NFT Review is a weekly newsletter covering NFTs in the Web3 ecosystem. The newsletter is put together by Bruno Škvorc.
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Dear NFT enthusiast,
A while back, one of web3’s finest DGAF devs, Adam, has decided to build Frenpet - an on-chain tamagotchi idle-battler - as an experiment in user retention, conversion, and rapid user-feedback-driven product iteration.
The current version is a far cry from the original, and notably improved. I got curious and decided to re-explore it a little bit.
The game is fully centralized in its control, but uses the blockchain as a database, so it can become a permissionless permanent immutable thing with the click of a button - if Adam’s team decides to relinquish control over the game, that’s it. Granted, the game uses Privy so it can be stopped in its tracks by Privy going offline, but otherwise, the game has some real web3 potential.
I’m excited to keep track of it and see how it evolves! If you want to join me in the frenpet world, my invite code is fp-1jjh47q. The V2 breakdown is super cool and goes through some of the features.
Thank you for reading and have a great week.
— NFT Review
🖼 crypto-native
NFT platform Ninjalerts has inscribed a Nintendo 64 emulator onto the Bitcoin network. Sadly, in most laypeople’s eyes, this only adds more legitimacy to the clown show that is Bitcoin and inscriptions.
Polkadot-native NFT projects are invited to apply for ArtsDaoFest.
Binance Web3 Wallet (not to be confused with Trust Wallet) adds support for the clownshow that is ERC404. That’s fine, more idiots to eat up.
An ERC721 balance extension EIP draft. It is unclear why another one would be needed when 1155, 6551, and 7590 exist.
Inspired by the “ERC404” clownshow, even more “hybrid token” EIPs appear. And then even more.
Bello adds comprehensive Farcaster-specific dashboard so you can look deep into your audience.
ERC721 name registry extension EIP. Not sure why not just use ENS.
New utilities have been added to the RMRK code examples, making building equippable NFT collections easier than ever. Refresher on RMRK.
🕹️ games
Crypto-themed Fortnite clone Open Season trolls OpenSea in-game.
The Sandbox Co-Founder Sébastien Borget: 'The Future of Gaming is User-Generated Content'. Well duh.
Axie Champions has launched on Android. It’s candy crush meets idlebattler we’ve seen a million times, with a web3 flavor on top.
Axie Infinity introduces guilds. For some reason, they decided to use Typeform to let users register them instead of going with web3 + some harberger tax mechanics.
Parallel TCG boxes allow you to digitally group and deck your cards. Why they haven’t used the standard literally designed for this is unknown.
Gods Unchained launches on mobile and is pretty good. Missing a tutorial though.
ImpulseDAO’s Vara Arena invites people to mint on their fully on chain game. It’s all open source too.
Review of the Otherside Apes Come Home event at NFTNOW.
🌎 global adoption
Designer Stephy Fung: 'Taking a Stand' For Digital Fashion With New SYKY Collection - The 'Four Dragons' collection from digital fashion collective SYKY celebrates the Chinese Year of the Dragon.
Robert Alice and TASCHEN present OnNFTs, an epic tome of NFT history. NFT 2.0 movement notably absent. Excerpt available on Outland.
DroppGroup and Oracle Launch the World’s First Cultural Metaverse in Saudi Arabia. The companies have teamed up with the Saudi Arabia Ministry of Culture to launch a “Cultural Universe”, the world’s first government-operated national Metaverse 🤮. I expect it to be forgotten in less than a year.
Sound has a new homepage where you tweak your own algorithm for music recommendations.
VanEck launches NFT marketplace SegMint. They call it self-custodial, but ask for web2 username/password to get in.
We Need to Tell Better Web3 Stories — Here’s How, by Bradq at NFTNOW.
🧐 interesting
Miguel Faus, director of NFT-funded feature film "Calladita," joined Decrypt's Stephen Graves at NFT Paris to talk about the film's recent premiere and how the "radically independent" decentralized Film3 movement is evolving.
With Magic Eden Ethereum marketplace launch, Yuga Labs will no longer support marketplaces that do not support royalties for all creators. The marketplace is now live.
The Controversy of 'PALE MOONLIGHT': A Study of Art and Value in Web3.
Truth Labs, the company behind the Illuminati and Goblintown NFT ecosystems, will merge with DAO infrastructure company Upstream to create a new company called Truth Arts, which will pursue what Truth and Upstream founder Alex Taub called, in a blog post, “the billion dollar opportunity in gaming and entertainment.”
Welcome to the Auntieverse: How Artist Niceaunties Uses AI to Create Sublimely Surreal Visions.
Avantgarde NFTs you should know about, by Metaversal.
on Compressionism - a study of compressing art into as few bytes as possible, that reveals some incredible insights and documents interesting history.
Sound Art Gets a High-Tech Spin in MoMA and Feral File’s New Online Exhibition
📖 reading
From NFTs to Quantum Computing: As art and technology increasingly align, Beth Jochim examines three artists working at the edge of infinite space.
Exclusive Interview: Inside shl0ms’ Viral “Sunsetting Gmail” Hoax and Conceptual Art.
Agoria Breathes New Life Into Musée d‘Orsay With Historic NFT Auction.
Fingacode Brings Cameroonian Flavor and Flair to Generative Art.
Metaversal talks about Ethereum as the Infinite Story Machine.
A trip through Botto, how it works, and some of its latest art.
The Enigmatic Universe of 0xdgb a British anonymous artist redefining minimalism.
Plutonium Fitzgerald, guest interviewer from the Selection Committee, discusses Alice Gordon's practice, her new collection Cognitive Behavior, and her thoughts on post-photography and the rising talents within the AI space.
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 and don’t forget to follow us!