The Sandbox

What The Sandbox does

The Sandbox is a blockchain-based decentralized metaverse platform that enables users to create, own, and monetize voxel-based games and digital assets. Founded in 2012 and headquartered legally in St. Julians, Malta (TSB Gaming Limited), The Sandbox operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Animoca Brands (HKSE: 2662) and maintains operational subsidiaries across the US, UK, Germany, France, Canada, South Korea, Uruguay, Argentina, and Cayman Islands. The core platform comprises Game Maker (a visual scripting tool for building interactive experiences), VoxEdit (a voxel 3D asset creation tool), and the newer The Sandbox Studio (an AI game engine that generates playable games from text prompts, integrated with Claude Code, Cursor, and OpenAI Codex). Underlying infrastructure runs on Ethereum and Polygon (post-zkEVM migration) with the SAND utility token powering transactions, staking, and governance.

The platform monetizes through marketplace transaction fees on secondary NFT sales, primary LAND parcel sales, and Premium NFT drops featuring licensed IP from 400+ brand and IP partners including Warner Music Group, Gucci, Ubisoft, Atari, Jurassic World, and The Terminator. Distribution spans web browser (with no-download play introduced in Season 7, Feb 2026), iOS and Android mobile apps (40 million historical downloads), and planned Telegram and Steam channels. The Sandbox NEXT, a multiplayer extraction-and-survival mobile game built on Unreal Engine, represents a strategic genre and platform expansion beyond the historical voxel-metaverse core.

The company serves three primary customer segments: Web3 gamers and NFT collectors playing experiences and trading assets; creators and indie developers using Game Maker, VoxEdit, and Studio to build and monetize games; and brands/IP holders seeking Web3 distribution for digital collectibles and virtual experiences. GTM is primarily product-led and community-led, driven by Discord engagement, Game Jams with SAND reward pools, and recurring seasonal events. Total disclosed funding is approximately $113 million ($93M Series B from SoftBank Vision Fund 2 in November 2021 plus a $20M round in June 2024), with standalone revenue not publicly disclosed.

Name

The Sandbox

Legal name

TSB Gaming Ltd

Website

https://sandbox.game

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Sandbox is a blockchain-based metaverse platform enabling creators, gamers, and brands to build, own, and monetize voxel-based games and digital assets through its Game Maker, VoxEdit, and AI-powered Studio tools, NFT marketplace, and SAND token economy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Blockchain Gaming / Metaverse Platform

NAICS

Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (5182)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Security & Commodity Brokers, Dealers, Exchanges & Services (6200)

akta.pro primary industry

Blockchain Game Studios & Game Development (FSAPAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Web3/Blockchain Game Studios (MPAFAAAO), On-Chain Game Engines & Developer Tooling (SDKs, APIs, Unity/Unreal plugins) (FSAPAGAB), In-Game Asset Standards & Infrastructure (NFT items, marketplaces, royalties, asset registries) (FSAPAGAE), Digital Game Marketplaces & Item Economies (NFT/Skins/Trading) (BPAMAKAJ)

Keywords

• Decentralized metaverse platform
• Blockchain gaming tools
• Voxel game creation
• NFT digital assets
• User-generated content

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Marketplace Transaction Fees: Each sales transaction in The Sandbox marketplace is subject to a fee payable by the purchaser to The Sandbox. Revenue generated from secondary market trading of Assets and Games.
2. LAND Sales: Primary sales of virtual LAND parcels within The Sandbox metaverse for users to build experiences and games upon.
3. Premium NFT Sales: Sales of Premium NFTs containing exclusive content licensed from third-party IP partners such as Atari, The Terminator, Jurassic World, and others.
4. Premium NFT Transaction Fees: Marketplace fees on secondary sales of Premium NFTs, with ownership mediated entirely by the Ethereum Network.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Sandbox develops a decentralized metaverse platform that enables users to create, own, and monetize voxel-based virtual worlds and digital game assets. Its core products include The Sandbox Studio (an AI game engine), Game Maker (visual scripting tool), VoxEdit (3D asset creator), The Sandbox NEXT (mobile game), LAND virtual parcels, SAND token, Premium NFTs, and an NFT Marketplace, with transactions settled on Ethereum and Polygon blockchains.

Product overview

The Sandbox is a decentralized metaverse platform organized as a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core offering consists of The Sandbox Platform for creating, trading, and monetizing voxel-based virtual worlds and assets, supported by two primary creation tools: The Sandbox Game Maker (for visual scripting and game publishing) and VoxEdit (for 3D asset creation). The flagship innovation is The Sandbox Studio, an AI-powered game engine that generates playable games from text prompts, marking a significant evolution from manual creation to AI-assisted development. Supporting infrastructure includes LAND (virtual land parcels for hosting experiences), SAND Token (native cryptocurrency), Premium NFTs (IP-licensed digital collectibles), and The Sandbox Marketplace (peer-to-peer NFT trading). The ecosystem is expanding with The Sandbox NEXT (mobile game on Unreal Engine) and periodic seasonal events with game jams. Users range from individual creators using free Game Maker and VoxEdit tools to brands licensing Premium NFTs. The platform is a subsidiary of Animoca Brands and operates on Ethereum and Polygon blockchain networks.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Sandbox Studio: AI game engine built for the next generation of creators, enabling users to build games from prompts with AI-native workflows.
• The Sandbox NEXT
• The Sandbox Joshua Tree Artist Residency

