The Sandbox Launches Largest LAND Auction With 110 Plots And 220 Avatars

The Sandbox, a leading social gaming metaverse, has announced its largest set of LAND auctions to date, marking a significant shift in how virtual real estate is brought to market. The auction, which includes 110 LANDs and 220 branded avatars across 22 intellectual properties (IPs), is being distributed via GBM Auctions' Win-Win auction protocol. This partnership with GBM Auctions aims to redefine the distribution of value on-chain, providing a fairer and more transparent way for users to acquire LAND.

The auction precedes The Sandbox’s platform sale and highlights GBM’s role as the auction layer for Web3-native asset distribution. Unlike traditional NFT sales that often reward speed or capital through first-come-first-served mechanics or gas wars, GBM’s Win-Win model ensures that every participant is rewarded, not just the final buyer. This model refunds every bid if outbid and offers an incentive reward based on auction mechanics, contributing to true, on-chain price discovery.

Cédric Neumann, The Sandbox NFT Sales Director, expressed enthusiasm about the expanded LAND auction, stating, “We’re thrilled to bring this expanded LAND auction to our community for the Training Grounds LAND sale through GBM. Their Win-Win Auction model offers a new, gamified way for people to enter the ecosystem and build the metaverse with us.”

Hugo McDonaugh, Co-Founder & CEO of GBM, also commented on the significance of the auction, saying, “This is the biggest LAND and avatar sale we’ve hosted with The Sandbox, and a blueprint for how branded assets should be distributed in the open metaverse.”

The auction features 80 regular LANDs, 26 premium LANDs, and four estates, including three 3×3 plots and one 6×6 estate. These estates are exclusively available through GBM and not sold on The Sandbox’s platform. In addition to the LAND, the drop includes 220 avatars from 22 different brands, with 10 avatars per brand available via auction. Participating IPs include well-known names such as Cirque du Soleil, with more to be announced during the campaign.

The auction officially went live on July 15 at 2:00 PM UTC and is running for seven days, closing on July 22. A live X Space event co-hosted by The Sandbox and GBM on July 14 will feature NFT Sales Director Cédric Neumann, Stream Product Owner PandaPops, and GBM Co-Founder Hugo McDonaugh. They will discuss the drop and explain how the Win-Win auction model works.

All auctions are primary listings only, meaning the assets are not available through open marketplaces or secondary resale during this campaign. This move marks a shift from The Sandbox’s typical sales sequence, as it is the first time the platform is leading with auctions before launching the public sale on its platform. The partnership ensures that every bid counts and every participant receives value, even if they are outbid, aligning with the principles of the Win-Win model.