integrate or reap the benefits of a Web3 token offer.”

A look inside the OP Games feature set

After pivoting into Web3 gaming, OP Games began developing its first feature—the “Tournaments” function. This feature allowed any Javascript game to use OP Games’s JS SDK, creating a plug-and-play environment  asynchronous play.  

“Game developers could now set up their own tournaments on a daily or monthly basis, or however they wished to do it,” Freo explains. “They could set up parameters in terms of what the pot would look like, what percentage would go back to players and developers, and so on and so forth.”

OP Games next created Arcadia.fun, a Web3 game arcade where game designers could load their games using the SDK.  Currently in Alpha, Arcadia will soon get an official launch with a dedicated website. To date, there are 43 games on Arcadia, including one of OP Games own titles, Arcadeum Arena, a hybrid auto-chess player, avatar-battler. 

The team also built a Leaderboard feature that showcased the top players for any given game. After launching Tournaments, Arcadia, and Leaderboard, the team turned their attention to a player-versus-player (PvP) feature. So, instead of playing against a game’s artificial intelligence, OP Games players could play against each other. 

“Currently we’re working on NFT wagering,” says Freo. “This will allow players to wager their NFTs against each other. And we fulfill that position based on whomever wins a specific game on the Arcadia platform. On the back end there are these little feature sets that we’ve built for developers to use that they can plug into their game so that they can exist in Arcadia.”

To make this all happen, OP Games allows players to log in with their NEAR wallet. This makes it possible for the gaming platform to offer $NEAR as a buy-in and pay-out for winnings. While NEAR’s technical advantages made it the obvious choice for OP Games development, Freo and Gadi envision OP Games as ultimately blockchain agnostic. A multi-chain, Open Web gaming platform that can help onboard the masses into the larger Web3 ecosystem. 

“All of these games can be played on the web or on a mobile-optimized web,” says Freo. “That’s where we’re at at the moment. And we’re still building a few things, specifically in our marketplace, and a much bigger metagame for the platform itself,. We will be launching that game before the end of the year.”

Welcoming Web2 developers into crypto gaming

Rust and Solidity are great programming languages for Web3 development. But Freo notes that the vast majority of developers design games using Unity (C++), Javascript, Swift, and others. 

Which is why NEAR’s forthcoming Javascript SDK will be a game changer in making the NEAR ecosystem platforms like OP Games great creative centers for Web2 and Web3 developers alike. 

“A big chunk of these game developers that we’re working with are actually not crypto-native,” says Freo. “Many designers wanted to move into crypto and take advantage of the promise of Web3, but they don’t know exactly where to start.”

“Traditionally, they’re building on open source Web3 game engines that support Javascript and on Unity as well,” he adds. “I think about 80% of games are being built in Unity. “

NEAR’s Javascript SDK will help attract Web3 game developers. But, going forward, that will be only part of the work toward capitalizing on Web3’s democratizing power. To make development even easier, Freo says it’s vital to optimize game development on NEAR using Rust. 

“Within Human Guild, which I’m also part of, we’re trying to invest in a lot of infrastructure to make sure that we’re able to facilitate game development in Rust,” he says. “And on the infrastructure level, NEAR is working to make sure that there is support for all game developers.” 

The post NEAR & Gaming: A Deep Dive into OP Games appeared first on NEAR Protocol.

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Canada to advance global nature conservation and climate action at upcoming United Nations conferences

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1 hour ago

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October 16, 2026

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OTTAWA, ON, Oct. 16, 2026 /CNW/ — In a more uncertain and increasingly unstable world, Canada is stepping up to build a safer and more resilient future. Addressing climate change and biodiversity loss requires ambitious action at home and around the world. By advancing progress on both, Canada will protect nature, build resilient communities, and create lasting prosperity for future generations. International cooperation is key to achieving these goals.