Products and services

• The Sandbox Studio AI game engine that generates playable games from text prompts, enabling creators to build, iterate, test, and distribute games across web, mobile, and desktop platforms. Designed for AI-native workflows with integration to Claude Code, Cursor, and OpenAI Codex.
• The Sandbox Platform Decentralized metaverse platform for building, owning, and trading voxel-based virtual worlds and digital game assets. Allows users to create, buy, transfer, and trade unique digital game assets (Assets), purchase LAND parcels, and publish games.
• The Sandbox Game Maker Visual scripting tool used to create interactive experiences and publish games on LAND parcels within The Sandbox metaverse. Used with voxel assets created in VoxEdit.
• VoxEdit Tool for creating voxel-based 3D assets (animations and models) used within The Sandbox. Assets are created and then imported into Game Maker for game creation.
• The Sandbox NEXT Multiplayer extraction and survival mobile game built on Unreal Engine. Features carryover of identity, progression, and voxel assets from the existing platform, marking a strategic expansion from Unity to mobile gaming.
• LAND Virtual land parcels within The Sandbox metaverse that users can purchase, edit, and publish games on. LAND owners can customize metadata including title, description, URL link, preview image, and logo.
• SAND Token The Sandbox's native cryptocurrency token used within the platform ecosystem for transactions, staking, and governance participation.
• Premium NFTs Premium digital assets containing exclusive content licensed from third-party IP partners (e.g., Atari, The Terminator, Jurassic World). Each has defined attributes including scarcity. Ownership mediated by the Ethereum Network.
• The Sandbox Marketplace NFT marketplace for buying, selling, and trading digital assets (Assets, LAND, Games) created or published on The Sandbox platform. Transactions conducted via Ethereum or Polygon networks, with each sales transaction subject to a fee payable to The Sandbox.
• Game Events and Seasons Seasonal events featuring user-created experiences, game jams with prize pools in SAND and LAND, and partnership events with brands like Smiley Company, Jurassic World, and Chupa Chups.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40 million historical mobile downloads
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

AI capability4 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• QED (Romanian Software Company)coreTechnology or Integration · 30 January 2025The Sandbox acquired Romanian software development company QED and established The Sandbox Romania. The integration aims to enhance The Sandbox platform's technical capabilities and support its global expansion.
• Adrian Cheng (Hong Kong Real Estate CEO)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 December 2021Adrian Cheng, Hong Kong real estate CEO, invested in The Sandbox by acquiring digital land to develop a virtual innovation hub featuring startups and NFTs related to Greater Bay Area businesses, leveraging blockchain technology.
• Blockchain Game Alliance (BGA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Sandbox is a member of the Blockchain Game Alliance alongside Ubisoft, Animoca Brands, and Polygon. The BGA has over 350 member companies and defines blockchain gaming standards for interoperability, asset ownership, player identity, and cross-game economics.
• PolygoncoreTechnology or IntegrationPolygon is a blockchain infrastructure partner enabling The Sandbox's operations through its Layer 2 scaling solutions, contributing to the platform's zkEVM migration that reduced gas fees.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Decentraland: Decentraland operates a decentralized virtual world built on Ethereum with LAND parcels, MANA token, and a marketplace — the closest direct competitor to The Sandbox on metaverse mechanics, token model, and user-generated content focus.
• Axie Infinity: Axie Infinity is a blockchain-native game economy with NFT-based creatures, play-to-earn mechanics, and a marketplace — comparable to The Sandbox as a flagship Web3 gaming platform with token-driven economies.
• Immutable: Immutable provides blockchain gaming infrastructure (Immutable zkEVM, Immutable X) and a marketplace for NFT games. Comparable to The Sandbox as a Web3 gaming infrastructure and marketplace layer, with overlap on studio partnerships.
• Gala Games: Gala Games runs a network of blockchain-based games using the GALA token, with NFT assets and a creator-led model — closely comparable to The Sandbox's Web3 gaming, NFT, and token economics.
• Enjin: Enjin builds blockchain-based NFT gaming infrastructure, including the Efinity network and tools for in-game asset tokenization — directly comparable to The Sandbox on NFT asset infrastructure for games.
• WAX (Worldwide Asset eXchange): WAX is a blockchain purpose-built for NFTs and virtual goods, hosting gaming collectibles and marketplaces. Comparable to The Sandbox as a gaming-focused NFT marketplace and infrastructure provider.

Broad incumbents

• Roblox: Roblox is the dominant user-generated content gaming platform with a mature creator economy (Robux). It is a broader incumbent whose success in monetizing UGC sets the benchmark The Sandbox's creator tools must beat.

Emerging players

• Mythical Games: Mythical Games develops AAA blockchain games (e.g., NFL Rivals, Blankos Block Party) with ownable NFTs and a player-driven economy — an emerging player with partial overlap in branded NFT gaming experiences.

Others

• OpenSea: OpenSea is the largest general-purpose NFT marketplace. While not a direct competitor on gaming worlds, it serves as the dominant off-platform liquidity venue for NFTs that may otherwise trade inside The Sandbox marketplace.
• Polygon Labs: Polygon provides the Layer 2 (zkEVM) infrastructure that powers The Sandbox's reduced-fee transactions. Not a competitor but a key enabling partner whose roadmap directly shapes The Sandbox's user economics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/thesandboxgame
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCzv1t7voB-bxMmXLysT4h0w?sub_confirmation=1
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheSandboxGame
• Instagraminstagram.com/thesandboxgame
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thesandbox-game

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors27 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A3 records

Investments15 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Sandbox