Page One #32
Utility = Merch. July 20 - July 25
Another month is nearly in the books, so expect a July recap of all the token news you read once and forgot already later this week as well as a few new topical articles in August. Thanks for reading, subscribe above, come hang out below and let me know what I missed on Twitter.
TLDR:
Casual Sloths adds storytelling to the familiar avatar style
Etherjump lets holders create their own platformer levels
Goblintown’s “baiting” mechanic goes live on Friday
Identities introduces Contribution Score System for holders
Isekai Meta finds post-mint demand after adjusting supply
Killabears holders receive Killabits in surprise airdrop
Ledger Market Pass sets stage for new Marketplace
Moonbirds silver nests, Oddities reveal fell a bit flat
NFT Worlds plummet after Minecraft bans NFTs
Nike x RTFKT Hoodie drop frustrated some Clones
The Potatoz top weekly volume charts at ~8,500Ξ
Pudgy Penguins drop soulbound token for 1st anniversary
Realm announces Adventurers of the Void avatars
News and Notes:
Goblintown’s “baiting” mechanic goes live on Friday
More details surrounding burger baiting were tweeted out Monday evening. The event starts this Friday, July 29 and lasts for three weeks. Goblin owners may set burgers out as bait - its unclear how many burgers can be used at once, although their image implies at least three. For this, regardless of how many burgers are burned, they will receive one new token. Burning burgers is not required, though, as they will have more uses in the future. While they might make you cringe, Goblintown certainly knows how to keep a story going and this one will continue for at least three weeks.
Killabears holders receive Killabits in surprise airdrop
As part of their ongoing narrative, Killabears holders received a “data packet” on the 19th. 8bit Killabears, or Killabits, revealed the next day. Each matches the token it was airdropped to and features the bear’s full body in well-rendered pixel form. They recently launched a Templates dashboard, where holders can create graphics using featuring their bears. This dashboard will also house the Workshop, where holders will combine traits from their bears to create Killacubs, their next collection. Although they don’t get too much attention, Killabears continue to deliver.
Moonbirds silver nests, Oddities reveal fall a bit flat
Oddities revealed on the 20th to mixed reviews. The collection features a dozen different animals in strikingly grotesque pixel form - you can tell they’re from Gremplin. They traded down sharply on reveal, falling from ~3Ξ to ~1.5Ξ.
After nesting for 60 days, Moonbirds were bestowed with a silver nest on the 21st along with a bundle of gifts including socks, a fanny pack and two enamel pins. Holders and the general NFT community voiced a variety of opinions on the rewards, but it seems that many were expecting a bit more. The PROOF team has stated that rewards will continue to vary, so don’t expect more clothes every time.
NFT Worlds plummet after Minecraft bans NFTs
NFTs - unique, digital tokens “purchased with cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin” - have no place in Minecraft, reads a press statement released last Wednesday. The news sent NFT Worlds and various associated collections into a freefall, with Worlds dropping from around 3Ξ to as low as 0.5Ξ during the panic. NFT Worlds put out an extended statement about their future on the 22nd in which they lay out plans to build an independent, Minecraft-esque game client in “months, not years.” Building a web3-native Minecraft competitor sounds like a tall task, but they claim the treasury is full of funds for them to try.
Pudgy Penguins drop soulbound token for 1st anniversary
The truePengu token, while not tradable, distinguishes a wallet that has been a part of the Pudgy community, creating an unchangeable bond. While a number of collections have used non-transferable tokens before, the Pudgies are among the first to do so for the identity-building purposes outlined in Vitalik’s blog post. truePengu also has different tiers, the highest going to those who hold a Pudgy, a Lil Pudgy and a Pudgy Rod with the same IDs.
Recent Launches:
Casual Sloths adds storytelling to the familiar avatar style
Armed with traits from the front page of Magic Eden and narrative-driving tweets written in illegible font, Casual Sloths is attempting to combine old tricks into something new. After minting over the weekend and revealing on Monday, the team began a narrative arc that has seen the sloths infected with sloth pox and visibly ill until a vaccine is found. The past few months have seen collections create interest using any number of new storytelling methods. While they may not survive once the attention dries up, each iteration is an experiment in how to use NFTs as storytelling devices.
Etherjump lets holders create their own platformer levels
Inspired by old-school platformers and reminiscent of Super Mario Maker, Etherjump lets holders design and play 2D platformer levels. Plots come in three sizes, which determine how large a level can be, and have a default character. The roadmap includes a collection of playable avatars, which plot holders receive for free, and the $JUMP token which will be earned in-game and used for various upgrades. The project is founded by a group of college students, but has already received a lot of community support. Read more in their full roadmap here.
