ChainThink report, December 30: The Bitcoin ecosystem's decentralized protocol BLIFE Protocol has announced a merger with the Web3 gaming interoperability project Portal, with operations post-merger unified under the Portal brand. Portal will retain its existing cross-chain gaming and interoperability support while integrating BLIFE’s Bitcoin-based products and ecosystem.

Following the merger, Benjamin Charbit, former Creative Director of Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, will assume the role of CEO at Portal. Leading Web3 investment firm Animoca Brands will provide new funding for Portal’s restart and bring in its portfolio of gaming assets, while G-20 will also join as an ecosystem and strategic partner.

Over the past two years, BLIFE has advanced Bitcoin Web3 infrastructure development by launching BLIFE.ID, the first on-chain identity protocol on Bitcoin, and Odin.fun, a meme coin trading platform. In mid-2025, BLIFE acquired Beyond, a Bitcoin L1 cross-chain bridge. This bridging protocol is set to launch on mainnet and will become part of Portal’s cross-chain technology stack, enabling native Bitcoin interoperability for Portal.