Epik Powers a New Virtual Fashion Collection With a Smile

The Smiley Company Launches Exclusive Digital Designs on Ready Games’ Icon App

NEW YORK, April 28, 2022–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Today, Epik bridges the gap between real-world brands and digital ecosystems by connecting Ready Games, the leading distributed web3 gaming ecosystem on mobile, and Smiley Company, the lifestyle brand and original creator of the iconic smiling emoticon now celebrating its 50^th anniversary.

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Epik collaborates with Smiley to create virtual fashion pieces for Ready Games’ app ICON Avatar Fashion Universe. (Graphic: Business Wire)

In honor of Smiley’s half-century, the brands have launched a bespoke virtual fashion line of SmileyWorld branded merchandise for Ready Games’ app, ‘ICON Avatar Fashion Universe’. In the app, players can now choose up to 21 unique SmileyWorld pieces to add to their avatars’ virtual fashion closets.

“Ready’s innovative NFT technology provides brands and creators the opportunity to elevate fashion collections in the digital space,” says Christina Macedo, COO of Ready Games. “Our vision is for players to be able to express themselves through clothing and in-game accessories. Smiley’s iconic symbol of universal happiness is the perfect fit for our first animated and textured NFT fashion collection. The whole collection feels fresh, playful, and wonderfully iridescent – truly brilliant!”

“Launching a collection of SmileyWorld virtual fashions with Ready Games is an exciting leap into the metaverse for The Smiley Company,” says Lori Heiss-Tiplady SVP of Digital at The Smiley Company. “The ICON app is the perfect launching pad for digital fashions from our lifestyle brand born in the digital universe and built on self-expression. The animated patterns and avatars made possible by Ready’s ground-breaking technology will allow users to express their moods in a bold new way with SmileyWorld.”

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ABOUT READY GAMES

Founded in 2016, Ready builds the mobile-first tools and technologies to democratize access to game creation – powering over 3000+ games and supporting over 2 million creators. In 2021, the company expanded its portfolio to support web3 mobile gaming and NFT creator tools with its Ready Games Network and $AURA token. To learn more about The Ready Games, please visit ready.gg.

ABOUT SMILEYWORLD

For the past 50 years, Smiley has embraced positivity, creativity, and collaboration, inspiring forward-facing optimism around the world. Born as a symbol for good news in the newspaper France Soir in 1972, Smiley is now a universally recognized TOP 100 global licensing company registered in over 100 countries.

The Smiley Company helped to create a new universal language in the late ‘90s, launching the “Smiley Dictionary” — a list of Smileys which transformed ASCII emoticons into something understandable to all. Smiley’s emotions have gone on to have an essential place in our society today, helping kids learn about themselves and their emotions (emotional intelligence). This became the starting point for how we use Smileys in technology and influenced the digital language we now use every day. Giving us a way to tell each other how we are feeling in a shorthand that is not easily expressed through traditional dialects. Smileys helped revolutionize technology, instigating a digital trend that now sees billions of them sent every day. Their legacy was a new brand made up entirely of thousands of expressive emotions, and by turning this innovation into an artform, SmileyWorld continues to create engaging products and promotions for market-leading partners that provide a unique platform for self-pression. smiley.com

ABOUT EPIK

With more than 300 video game clients, Epik is the leading global licensing agency putting brands into video games to produce premium digital items and experiences for over one billion gamers worldwide with the largest digital ecosystem of hundreds of the world’s most popular entertainment brands. Epik is widely considered to be the blockchain industry leader producing collaborations for premium licensed digital collectables, NFTs and exclusive experiences powered by an interoperable proprietary cross-chain technology. Clients include ViacomCBS, Warner Music, Garena, Tencent and Universal. https://www.epik.gg

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Contacts

Sami-Jo Perruzza | Ready Makers Inc | [email protected] | Ready.gg

Alex Gold | Bob Gold & Associates | [email protected]