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Welcome back to The High Life.

Here's a piece of trivia: there are now so many games in existence that if you started playing a new title as soon as you beat one, any average human wouldn't be able to complete every game before they expire. Think of all the imagined worlds that have been crafted over the past few decades, and all the technological advances that have gone into making games that have created many great memories for players.

It brings a tear to our eyes.

That's why we believe in the future of Highstreet World. It will be more than a game—the VR metaverse experience has meaning as a medium, and we're building toward it day by day.

This month, we took our demo to Singapore to showcase what we've accomplished so far.

Let's dive into the latest from the Highstreet team.

ARC Demo Recap: Bot Slayer Central

At the recent Into The ARC event in Singapore, the Highstreet team wowed attendees with an immersive VR gaming demo. Equipped with Oculus Quest 3 headsets, participants stepped into a vibrant world, battling waves of robots in real-time. The demo showcased Highstreet's VR integration and left a lasting impression on the crowd. Dozens of attendees had the chance to experience the battle in VR and try out our unique hand-to-robot combat interaction.

Every fighter who dared enter the bot-infested battlegrounds was briefed with Highstreet's combat manual.
Every fighter who dared enter the bot-infested battlegrounds was briefed with Highstreet's combat manual.

The top player impressively cleared all 10 waves of robots in just 15 minutes. Most participants who tried their hand at bot-slaying lasted around 5 minutes before they were overwhelmed by enemies in the arena.

Experiencing the future of metaverse gaming.
Experiencing the future of metaverse gaming.

Into The ARC was an invite-only event. We saw Singaporean singer-songwriter JJ Lin, Taiwanese actor Bolin Chen, and actor and singer Jaycee Chan mingling, and got to meet one very memeable gentleman.

Hide the Pain Harold stopping by the Highstreet demo zone.
Hide the Pain Harold stopping by the Highstreet demo zone.

Our merch was a hit. We made limited-edition folding fans, eyewear, FOMO Duck socks, and other items that were all snatched up.

Thanks to everyone who gave the demo a try! And special thanks to the ARC staff for their support in helping make the event a success, ensuring everything ran smoothly, from booth setup to swag distribution.

Highstreet gave away a range of swag in Singapore.
Highstreet gave away a range of swag in Singapore.

Dev Update: Gearing Up for Bot Battles

Gladiator VR Arena: Battle for Survival in Highstreet City's Garden District—Closed Beta Coming Soon!

In this dev update, we're excited to share significant progress on the upcoming Gladiator VR Arena experience set in Highstreet City's Garden District. Building upon our latest demo in Singapore, this rogue-like VR combat experience will let players choose from three of our MMO's base classes in multiplayer battles against waves of enemies. Players will arm themselves with class-specific weapons and face off with enemies in the abandoned Greenhouse, which has been transformed into a gladiatorial arena. The game will be available through App Lab and Meta Horizon, featuring full avatar support and multiplayer capabilities, with a closed beta supporting up to 100 concurrent players.

On the technical front, we're working hard to meet the performance benchmarks for Quest 3, targeting 72 FPS and ensuring optimal draw calls and triangle counts. The arena experience is designed for endless replayability, with players unlocking abilities, equipment, and stat upgrades as they progress. In between waves, players can allocate ability points and gear up for the next battle. Our goal is to deliver a fun and challenging VR experience while supporting full account creation through Meta Login. Stay tuned for more updates as we get closer to opening beta testing!

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Highstreet World—Winter Update

As the seasons change and we prepare for winter, Highstreet World will be transformed into a breathtaking “Ice Garden,” complete with glowing blue orbs and ice flowers. Regions throughout the metaverse will feature ice sculptures of trees and flowers, creating a surreal and enchanting environment for players to explore. This theme will feature new assets, audio elements, and a full UI update to fully immerse players in the magical winter wonderland.

Lore Fragment: The Original Twelve

Led by Ace the virtuoso captain, the Original Twelve were a group of Ducks who had set out in search of new lands. Each was a representative of their own Duck Clan, the intrepid explorers sought fresh knowledge about the world and the resources that fueled their technologies, like Lunarite Power Banks.

Together, they set sail 320 years before first contact with humans. Aside from Ace, there was Hale the scientist; Aurora the naturalist; Avery the navigator; Alexia the engineer; Dr. Pato; Jasper the musician; Liam, Ethan, Benjamin, Isabella the crew members; and Max the stowaway.

Ace was the leader of the first 12 Ducks to reach Solera. 
Ace was the leader of the first 12 Ducks to reach Solera. 

Along the way, the Twelve discovered Moonwhale migration rituals, and eventually, they crash-landed on Solera. They met the Pelicans, whose outlook on the world was one that didn't rely so much on technological drive, but rather a harmonious coexistence with nature.

Little is known about the Original Twelve's early encounters on Solera, but two years after their arrival, eight of them returned to their homeland, marking a split in the group.

Highstreet Chronicles: Origins #6

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Last week's poll asked readers about their favorite part of playing MMORPGs. Tied for the top responses were commerce, spy games, and magical mastery, each capturing 15.625% of the votes, followed by uncovering lore and completing the map at 12.5% each.

Thank you!

That's all for this issue of The High Life.

Check out our previous blasts by visiting www.highstreet.market/newsletter.

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