In the fast-evolving crypto world, even experienced veteran teams must continuously iterate and optimize to stay competitive and avoid being overtaken by emerging players. Yuliverse, touted as the Web3 version of Pokémon GO, is not only focused on constructing an alternative reality metaverse but is also expanding its social attributes. The team is set to launch SocialFi features, allowing users to earn rewards through authentic content creation and network contributions, thereby enabling social content monetization.

This article explores Yuliverse in-depth, covering its team background and funding, core products, ecosystem development, tokenomics centered around $YULI, NFT asset structure, project roadmap, and challenges, giving users insight into its future growth potential.

What is Yuliverse?

Yuliverse is a location-based gamified social platform and a metaverse ecosystem parallel to the real world. The team draws inspiration from Pokémon GO and REDnote, utilizing LBS (Location-Based Services) to enhance real-world user interactions and authenticity through gamification. It integrates real user-generated social content—such as posts, likes, and shares—with on-chain incentives to create a sustainable, player-driven open economy.

Source: yuliverse.com

Currently, Yuliverse has launched two core ecosystem products:

1. Yuliverse App: Available on iOS and Android, this app offers a variety of game modes, including card strategy and casual gameplay. It also enables users to earn in-game rewards by staking NFTs and completing tasks.
2. YuliGo Mini-Program: Available on Telegram and web platforms, YuliGo primarily caters to casual users. It features an idle points collection system and a treasure-hunting mode, providing a more straightforward and accessible way to earn rewards.

According to the team, SocialFi features will go live in Q1 2025 and will be integrated into both products to enhance user engagement and social interactions.

The core token of the Yuliverse ecosystem is $YULI, built on the Kaia blockchain. The initial maximum supply of $ YULI is 8 billion tokens. $YULI plays a crucial role in the ecosystem, facilitating content creation incentives, community building, and other key functions.

In addition to $YULI, the team has introduced various ecosystem assets, including:

• In-game currencies: $ARG and $ART
• YuliGo rewards points: GO points and CP points
• NFT collections: YuliGen1, Gen2, and OG404

Team Background and Funding

Founded in 2022, Yuliverse is primarily based in Hong Kong and Malaysia.

The Founder and CEO, Chris Fung, is a seasoned gamer who has achieved the global #1 ranking in Hearthstone more than ten times. In addition to his gaming expertise, he has eight years of professional experience in investment banking, with a strong background in IPOs, financial advisory, and operations. The Co-founder and CTO, Ben, was previously the head of a Web2 AI lab and has extensive experience in artificial intelligence, image processing, VR/AR, data mining, and location-based services (LBS) technologies. He has developed multiple AI applications that have each attracted millions of users.

Yuliverse has completed two rounds of financing. In April 2023, the company secured seed funding led by Lingfeng Innovation Fund (LIF), with participation from TKX Capital, Hummingbird Ventures, K24 Ventures, and Animoca Ventures. However, the exact amount was not disclosed. In June 2024, Yuliverse raised $4 million in a Pre-A round, once again led by LIF, with additional investment from DWF Labs, Titans Ventures, Ultiverse, CSP DAO, Presto, and HC Capital.

Core Products and Mechanisms

Yuliverse Game Application

Launched in 2023, the Yuliverse App quickly gained significant traction, ranking among Japan’s top three blockchain games and attracting hundreds of thousands of users. As of February 18, the Yuliverse Discord community had approximately 260,000 members, its Telegram community exceeded 2.4 million users, and its X (formerly Twitter) account had over 920,000 followers. Additionally, Yuliverse has partnered with more than 70 global merchants, facilitating over 5,000 successful redemptions.

Source: Yuliverse App

Inspired by Pokémon GO, Yuliverse introduces a variety of gameplay modes:

• In Single-Player Mode, users explore a virtual world and complete missions such as collecting Stardust and purifying ley lines. These tasks reward players with in-game currencies $ARG and $ART, as well as items that enhance character abilities.
• For users who prefer passive income generation, the Casual Mode offers an automated resource collection system, maximizing in-game earnings. However, participation requires purchasing a roaming pass from the official website.
• To enhance competitive and strategic gameplay, Card Strategy Mode includes both PvE and PvP battles, providing an interactive experience that tests users’ tactical skills.

