NFT Review 18 - Holding Back the Future
Google takes the leap, Apple blocks progress, Kusama's biggest NFT sale, OpenSea exec excommunicated, 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.
For a more general overview of the Web3 ecosystem, consider subscribing to Dot Leap.
Looking for a primer on NFTs? This should be the last introduction you’ll ever need.
Dear NFT enthusiast,
This week, Apple barred Gnosis Safe mobile wallet from updating their app on the Appstore because it ‘displays NFTs that were not bought using Apple’s in-app purchase feature.’ Talk about an abuse (or use) of centralized power.
Why would Apple block an app because it doesn’t help them make more money? You could argue that it’s their digital empire and so we should all bend to their will, but that would be missing the point. For one thing, given the AppStore’s position as an aggregator of humanity’s most used mobile applications (excluding the PlayStore), it is not ideal to have one company have such power over it. Ideally, the power over such a vital service should fall to a wider community. Why? Because wherever there is great power, the potential for abuse is unmissable.
What is most distressing is that all the great work we’ve been doing in the web3 space (including blistering advances in NFT technology) can be blocked by the very companies we seek to displace (or at least challenge). We can’t stand for this.
The path to total domination of the decentralization paradigm goes through mobile. We can’t afford to let the present gatekeepers keep us out. To avoid this, we need to build our own gate, a gate that is ever open and free for all. If you’re interested in building this golden gate, then join the founder of Gnosis Safe.
The future doesn't take permission from the leaders of the present. If it did, we may never get to the future.
Thank you for reading and have a great week.
— NFT Review
📬 NFT News from Kusama & Polkadot
You can now use Klever Wallet to browse, sell, and buy NFTs in the Kusama, including Singular, Kodadot, and Kanaria, the amazing world of NFTs 2.0.
RMRK founder, Bruno Škvorc released a detailed post on how gems work in the Kanaria universe.
Bit.Country CTO Gardi Rigby will be talking to Karla Montgomery from Industry about Bit.Country--what it is and how it works. Register for the September 23rd event here.
Seascape Network, a DeFi+NFTs gaming platform, has launched the first season of NFT Brawl on Moonriver.
The $RMRK token has been minted and distributed. Please check your balances. More information is available here.
Kanaria (home of NFT 2.0) has netted over 3453 KSM (~ $1.06m) in sales volume over the last 7 days, and 5243 KSM (~ $1.6m) in total since trading started less than 2 weeks ago.
» Founder Bird #40 sold for 250 KSM (~ $88k), making it the biggest NFT sale in Kusama.
» Bow and Arrow sold for 14 KSM (~ $4,376), making it the most expensive Kanaria item. For context, this is an NFT that is equipped into another bird NFT.
RMRK released new updates to the Kanaria UI.
» You can now filter birds by the type of their parts, their theme, or their set.
You can now filter birds by the type of their parts, their theme, or their set. Go hunt for those rares! kanaria.rmrk.app» Multi-resource NFTs in practice—a single NFT with two separate resources that can be switched at the will of the cardholder.
🗞 NFT News from Ethereum and Beyond
Google is joining forces with Dapper Labs to help support the development of new Web 3 products and services, including an NFT marketplace.
OpenSea executive Nate Chastain has been outed for using his platform’s influence to pump his own NFT purchases. Following this, the company has updated its employee information use policies.
Zombie CryptoPunk #8857 was acquired for 2,000 ETH (~ $6,115,620)
Tyler Hobbs’s Fidenza #647 was acquired for 291 ETH (~ $889,822.71)
Tyler Hobbs has slammed a Solana-based project for utilizing his code to produce knock-off artworks without his approval.
Artist Monica Rizzolli released her generative series Fragments of an Infinite Field via Art Blocks.
NFT game Axie Infinity has crossed $2B in all-time NFT sales volume.
Genie is going to let users sort through all NFT markets within a single UI.
NFT social network Showtime now supports minting via Polygon.
NFTX introduced its new decentralized NFT marketplace system.
Nafty, a blockchain firm that produces decentralized, “not safe for work” (NSFW) platforms, such as OnlyFans competitor Nafty.tv, launched an erotic-themed NFT marketplace dubbed “NaftyArt” on Thursday.
DeviantArt has expanded its artificial intelligence software to spot theft on NFT marketplaces.
Animoca Brands has announced a substantial investment in Bondly. As part of the investment, Bondly’s NFT technology, including launchpad and cross-chain bridges, will be incorporated into Animoca’s gaming products.
The Rugby League World Cup 2021 (postponed until November 2022) has partnered with NuArca to launch an NFT marketplace for tokenized rugby collectibles.
Professional wrestler and actor John Cena’s NFT sale flopped as fans only purchased 7.4% of his WWE NFTs.
They decay! They grow back! They transform with the passage of time (sometimes into zombies!) Koii Network’s new NFT standard introduces a host of fresh possibilities to the world of blockchain collectibles.
Immutable has announced a $60 million Series B funding raise from various venture firms, including Sam Bankman-Fried’s Alameda Research and Gary Vaynerchuk’s VaynerFund.
Marvel and DC seem to be breaking away from the established tradition of allowing creators and artists to sell original prints of published works due to their reported plans for entry into the NFT space.
Mastercard UK announced an NFT giveaway with former Chelsea, Manchester United, and Tottenham coach Jose Mourinho.
Legendary filmmaker David Cronenberg has created a 1-minute film in which he kisses a dead version of himself, and minted that film as an NFT. Currently, there’s an auction happening on SuperRare.
OpenSea released a mobile app. Visit the App Store and the Google Play store to download.
Anyswap has announced the alpha Testnet version of their NFT cross-chain bridge connecting the Ethereum and Fantom blockchains.
MakersPlace revealed plans for upcoming NFT drops with artists signed to Sony Music.
Rcrdshp, a startup creating NFTs based on electronic music and its surrounding culture, has raised a “multi-million dollar” seed funding round from a group of NFT/blockchain investors, including Dapper Labs.
Mercury Phoenix Trust, the non-profit founded in Freddie Mercury’s memory to tackle AIDS, is releasing a collection of 4 Freddie Mercury-inspired NFTs.
A portion of Shrek music rights is being sold as an NFT on Royalty Exchange for 259.970 ETH (~ $939k).
Huobi Ventures has set up a $10-million fund to invest in early-stage GameFi projects that combine decentralized finance (DeFi) features with gaming.
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!