That is why the Honourable Julie Dabrusin, Minister of the Environment, Climate Change and Nature, will lead Canada’s efforts as Head of Delegation at the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17) and the 31st meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP31).

At COP17, Minister Dabrusin and the Honourable Nathalie Provost, Secretary of State (Nature), will work with international partners to accelerate implementation of the Kunming–Montréal Global Biodiversity Framework. From October 19 to 30, 2026, in Yerevan, Armenia, Canada will champion the critical role of Indigenous peoples in conservation and advocate for practical solutions to mobilize global resources for biodiversity finance. Canada will showcase its leadership through two Canadian-led official side events focused on innovative nature finance and the essential role of Indigenous leadership in advancing conservation efforts at home and around the world. The delegation will also take part in strategic bilateral meetings, high-level roundtables, and civil society events to strengthen cooperation, advance solutions, and drive action to halt and reverse biodiversity loss.

From November 9 to 20, 2026, in Antalya, Türkiye, Canada will participate in the 31st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP31). Building on multilateral engagements, including the 10th Ministerial on Climate Action, Canada will continue working with international partners, Indigenous representatives, civil society, youth, and other stakeholders to strengthen the resilience of vulnerable communities; reduce methane emissions; accelerate electrification; and mobilize finance and investments from public and private sources. For the fifth consecutive year, Canada will host a national pavilion at COP31, showcasing Canadian climate leadership and innovation. The Canada Pavilion will serve as a hub for connection and collaboration.

Canada’s international leadership is backed by action at home. To accelerate electrification, Canada is building major clean energy projects across the country, including with the largest clean energy investment in North American history in Churchill Falls. Through A Force of Nature: Canada’s Strategy to Protect Nature and $3.8 billion in investments and funding, Canada is advancing its commitment to conserve 30% of lands and waters by 2030 through strong partnerships and innovative approaches to conservation. Canada recently reinforced this commitment by joining the 30×30 for Nature and People Ministerial Declaration at the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly. Prime Minister, Mark Carney, recently announced a historic investment of $1.2 billion to better protect Canada’s oceans and the life they sustain. This will increase monitoring, strengthen ocean science and ecosystem protections, and improve marine incident prevention and preparedness. These priorities will be a key focus at both upcoming conferences.

Canada’s delegations to COP17 and COP31 will bring together the diverse perspectives from across Canadian society, including Indigenous representatives, civil society, the private sector, youth, and provincial and territorial government representatives. Working with international partners, these delegations help advance practical solutions to protect nature, strengthen resilience, and support sustainable economic prosperity.

Quotes

“Climate change and biodiversity loss are global challenges that no country can solve alone. At COP17 and COP31, Canada will work with partners from around the world to strengthen implementation of the Kunming–Montréal Global Biodiversity Framework and the Paris Agreement and collective efforts to address nature protection and climate change. Through international cooperation, Indigenous leadership, innovative solutions, and a collective commitment to conservation and climate action, we will build a sustainable future for people and nature alike.”
– The Honourable Julie Dabrusin, Minister of the Environment, Climate Change and Nature

“Nature loss is a global challenge that requires countries to work together and turn shared commitments into action. At COP17, Canada will share its experiences in advancing nature finance, including innovative approaches to valuing natural capital and mobilizing private investment for conservation. By exchanging ideas, lessons learned, and practical solutions with international partners, we can accelerate progress toward our global biodiversity goals and recognize nature as a foundation of long-term economic prosperity and resilience.”
– The Honourable Nathalie Provost, Secretary of State (Nature)

