NFT Review #12: An Unfamiliar Future
NFT Review #12: An Unfamiliar Future
Axie Infinity reaches 1 billion, UN partners with Unique Network, Lionel Messi joins the NFT mania, and more...
NFT Review is a weekly newsletter covering NFTs in the Web3 ecosystem on Polkadot’s side of the woods. The newsletter is put together by Bruno Škvorc and gbaci.
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Looking for a primer on NFTs? This should be the last introduction you’ll ever need.
Dear NFT enthusiast,
Have you ever wondered what a future of a thriving play-to-earn industry will look like, what aspects of society it will change?
If you’ve been following this newsletter for a while then you won’t be surprised that Axie Infinity is once again the cause of this line of reasoning. This time, the terrific news is that Axie became the first project to reach $1 billion in all-time trading volume. Crazy right? We thought DeFi would be crypto's killer app (and it probably is/will be), but Axie’s run is making us rethink.
Back to the consideration.
What do you think will happen? Will more people in developing countries (~countries with weak economies and currencies) choose the play-to-earn mode of work over traditional employment? Will parents force/encourage their kids to learn how to become better gamers just as they force/encourage them to chase blue-collar jobs? We often quip that “the future is a very unfamiliar place”, and on this account, this seems true enough.
This is without taking into account the far-reaching impact of the Metaverse idea catching on. Whew! That is a consideration for another day.
Thank you for reading, and have a great week.
— NFT Review
👨🏼🎨 RMRK Artist Spotlight: Ruben Topia and his Isometric Worlds
In this week's episode of RAS, we chatted with Ruben Topia, an extremely talented digital artist and illustrator from the Netherlands. His artworks are so loaded with detail you can't help getting sucked into them.
In our talk with him, we saw that underneath the simple complexity in his works was a refined mind that's not afraid to dream big--not just in the material accomplishment sense of the word, but also in its relation with higher human values.
📬 NFT News from Kusama & Polkadot
The United Nations has partnered with Unique Network in an effort to utilize NFTs to amplify messages of climate action.
RMRK released an update on the token claiming mechanism for their Kanaria bird holders.
Also, RMRK founder Bruno Škvorc published a great Twitter thread on the possibilities of RMRK-powered NFTs.
🗞 NFT News from Ethereum and Beyond
Leading NFT game Axie Infinity is currently pulling in ~1M daily active users!
Axie also became the first NFT project to reach $1 billion in all-time trading volume.
Cryptovoxels started dutch auctions for the remaining 50 parcels in the virtual world’s upstart Satoshi district.
Decentraland introduced a new In-World Builder system, which will let LAND owners edit their scenes in real-time from within Decentraland.
Cryptoart platform KnownOrigin released their new counteroffer feature, which allows artists to send counteroffers to bidders.
GenieSwap is a new protocol that allows users to sweep the floor of notable NFT projects in one swap.
Trading volumes of top NFT collections such as Axie Infinity, CryptoPunks, and ArtBlocks have increased by more than 300% over the past month, according to DappRadar, a Lithuania-based data tracking company.
Crypto exchange FTX is launching an NFT marketplace for prominent sports and entertainment brands.
Beeple’s new NFT platform, WENEW, held its first auction featuring a collection of moments created in partnership with Wimbledon and Grand Slam winner Andy Murray.
NFT digital property company Animoca Brands raised a total of $139 million in a recent funding round from Coinbase Ventures, Samsung Venture Investment Corporation, zVentures, and more.
A collection of 5 NFTs by digital artist FEWOCiOUS has sold for $2.16 million in a sale hosted by auction house Christie's. The collection of NFTs titled "Hello, i'M Victor (FEWOCiOUS) and This Is My Life" was inspired by the 18-year-old artist's experiences as a young, transgender artist growing up in an abusive household.
Widely considered to be the greatest player of his generation, Lionel Messi will be celebrated in an authenticated NFT collection dubbed The Messiverse, which will be available from 20th August on Ethernity Chain.
Luxury fashion brand Burberry has launched its first NFT collection in partnership with Mythical Games. The brand said it is hoping to unlock value for the gaming community by encouraging players to interact with its brand in an environment that celebrates art and design.
NFT platform MakersPlace said it raised $30 million in a Series A funding round led by Pantera Capital and Bessemer Venture Partners.
The Bundesliga (the German professional football league similar to the Premier League in England) has partnered with NFT platform ToppsNFTs to release an exclusive collection of NFTs intended as trading cards.
Christies presents No Time Like Present, featuring the very first NFT sale in Asia offered by an international auction house. Key highlights of the sale will include a group of exceptionally rare CryptoPunks, Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC), and Meebits.
NFT auction protocol Zora unveiled PUNKS.HOUSE, a permissionless auction house for CryptoPunks featuring PartyBid support.
The Israeli Parliament has issued an NFT of the original draft of the presidential oath, which will be given to incoming President Isaac Herzog ahead of his inauguration
The first DAO-organized music festival is on the cards.
That’s all for this week, see you in the next edition! Got some links to share with us, artists to feature, NFTs to sell, jobs to promote, or events to popularize? Get in touch with Bruno or gbaci!