We're excited to share a comprehensive update on Neon Link's recent achievements and future plans. Our ground-breaking web3 gaming ecosystem has been in development for over a year, and we're thrilled to share our progress with you in our first progress report.

Unveiling Neon Link to the World

We kicked off the first quarter of 2023 with significant news and developments in the Neon Link ecosystem as we introduced Neon Link to the world, primarily through Twitter in mid-January. This activation garnered significant early-stage awareness in the web3 space.

Relentless Development & Iteration

Our team of 50+ professionals have been working tirelessly to reach our ambitious milestones. In Q1 2023, we launched our EVM-compatible blockchain network's permanent testnet and mainnet, as well as conducted internal testing on v1 ecosystem products, including a decentralised Wallet (currently available on the Google store), Decentralised Exchange, Marketplace, Bridge, and Neon Gaming ID. This rigorous testing and iteration process ensures the delivery of top-quality products.

We've also been continuously developing other notable products we’ve already made public, such as Neon Realm (previously Neon Saga), Neon Punks Arcade and our SDK. Additionally, we're researching and developing other products that we will share information about when appropriate.

Ascend the End

Towards the end of the quarter, we kicked off the Closed Alpha phase for Ascend the End, the flagship 3rd person shooter game launching on Neon Link this year. This involved a small and exclusive list of content creators and gamers trying out the early build of the game, providing invaluable feedback from our target audience.

We also released a LitePaper on Gitbook for this game - you can check that out by clicking here. Please note that it is in Alpha and only 1 year in development, things are subject and should be expected to change. You can also check gameplay footage of Ascend the End by heading over to our YouTube channel.

Presale

Our vibrant community enjoyed an early chance to acquire NEON from mid-Feb to mid-March. NEON is a coin that serves as the central unit of value and method of exchange in our web3 gaming-focused blockchain ecosystem.

Throughout the pre-sale period, more than 13.6 million NEON were purchased at a price of $0.06 per coin. This enabled over 1,000 Neonites to become early adopters, granting them access to the Neon Link ecosystem upon its launch later this year. This includes using NEON for Validator requirements, staking, governance and playing the amazing games that our ecosystem will offer. It is worth noting that we provided all these early adopters with bonus NEON, bringing the average price per coin between 0.045-0.05.

The pre-sale event successfully generated over $800,000 in ETH and USDT, which will be utilised to accelerate development plans for the Neon Link ecosystem. This result significantly exceeded our $500,000 soft cap target. The enthusiastic participation of our community in the pre-sale has laid a strong foundation for the future of our gaming-focused blockchain ecosystem. We look forward to delivering a robust and engaging web3 gaming ecosystem for all Neonites to enjoy.

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The Rise of Neon Link: Q2 Plans and Highlights

The second quarter of 2023 marks a pivotal moment for Neon Link, as we work to establish our platform as the go-to destination for both gamers and developers in the web3 gaming space. This doesn’t happen overnight or in a quarter, considering the industry itself is also early stage. However, we’re ready to expand the Neon Link ecosystem and make our mark. We're setting our sights on a soft launch of the Neon Link ecosystem in early Q3 (July) 2023.

Key events and developments for this quarter include (in no specific order):

Revamped Website & Assets:

As we transition to a launched ecosystem, the website and other assets (such as Neon Link's whitepaper, roadmap and developer documentation) will be optimised and updated accordingly. Websites for specific products will also be revamped and launched, alongside strategies for the nuanced audiences of each brand.

‍Operation <Break_Me> Testnet Campaign:

Starting in May, we're kickstarting a testnet campaign in the run-up to our Q3 Mainnet Alpha launch. Active testnet participants will earn loyalty points convertible to NEON coins at the campaign's conclusion. The objective of this campaign is to provide an incentive for people to try out the network, while also allowing us to stress-test get feedback on it. More details around this campaign will be released in the next few days.

EVM Crawl:

In line with our vision for an omnichain and interoperable vision for the future of the blockchain industry, we will be offering community members an opportunity to purchase NEON wrapped on Binance Smart Chain (BSC), Polygon, and Arbitrum. This allows early adopters to buy NEON coins for use within the ecosystem or on these EVM chains, while avoiding Ethereum's gas fees. It also provides new Neonites with an interim opportunity of purchasing NEON ahead of the public sale in the coming months.

The EVM crawl will take place mid-May as a limited time interim community access event ahead of the public sale. There will only be a limited amount of NEON for sale across these 3 chains for a short period of time. We will be releasing an article with details of this event soon, alongside insights into what to expect for the public sale in the coming months.

Ascend the End Beta:

Following our Closed Alpha phase launch in Q1, we'll be entering the Beta phase for the flagship 3rd person shooter game imminently. This will involve increasing the number of players with access to the game alongside more modes and features being deployed, as we work on the games user retention and replay value.

Neon Realm:

Previously known as Neon Saga, our tactical card game is undergoing the final stages of a rebranding process. We expect the Closed Alpha phase for this game to begin toward the end of this quarter or early Q3. Make sure to follow Neon Realm on Twitter for updates. We will also be releasing a Lite Paper for this exciting game in May.

Neon Punks Mint:

The mint for the Genesis Neon Punk collection is slated for May/June (end of the quarter). These seminal Neon Punks will have deep integration across the Neon Link ecosystem, particularly the Neon Punk Arcade and Neon Gaming ID and social ecosystem. Whitelisted users will guarantee themselves a Level 1 Neon Punk. The only way to obtain a WL spot currently is to participate in our 1000 WL spot giveaway, powered by Galxe. Click here for more info on this.

Public Sale:

As we approach the end of the quarter and Mainnet Alpha launch, the NEON public sale will offer Neonites the opportunity to purchase NEON in the network's early phase. This will take place across multiple venues, including our own site and launchpads (centralised and decentralised).

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Igniting the #NEONSummer

Around July this year, NEON’s “token generation event” will have taken place (15 July claim date). Those that have purchased NEON will have access to their coins. This is in line with the launch of Neon’s mainnet alpha launch. As we transition to launching our mainnet, we encourage our community to try out different applications in the ecosystem. By being an early active user and providing feedback, you will be best positioned to be eligible for community reward allocations. 

Our initial sales (presale, EVM crawl, and public sale) will inject NEON into a burgeoning web3 gaming ecosystem while we gear up for an action-packed year with our games progressing through their respective 3 Phase launch strategies (alpha, beta, and full launch). At the same time, we're launching various other products that are more-or-less developed and going through iterative cycles of optimisation. Make sure to check out our White Paper v1.1 on Gitbook for more information about Neon Link and the web3 gaming ecosystem we're building.

To wrap up this comprehensive update, we encourage you to stay tuned for more exciting developments in the coming months. We remain committed to rewarding our early users as we collectively shape the future of web3 gaming with Neon Link.

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