Quick facts

As the second largest country in the world, Canada has a vast amount of natural capital, including 24% of the world’s boreal forest, 37% of lakes, 25% of wetlands, and approximately 80,000 species. We have both a responsibility to steward these resources as well as a competitive advantage because of these assets.Canada hosted the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15) in Montréal in 2022, which resulted in the adoption of the Kunming–Montréal Global Biodiversity Framework: an ambitious global plan to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030.Canada supports the Armenian COP17 presidency and its approach to strengthen implementation of the Kunming–Montréal Global Biodiversity Framework toward meeting the Framework’s goals and targets.In September 2026, Canada and China co-chaired the Kunming Dialogue in Kunming, China. The Dialogue was a multilateral working-level meeting to discuss progress and challenges in the implementation of the Framework ahead of COP17.The Canada Pavilion at the United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP) is a key space to show Canadian climate leadership and innovation.Reducing methane emissions remains one of the fastest and most cost-effective ways to limit the rise of near-term global temperatures. Canada serves as co-convenor of the Global Methane Pledge, which counts 159 participating countries and the European Commission, with participants agreeing to take voluntary actions toward a collective goal of reducing global methane emissions at least 30% by 2030 (from 2020 levels).In April 2026, Canada announced a new goal of delivering $13 billion in international climate finance over the next five years.

Associated links

A Force of Nature: Canada’s Strategy to Protect NaturePrime Minister Carney Announces Historic Investment to Protect Canada’s OceansCanada Pavilion at the Conference of the Parties (COP)

Environment and Climate Change Canada’s X page
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Facebook page
Environment and Natural Resources in Canada’s Facebook page
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s LinkedIn page
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Instagram page

SOURCE Environment and Climate Change Canada

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DGEN TECHNOLOGIES (FORMERLY CHINA KELI ELECTRIC COMPANY) COMPLETES ACQUISITION AND NAME CHANGE AND FILES CSE LISTING STATEMENT

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October 16, 2026

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VANCOUVER, BC, Oct. 16, 2026 /CNW/ — DGEN Technologies Corp. (formerly China Keli Electric Company Ltd.) (the “Company”) is pleased to announce that it has completed its previously announced acquisition of DGEN Financial Holdings Corp. (formerly DGEN Technologies Corp.) (“DGEN”) pursuant to a share exchange agreement dated December 9, 2025, as amended on August 17, 2026 (the “SEA”) on October 14, 2026 (the “Transaction”).

Pursuant to the Transaction, the Company acquired all of the issued and outstanding shares of DGEN in exchange for the issuance of an aggregate of 9,550,360 common shares of the Company (“Common Shares”) and 7,000,360 Common Share purchase warrants (“Warrants”) to certain former shareholders of DGEN. Each Warrant entitles the holder to acquire one Common Share at a price of $0.25 until October 14, 2028. As a result of the Transaction, DGEN became a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company. As of the date hereof, the Company has 29,161,364 Common Shares and 7,000,360 Warrants issued and outstanding.

In connection with the completion of the Transaction, the Company changed its name from “China Keli Electric Company Ltd.” to “DGEN Technologies Corp.” and, hereinafter, will carry on the business of DGEN.

Listing Statement

Following the closing of the Transaction, the Company has filed a CSE Form 2A listing statement dated October 14, 2026 (the “Listing Statement”) on SEDAR+ under its profile relating to the Transaction and the proposed CSE listing. Investors are encouraged to review the Listing Statement, which provides detailed information about the Transaction, the Company and its operations.

The Company has received conditional approval to list the Common Shares on the Canadian Securities Exchange (the “CSE”) and has delisted the Common Shares from the TSX Venture Exchange in anticipation of listing on the CSE. The Common Shares are expected to commence trading on the CSE under the symbol “DGEN” on or about October 20, 2026.

Board of Directors and Management

Following completion of the Transaction, the directors and officers of the Company are Cole Goodwin, Chief Executive Officer and Director, Philip Lo, Chief Financial Officer, Corporate Secretary and Director, Sean Webster, Director, and Yee Man Cheung, Director.

Mr. Goodwin is a business executive with over 10 years of experience in alternative and traditional investment markets, financial technology and corporate operations. His experience includes senior management and board roles with publicly traded companies, including as Chief Operating Officer of Hyper Bit Technologies Ltd. Mr. Goodwin provides the Company with strategic and operational oversight in respect of its technology platform, including development and commercialization of payment infrastructure, integration of payment gateways, technology deployment and vendor management.