Isekai Meta finds post-mint demand after adjusting supply
Created in partnership with Studio 9 Lives, Isekai Meta is a meticulously crafted world with a recognizable style. The project will focus on bringing “a new wave of storytelling” to NFTs, although how it’ll do so is left to the imagination. After holding their public raffle mint, the floor dipped below mint cost for over a day. The team cut the supply to 7,777 before opening their allowlist sale. Instead of selling the remaining in a public mint, it was raffled off to holders - an incentive that certainly contributed to increased demand and a rapidly rising floor over the weekend. The collection sits a bit lower as holders wait to hear a reveal date.
Ledger Market Pass sets stage for new Marketplace
Hardware behemoth Ledger is branching out and their Market Pass is the first step. The Genesis pass provides holders with exclusive collaborations as well as Ledger hardware and software. Their new marketplace will offer increased integration with Ledger Live, potentially providing some traders with a simpler purchasing experience. A launch date for the marketplace has not yet been announced.
Nike x RTFKT Hoodie drop frustrated some Clones
Holders of Clone X and Nike Cryptokicks were eligible to purchase one AR Hoodie, which can be worn on a Clone or redeemed for a real sweatshirt. Each sweatshirt contains a Near-Field Chip that allows it to connect to an NFT for authentication (no, I’m not sure what that means). The mint went live a bit later than planned and many were unable to mint once the sale started due to issues getting through the queue. Its not the first time RTFKT’s website has caused mint issues and has some holders disappointed.
The Potatoz top weekly volume charts at ~8,500Ξ
The first collection in the Memeland ecosystem has commanded the market’s attention since its release on the 21st, posting over 10,000 sales and sitting atop weekly volume charts after only 5 days. The Potatoz revealed their first form on the 22nd, but snipe rares hesitantly - when they evolve from this seedling form into actual potatoes (at an unannounced date), traits and rarities will change again. The team mentioned an upcoming “stake-to-win” feature and some have speculated that spots on the Memeland allowlist could be up for grabs. Expect to see the Potatoz around.
Upcoming Launches:
ESION, anime avatars with a musical focus, mint July 29
Founded by Korean musician Mommyson and lead artist MLin_D, ESION has an angry yet curated style with a few traits that might evoke The Gorillaz. The project’s collaborative efforts with Mommyson’s music label Beautiful Noise could set it apart from other collections in its niche, although they are exploring plans involving a webtoon, games and experiences as well. They are holding a public raffle via PREMINT which you can register for here. This group will mint on the 29th, followed by the allowlist sale on the 30th. Any remaining supply will be sold to the public.
Identities introduces Contribution Score System for holders
Many projects have used leveling bots in Discord servers as one way to measure contribution and determine whitelist allocations among their communities. Identities has taken this a step further, creating their own value-measuring algorithm they call the Contribution Score System. CSS measures Discord and Twitter activity for each community member, creating what they say is a more holistic picture of someone’s contribution. They’ve used the system to curate their allowlists and will continue to employ it after mint. While it may be too Big Brother for some, it’s always interesting to see some experimentation.
Realm announces Adventurers of the Void avatars
Realm, the world-building strategy game in the Treasure ecosystem, announced an upcoming Avatar collection that will expand their game in new ways. Since launching their in-game economy in May, the project has seen continued activity and increasing participation. Adventurers can choose a new Variant once per month, transforming their avatar based on their in-game actions. More details surrounding the mint and the role of Adventurers can be expected as we approach August.
NFT Market Overview:
It’s not fun to imagine the NFT market might have more room to fall. Total monthly volume for July currently sits at $675M and is projected to finish around $800M - 95% less than total volume in January. Sales in blue chip collections have slowed to single digits on some days. Gas fees might actually go negative if this continues.
Still, traders continue coming online and transacting nearly as much as ever. Colleges, countries, celebrities and corporations continue to acknowledge the seemingly inevitable emergence of “the metaverse.” Interesting and innovative projects continue popping up when least expected. The market is still alive, no matter how dead it might look.
Other Stuff Happened/ing
NFTs:
Azuki Twin Tiger jackets have opened redemption
Gutter Cat Gang is running a commercial on ESPN
My Pet Hooligan partners with Yield Guild
OpenSea rolls out their Solana Launchpad
Square Enix announces upcoming Final Fantasy VII NFT collection
General News:
Epic Games says they won’t ban NFTs following Minecraft news
LinkedIn founder launches Solana NFT collection
Nifty Gateway launches new mobile app
Uniswap’s NFT platform will utilize SudoSwap support
Zapper rolls out V2 with multitude of upgrades