BIZ BUZZ: CRETA set to conquer PH market

Veritable legends in the global gaming market have descended on Manila to launch the next-generation gaming entertainment platform CRETA World.

What’s more exciting is that the CRETA token will be listed on local cryptocurrency exchange Coins.ph next week, to be followed by the listing on the Philippine Digital Asset Exchange.

CRETA executives in town are Thomas Vu, creator of global phenomenon League of Legends and Netflix’s Arcane series; Sang Youn Lee, founder of Phantagram Limited; Seokho Yoon, lead developer of iconic game Fortress; and Ray Eiichiro Nakazato, who worked on projects such as Relics, Sim Earth and Evil Within.

The groundbreaking collaboration is expected to usher in the next era of digital entertainment and interactive media, the parties said.

CRETA, headquartered in Dubai, UAE, is said to combine the best aspects of video games, social media, content creation, and blockchain technologies into a seamless metaverse experience.

“This strategic integration aims to facilitate seamless transactions within the CRETA ecosystem, enhancing accessibility and usability for gamers and developers alike,” says Vu, who was among those who chose Manila as the launchpad of this huge project. —Tina Arceo-Dumlao

IPOPHL taps the power of comics in fight against piracy

The government’s intellectual property rights body has turned to using comics in its bid to combat and raise awareness on piracy in the country, joining forces with popular comics author Manix Abrera to put a spotlight on the billion-peso illicit trade.

The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL), along with the National Book Development Board (NBDB), said it was widening access to Abrera’s “Pirated Inferno” comic book.

“I hope that ‘Pirated Inferno’ will inspire us all to take action and stand against piracy by championing the value of creative work,” IPOPHL Deputy Director General and Officer in Charge Nathaniel Arevalo said in a statement.

The 15-page comic book uses humor to portray piracy as evil, presenting funny what-if situations in the afterlife on what happens to people who engage in these activities.

The digital comic book can be accessed at the IPOPHL website through this link: https://www.ipophil.gov.ph/national-committee-on-intellectual-property-rights-ncipr/pirated-inferno-anti-piracy-comic-book/

IPOPHL and NBDB will also distribute physical copies of the comics to various stakeholders in future youth-targeted events, while Abrera will be doing the same at the Philippine International Comics Festival in July and the Manila International Book Fair in September. —Alden M. Monzon