Escrow

At the time of listing, the Company will have 2,496,000 Common Shares and 1,000,000 Warrants held by related persons subject to escrow pursuant to an escrow agreement dated October 14, 2026 among the escrowed securityholders, the Company and Odyssey Trust Company, as escrow agent, subject to a 36-month release schedule pursuant to National Policy 46-201 – Escrow for Initial Public Offerings.

About DGEN Technologies Corp.

DGEN Technologies Corp. is a Vancouver-based technology company developing a cloud-based payment platform intended to integrate point-of-sale, kiosk and mobile payment systems into a unified and scalable solution. The Company’s platform is currently in beta stage and is operational, but has not yet been commercialized or generated revenue.

The CSE has not reviewed, approved, or disapproved, and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the contents of this news release.

Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains “forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws, including, without limitation, statements with respect to: the expected listing of the Common Shares on the CSE; the satisfaction of any remaining conditions to listing; the business and operations of the Company following completion of the Transaction; the Company’s platform, including its development, commercialization, functionality, market adoption and ability to generate revenue; the Company’s intended business objectives; the escrow arrangements applicable to certain Common Shares and Warrants; and future plans and expectations of the Company. Forward-looking information is based on management’s current expectations, estimates, projections, beliefs and assumptions as of the date of this news release.

Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the possibility that the Common Shares may not commence trading on the CSE when expected or at all; risks relating to the Company’s early stage of development; the fact that the platform is in beta stage, has not yet been commercialized and has not generated revenue; risks associated with development, commercialization and market adoption of the platform; competition from established payment technology providers; reliance on third-party contractors and service providers; additional financing and dilution risks; market volatility; regulatory, compliance, cybersecurity and data privacy risks; risks relating to escrowed securities; and the other risks described in the Listing Statement. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information, which speaks only as of the date of this news release. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE DGEN Technologies Corp.

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ASSA ABLOY sells PKI business unit to Vista Equity Partners

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2 hours ago

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October 16, 2026

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STOCKHOLM, Oct. 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — ASSA ABLOY has signed an agreement to sell HID’s PKI business unit to Vista Equity Partners (“Vista”).

The PKI business unit (Public Key Infrastructure) provides digital trust, identity, authentication, encryption, and certificate management solutions. The business unit includes PKI SaaS – IdenTrust and HydrantID – credential management, and ZeroSSL.

“I find it very satisfying that with Vista, the PKI business unit and its employees and customers gain a committed long-term investor, creating new opportunities for the future and I wish them every success,” says Nico Delvaux, President and CEO of ASSA ABLOY.

“Our PKI team has built a strong business with a strong customer base, and Vista has the expertise to take it forward as the market evolves,” says Björn Lidefelt, EVP and Head of HID. “We are pleased with this outcome for our customers, our employees, and for HID.”

The divested business had sales in 2025 of MUSD 58 (approx. MSEK 570) with a strong operating margin.

The divestiture is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close during the fourth quarter of 2026.

For more information, please contact: 
Nico Delvaux, President and CEO, tel. no: +46 8 506 485 82
Erik Pieder, CFO and Executive Vice President, tel. no: +46 8 506 485 72
Björn Tibell, Head of Investor Relations, tel. no: +46 70 275 67 68, e-mail: bjorn.tibell@assaabloy.com

About ASSA ABLOY
ASSA ABLOY is the global leader in access solutions. Every day we help people feel safe, secure and experience a more open world. We operate worldwide with 64,000 employees and sales of SEK 152 billion, with leading positions in areas such as efficient door openings, trusted identities and entrance automation. Our innovations enable safe, secure and convenient access to physical and digital places.

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/assa-abloy/r/assa-abloy-sells-pki-business-unit-to-vista-equity-partners,c4410007

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