2017 was nearing its end. The Sandbox had lived up to its potential as a 2D world-building mobile game, attracting new players year after year. Yet, Sebastian Borget wasn’t satisfied. He wanted it to evolve, to grow into something that would have its rightful place in the new world Web3 was creating.
The French entrepreneur has been a vocal supporter of blockchain technology and decentralization since 2014. But it wasn’t until he created his first CryptoKitty with his lifelong business partner and friend Arthur Madrid that Sebastian realized the tech’s true potential.
Fresh from the adrenaline of playing one of the first blockchain-powered video games, he and Arthur concocted a blueprint for transitioning their already successful mobile game into a bonafide decentralized Metaverse.
Fast forward to 2024, and Sebastian Borget is the COO (Chief Operating Officer) of The Sandbox, the company that created the world’s biggest decentralized virtual gaming platform.
Here, every player is a creator. They can build, own, and monetize their own virtual experience and assets using NFTs and $SAND, the platform’s utility cryptocurrency token. This made Borget one of the key figures responsible for transforming the landscape of the entire video game industry. It is a true example of how dedication, adaptability, and hard work can help you reach the highest echelons of success.
Early Life and Education
Sebastien Borget was born in Paris, France. He developed a keen interest in gaming and tech from a very young age. He completed his Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science at Telecom SudParis, one of France’s best engineering and tech schools.
A short while later, he moved to Hong Kong to further his academic education. He firmly believed in the role of education in building a career. In 2006, he completed his Master’s degree in Computer System Networking and Telecommunications from the Chinese University in Hong Kong.
He also worked as an intern for Motorola between 2004 and 2005, his graduate degree. With his academic pursuits completed and a passion for game development and tech driving him, Sebastien Borget ventures into tech entrepreneurship. He would go on to play a significant role in the development of some major projects.
Career Beginnings
Borget’s entrepreneurial spirit was evident very early on through his willingness to take on management roles straight after graduation.
He began his career at 1-Click Media Networks, where he quickly proved his leadership capabilities as Project Leader. During his tenure, he played a key role in designing various on-demand video content management systems and peer-to-peer content delivery solutions, significantly enhancing the company’s value. After joining the company in January 2007, he eventually left in October 2008.
Shortly thereafter, Sebastian joined Wixi.com as their first COO. This role was close to his heart since Wixi.com was one of the few entertainment platforms at that time connecting game lovers from across the globe. It allowed users to stream, share, and organize multimedia content. His experience at the company would help him hone his expertise in digital media, user engagement, and technology management.
Rise to Prominence
Eventually, Sebastien Borget would return to his roots in Paris. He joined Ipercast, a secured content management firm responsible for providing CDN services and content streaming solutions to business owners. He was immediately offered the title of Project Manager. In his capacity, he led the development of various multimedia solutions and supervised the technical aspects of content delivery.
The overall sentiment in the company was that Sebastien was up for another promotion. However, he had ideas for establishing his own project and left the company in 2011.
This decision would prove to be critical, catapulting him into the spotlight, when he became the co-founder of Pixowl. The company that would go on to create The Sandbox, a project Borget had been passionate about since childhood.
The Sandbox started in 2011 as a 2D mobile game, treating players as creators. They could mix and match different elements like fire, water, soil, and electricity to create new contraptions and even other elements. Its popularity earned it a place in Apple’s list of the App Store’s best games in both 2011 and 2012.
However, Borget still believed that the game was missing something. That prompted him to leverage Blockchain technology to completely revamp the game in 2018. Along with his partner, Arthur Madrid, they sought to create a new version of The Sandbox as a decentralized Blockchain-based virtual world. They migrated the project from single-player to multiplayer, 2D to 3D, and mobile to both Mac and PC.
Their efforts in transitioning The Sandbox into a full-blown metaverse attracted attention from the Hong Kong-based Blockchain company Animoca Brands. Animoca acquired both Pixowl and The Sandbox in August 2018 for $4.8 million in cash and some Animoca Brands shares.
Pixowl was renamed to The Sandbox and Sebastien was retained as the COO. Together with his partner, Borget masterminded the inclusion of various features allowing users to build and monetize their own content.
- Virtual land (referred to as LAND) was made available to users as tradeable NFTs. They could purchase, develop, and monetize their LAND to create a diverse and dynamic virtual world.
- A utility cryptocurrency token, SAND, was introduced as the major medium of currency in the virtual world. It is used for transactions, staking, and governance.
