Welcome back to The High Life.

First, an apology: This newsletter is late. It was meant to land in your inbox on Monday, July 15, but we've been having some trouble with our newsletter service provider. We also noticed that some of our subscribers didn't receive the previous edition, which was sent out on June 30. It had a great Q&A with our CEO, Travis. Additionally, it was the first time we sent out a full-page comic. If you're a subscriber and missed that edition, we're sorry about the glitch. You can be sure that we're addressing the issue.

But worry not! We'll be posting The High Life in an archive on Highstreet's website soon, so you can check out what our team was up to.

Now, on to our latest developments. Gudchain's staking campaign is in full swing, with HIGH stakers in a privileged position to receive a bonus. In today's newsletter, we'll cover why the Highstreet team is psyched about being Gudchain's first partner project. You'll also get a new dose of Highstreet lore and a fresh comic.

Let's check it out.

Highstreet 💖 Gudchain 🥕🍆🫑

Community members and followers of Highstreet know what we're trying to build. It's a VR MMORPG, a metaverse that blends gaming with retail, and a virtual social space where anyone can chill with their friends—all in one. Creating this universe is an incredible process and we're making that vision come closer to fruition every day.

But it's also been a journey with few peers. Don't get us wrong—we've always been excited about web3 gaming, and the innovation in this space has been astounding. Yet, there have been drawbacks and downfalls. Some web3 games weren't designed to keep their players engaged in the long run, or the tokenomics weren't thought through. There is a better way.

For us, working at the intersection of game development and web3 is all about optimism. We believe that web3 gaming, especially when it's a part of the metaverse, can give players new experiences and opportunities that can't be replicated anywhere else. Gudchain was built with those values in mind.

As Gudchain's first partner, the Highstreet team is taking the first step to be part of a network of games for players to explore, leading to gratifying rewards. We appreciate the chance to introduce our community members and players to other gaming-focused teams that are building for the long run in web3. Gudchain is providing the infrastructure to not only support web3 game developers, but also attract builders who aren't familiar with the benefits and technical aspects of blockchain technology, so that the space can benefit from their collective talent and creativity.

More importantly, we believe our community members will enjoy the discovery of new games—and new rewards to reap. By ensuring Highstreet community members can benefit from being part of Gudchain, we believe we're setting out to honor the promises of web3 gaming—decentralization, transparency, and making gaming fun.

Highstreet's partnership with Gudchain is just the beginning of the many great things we have planned alongside the network. As we move forward, keep an eye on our socials as more Highstreet-focused staking opens up!

Lore Fragment: Rise of the Ducks

As a small sect of Pelicans kept knowledge about The Gloom alive even though the rest of their civilization treated it like fables, developments in another corner of the world were about to change Pelican life drastically.

A different avian culture that inhabited a distant landmass was split into 12 clans. As each tribe grew, conflict erupted. Eventually, Clan FOMO, which dwelled by the ocean, united the Ducks, with the leader of each clan taking part in the Great Cuddle of Peace—a group hug lasting 10 minutes—to seal their pact.

No longer engaging in battle with each other, the Duck clans were able to trade, develop, and prosper. They discovered Lunarite ore, the magically powerful stone that would eventually come to shape many facets of Duck life.

As we mentioned before, some Pelicans have an intuitive understanding of Lunarite and can affect their surroundings in ways that look like magic. Ducks, however, used it to develop their technology, developing Lunarite Cartridges that ushered in a golden age for them.

Eventually, under the leadership of a FOMO Duck called Ace, one representative from each of the 12 tribes would step forward and band together. These brave Ducks—the Original 12—would set off into the unknown and go beyond what the clans originally thought was the edge of the world. They followed migrating Moonwhales across the watery expanse and crash-landed on Solera.

This “discovery” would lead to encounters and conflict with the Pelicans. It's a story that we'll tell in the future…

If there are specific parts of Highstreet lore that you'd like to find out more about, let us know on X!

Highstreet Chronicles: Origins

To be continued...

Thanks for reading!

Our partner project, Gudchain, launched its staking program to begin letting community members earn gud seeds—points that will lead to rewards in the future. Last week, Gudchain launched staking for HIGH tokens. In fact, HIGH stakers can enjoy a bonus when participating in the staking campaign. So far, the total value locked has surpassed US$2.3 million across all assets, and it's only growing.

Keep an eye out for announcements about other staking opportunities. The earlier you start taking part, the more gud seeds you'll earn.

That's all for this week's issue of The High Life. If a friend forwarded this newsletter to you, subscribe here to receive our next edition.