YuliGo Mini-App

YuliGo is available on Telegram via @YuliGoBot and as a web-based application, offering a simple and intuitive gateway into Yuliverse and the Web3 ecosystem.

Source: @YuliGoBot

In YuliGo, users can earn Go Points by completing various tasks, including social activities, partner missions, and friend invitations. These points are the foundation for progression and rewards within the YuliGo ecosystem. Users can upgrade skills such as running, strength, and breathing to accelerate point accumulation. Higher skill levels unlock better equipment, including shoes, Moonring rings, gloves, and clothing, enhancing gameplay performance. Additionally, users can participate in regional treasure hunts, where the top three players in each region (based on treasure markers collected weekly) receive a Go Point acceleration buff. All equipment obtained can be activated for personal use or sold in the marketplace, allowing users to monetize their in-game assets.

SocialFi Mechanism

Yuliverse is set to introduce SocialFi features in Q1 2025 through a major update to both the Yuliverse App and YuliGo. This new functionality will allow users to explore food, travel, and entertainment experiences via map-based navigation, fostering a more immersive and interactive social experience. Additionally, users will be rewarded with tokens for posting, liking, sharing, and commenting, fundamentally redefining the value creation and distribution of social media platforms.

SocialFi features, Source: Yuliverse

Yuliverse’s social content features are designed for three primary user groups:

• General Users – The platform primarily aims at Web3-native users, leveraging Telegram and Line to tap into a massive user base. These users can engage in authentic social interactions while earning token rewards through actions like liking, commenting, and sharing.
• Content Creators – Creators can monetize their content by earning tokens for their contributions. Each post can be “double-tap” minted into an NFT, introducing a new content monetization model that is expected to attract influencers, KOLs, and artists, providing them with sustainable income streams.
• Local Businesses & Organizations – Merchants looking to transform their businesses digitally can use on-chain incentives to acquire customers at a lower cost. They can enhance brand visibility and engagement by integrating their offerings into the Yuliverse ecosystem.

Yuliverse will incorporate AI-powered personalized content recommendations and AI agent functionalities to align with current AI-driven trends to facilitate content sharing and transactions. Additionally, the platform is actively exploring partnerships with broader Web3 ecosystems, including Kaia, Farcaster, and Lens Protocol, to enhance user interaction capabilities and further expand its user base.

$YULI-Centric Token Economy

Yuliverse has designed a complex and multi-layered economic system, with $YULI as the core token. This token is key in gaming, ecosystem incentives, and governance. Additionally, the platform introduces reward currencies and point systems tailored for both the gaming ecosystem and YuliGo, ensuring flexibility and clarity in the overall economic model.

1) $YULI – With a maximum initial supply of 8 billion, $YULI is issued on the Kaia blockchain. Its distribution and vesting schedule are as follows:

• X-to-Earn (30%) – Distributed as in-game rewards (Move-to-Earn, Social-to-Earn, etc.), unlocking over 63 months.
• Ecosystem Development (20%) – Allocated for marketing, community initiatives, and strategic investments, with 10% unlocked at TGE and the remainder vested over 36 months.
• Treasury (15%) – Reserved for liquidity, with 30% unlocked at TGE and the remainder vested over 28 months.
• Private Sale (17%) – 4% unlocked after two months, followed by a four-month lock-up and monthly vesting over 12 months.
• Advisors (3%) – Locked for six months, then vested over 30 months.
• Team (15%) – Locked for six months, then vested over 50 months.

$YULI serves multiple functions within the Yuliverse ecosystem:

• Game Economy – Used for NFT rebirth, breeding, and upgrades. A deflationary mechanism is in place, where a portion of spent $YULI is burned to reduce the overall supply, while another portion is allocated to the community treasury.
• Content Incentives – With the upcoming SocialFi launch, $YULI will be used to reward social engagement, as well as fund advertising and promotional campaigns.
• Ecosystem Growth – Funds in the community treasury will be redistributed based on actual needs, ensuring the long-term sustainability of the ecosystem.
• Merchant Payments – Future plans include allowing merchants to accept $YULI as a payment method within the Yuliverse ecosystem.

