India has emerged as the largest source of content creators for The Sandbox, a leading metaverse platform, according to co-founder Sebastien Borget. The number of Indian creators on the platform has doubled to 66,000, surpassing the United States, which has 59,989 creators, and Brazil with 25,335.
The significant growth follows The Sandbox’s strategic focus on India, announced in December. The platform now aims to reach one million users in the country within the next two years. “India became the No. 1 overall across all countries … thanks to all the different boot camps and education programs that we’ve run on the ground, either directly with BharatBox or with some of our partners, like CoinDCX,” Borget told CoinDesk in an interview.
BharatBox, The Sandbox’s Indian venture partially backed by CoinDCX a prominent Indian crypto exchange with around 16 million users has been instrumental in this expansion. Initially capitalized with $1 million, BharatBox plans to deploy an additional $200,000 by the fourth quarter, according to BharatBox CEO Karan Keswani. The venture is designed to be self-sufficient and autonomous, capable of generating its own revenue, Borget noted.
“We’ve proven that India is not just the tech workforce of the world,” Borget said. “We’ve shown that blockchain projects can be successful by introducing development in blockchain but also in the content and entertainment side.”
The Sandbox has also made successful inroads into India’s cinema industry. A collection of 1,060 avatars inspired by the popular Indian film Jab We Met sold out within two weeks, indicating strong local interest, Keswani reported.
Outlook on the Web3 Market
Addressing the broader Web3 landscape, Borget commented, “I think we are still not in the bull market.” He noted that while there has been a rise in institutional interest partly due to the approval of spot-crypto exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in the U.S. this hasn’t yet translated into widespread user adoption. “It’s not retail investors using their savings to put into crypto,” he explained.
Despite this, Borget remains optimistic about the future of Web3 adoption, citing the emergence of higher-quality new games and the expansive distribution networks of messaging services like Telegram.
Balancing Privacy and Security
Borget also touched on the importance of balancing user privacy with regulatory compliance. “Privacy is a fundamental right, but if an application is being used to commit serious crimes, we cannot be neutral and not help the authorities,” he said.
Continued Commitment to Growth
With its focus on education and localized content, The Sandbox aims to further strengthen its presence in India. The platform’s success in the country serves as a blueprint for expanding into other emerging markets with a strong pool of creative talent.