- Various digital assets (referred to as ASSETs) like avatars, in-game wearables, and game items were made available as NFTs.
Today, the metaverse has around 5 million users. That includes influential celebrities and brands like Snoop Dogg, Warner Music Group, Atari, Gucci, and Adidas. They all own plots of LAND. It has also accumulated over 1000 user-generated experiences, indicating that the future of gaming may be built on user-generated content above everything.
Sebastian’s work on The Sandbox has revolutionized open-world games and earned him numerous personal accolades. The Blockchain Game Alliance named him its president in 2020. Also, CoinTelegraph recently recognized him as one of the top #100 most influential people in crypto.
Leadership and Vision
According to his employees, Sebastien Borget has always been a “lead by example” kind of leader. It’s evident from the fact that he’s still trying to tap into the potential gamification of Blockchain tech to come up with numerous mobile products, including the hit game Crazy Kings. He is inspiring those who work under him in the process.
The former president of the Blockchain Game Alliance, Manol Butgel, credits Sebastien’s consistency and passion as the defining traits that made the group appoint him as president. In his own words, “Borget’s consistent advocacy for a blockchain-inspired gaming ecosystem earned him the position.”
Despite growing a substantial net worth and accumulating a ton of success, Borget hasn’t backed off from defending the utility of Blockchain technology and its implications on the gaming industry. He preached the benefits of a Blockchain-driven world at numerous conferences, summits, and events.
The most notable of these include Consensus by CoinDesk, the 2023 Paris Blockchain Week, and several Blockchain Game Alliance events. He believes widespread awareness about Blockchain, crypto, and NFTs is crucial to implementing their full potential in the gaming world and beyond.
Here’s what he has to say about building a true metaverse, “All of them were lacking one thing. That one thing is the very definition of what we believe a metaverse is and should be. A myriad of virtual worlds users can navigate through with an avatar, which is the representation of themselves, and which becomes their new digital identity”.
Personal Insights
According to his LinkedIn Bio, Sebastian Borget characterizes himself as an “Entrepreneur and Dad”. It signifies his dedication to the proper upbringing of his kids and how much he values that duty in his life.
Outside of work, he prefers spending most of his time with his kids and gaming, a childhood passion.
He’s also made several charitable contributions to the Food Angel organization in Hong Kong. It shows his commitment to feeding the underprivileged and the homeless, further reflecting his belief in promoting equality for all humans.
Challenges and Controversies
Sebastien Borget has had to face a litany of challenges to earn the success he has in this world. Take his pet project, The Sandbox for example. Upgrading it from a 2D world-building game to a 3D full-blown metaverse was a huge challenge in itself. It not only required a complete overhaul of the game’s structure but also a huge shift in its business model. But he tackled the project with resilience and determination. He hired a full team of talented developers and Blockchain experts to work on the overhaul. At the same time, he communicated with the existing user base to generate ideas and feedback.
He also stepped up to refute The United States Security and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) listing of SAND as an unregistered security in its lawsuit against Coinbase and Binance. The French entrepreneur said labeling SAND as an unregistered security was unfair.
“We are obviously aware of the litigation advanced against Binance and Coinbase in the U.S. from the SEC. We do not necessarily agree with the characterization that’s been put in that litigation, including the qualification of SAND as a security there,” he said while speaking at the 2023 Non-Fungible Conference in Lisbon.
This response showcases his character, as The Sandbox team wasn’t even a respondent in the lawsuit.
These experiences alone taught Borget the importance of standing up for himself and putting his 100% into something he believes in.
Future Plans
Sebastien Borget is currently fully dedicated to expanding The Sandbox metaverse. He works to include new features and new experiences, in his bid to make the virtual world more community-driven. The recent launch of The Sandbox DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organization), inviting the game’s global community of creators to participate and propose their own governance decisions, is a perfect example of that.
He’s also continually looking for collaborations with major brands, celebrities, and IPs to attract mainstream attention to his digital world. All in all, his main goal is to continue pushing the boundaries of the Blockchain gaming ecosystem and ultimately bring about a full-scale decentralized gaming revolution.
>>> Read more: Blockchain Frequently Asked Questions
Sebastian Borget is already one of the most influential entrepreneurs in the world. But he shows no sign of stopping his march towards making The Sandbox a thriving, decentralized metaverse where creators have true ownership and control over their digital experiences and assets. It showcases his unwavering commitment to the Blockchain gaming ecosystem and his visionary approach to ensuring that he remains a key figure in the wider Web 3 world. His story is far from complete.