2) $ARG / $ART – Currently exclusive to Yuliverse’s gaming ecosystem, these tokens serve distinct purposes:

• $ARG – Used for purchasing in-game items, character upgrades, and other functionalities.
• $ART – Can be converted to $YULI at a 1:1 ratio. This conversion feature is already live.

3）Go/CP Points – These reward points are exclusive to the YuliGo mini-app:

• Go Points – Earned by completing tasks and referrals, used for character upgrades.
• CP Points – Obtained via location-based treasure hunts (check-ins).

Both Go and CP Points hold $YULI airdrop weight, serving as long-term incentives for active YuliGo participants.

NFT Asset Ecosystem

Yuliverse has released several NFT collections, with 1.0, 2.0, and OG404 as its core series. The 1.0 and 2.0 NFTs represent in-game characters, differing in attributes, rarity, levels, and EXP mechanics. Meanwhile, OG404 NFTs are hybrid tokens based on the DN404 standard, designed as a tribute to Web3 OG culture.

Yuliverse NFT collections, Source: marketplace.yuliverse.com

Owning any of these three NFTs unlocks various benefits, but the hierarchy of advantages is as follows: OG404 NFT > 2.0 NFT > 1.0 NFT.

• 1.0 NFT – Can be obtained via direct purchase or mystery boxes. Higher-level NFTs possess greater abilities. There is no supply cap, as players fully control circulation. Holding a 1.0 NFT grants access to exclusive game modes, in-game resources, and special items.
• 2.0 NFT – An upgraded (rebirthed) version of 1.0 NFTs. To mint a 2.0 NFT, players must burn a max-level (Level 50) 1.0 NFT and a special mystery box. Compared to 1.0 NFTs, 2.0 NFTs provide stronger abilities, higher rewards, and additional gameplay features.
• OG404 NFT – Limited to a total supply of 1,000, obtainable through OG NFT conversions and whitelist minting. OG404 holders receive premium benefits, including $YULI airdrops, in-game advantages, DeFi staking opportunities, and exclusive merchandise for offline events.

OG404 NFT, Source: element.market

Yuliverse NFTs primarily function within the gaming ecosystem, enhancing the overall player experience while providing monetization opportunities. To facilitate seamless transactions, Yuliverse has launched an official NFT marketplace, which also supports selling in-game assets, such as passcards, crystals, and EXP material packs.

Future Roadmap & Challenges

Yuliverse is currently focusing on developing its SocialFi features, which are expected to launch in Q1 2025. The initial rollout will prioritize key Asian markets, including Seoul, Ho Chi Minh City, Bangkok, Singapore, Dubai, and Hong Kong.

Yuliverse plans to leverage Telegram and Line for user acquisition via airdrop campaigns to accelerate adoption, reaching a broader audience. Additionally, the team aims to onboard more influencers, content creators, and community ambassadors, fostering a diverse and engaged community. The ultimate goal is to expand the user base to over 3 million by 2025.

However, the project faces several challenges as it scales. Airdrop incentives can attract many users in the short term, but sustaining long-term community engagement and user loyalty remains a critical hurdle. The team must find effective strategies to convert initial hype into lasting user retention.

Yuliverse’s complex economic model also presents challenges. Balancing supply and demand across different token mechanisms will directly impact the ecosystem’s efficiency and value sustainability. In particular, the team needs to regularly analyze economic data—such as token circulation, player retention, and in-game asset price fluctuations—and adjust economic parameters accordingly to prevent potential market imbalances.

Additionally, community governance remains underdeveloped. Establishing a clear governance framework, rules, and implementation strategy is crucial to ensuring effective user participation in decision-making. A well-structured governance model will be essential in shaping Yuliverse’s long-term growth and fostering a self-sustaining ecosystem.

Conclusion

Yuliverse is the Web3 version of Pokémon GO and REDnote. It integrates LBS mechanisms, gamified social content, and on-chain incentives to create an open and fair consumer behavior network. The platform aims to provide users with an innovative and immersive social interaction experience.

At the same time, the team must continue investing in community building, user incentives, and governance, ensuring that the ecosystem remains engaging and sustainable. Yuliverse can further enhance the user experience and drive long-term ecosystem growth by actively adapting product features and development strategies based on market feedback.