The People of NFT - Part 2 🙋

Previously in Part 1, we covered a few NFT projects and people that we believe are worth following. We are expanding on the list in this second part. This, in no way, is an exhaustive list or investment advice. 

1. Jacob H and Our Zora

   

   • Zora is a marketplace for creators. 

   • They are driven by a strong philosophy to build sustainable economics for creators. Right now, they have generated $500K+ trading volume in a few weeks with limited launches.

   • Given the creator-economy involves too many middlemen, Zora provides a great value proposition to the creators by using NFTs on Ethereum blockchain.

   • Few great artists, Award-winning RAC, Sneaker drops, and few other creator-led items have already released on the marketplace 

   • What to read?

     • Read their manifesto - it reminded me of cryptopunk’s manifesto

     • Zora Blog published an interview with a creator to under the importance of an open marketplace from his/her perspective

   2. Sebasian Borget and The Sandbox

   

   • The Sandbox is a virtual reality world gaming platform. 

   • Players can buy land plots as part of pre-sales that can be traded in their marketplace

   • Sandbox was originally started as Pixowl, after which they were acquired by Animoca Brands. 

   • Currently, The Sandbox game franchise is one of the world’s largest independent user-generated content and gaming platforms, with over a million monthly active users

   • They allow users to build voxels and the gaming world from building blocks that the users can monetize in the marketplace.

   • What to read?

     • A game maker creation newsletter where they curate the best creations in-game. 

     • The co-founder, Sebastien, predicted that top-10 games in 2020 decade would be a decentralised game! 

     • The Sandbox token was listed on Binance recently, and they published an extensive review 

     3. Matthew Gould and Unstoppable Domains

   

   • Unstoppables Domains are a crucial piece of the Web 3 ecosystem - a user-controlled internet. 

   • In the traditional ICANN DNS systems, someone like Go Daddy holds your domain and it can be taken from you anytime. Here, however, you hold the keys. 

   • The domains are in the form of NFTs - an ERC-721 standard, so they allow you to truly own a domain forever.

   • The only monopoly with crypto domains is you. No tech giants. 

   • Matthew, the co-founder, is passionate about user-powered internet and wants to solve the power imbalance with the internet. Users should own rights on the internet, not corporations.

   • What to read?

     • I would suggest not only to read about but also try using Unstoppable Domains. 

     • You can own your brand name domain forever on the blockchain. Try claiming it!

     • They have also partnered with 3Box to help create a decentralized content hosting platform. Check it out here and publish your blog.

   4. Marguerite deCourcelle and Blockade games

   

   • Blockade games are one of the leading blockchain game development studios in crypto.

   • One of their flagship games is Neon District built on Ethereum, which utilizes Matic Network’s Layer 2 solution.

   • The game is a cyberpunk role-playing adventure, where you strategize to progress through a sci-fi dystopian world while collecting in-game items in the form of NFTs.

   • I love the fact that their games focus more on the gameplay and don't force-fit blockchain technology. 

   • Season one of the game is available on Steam and the gameplay is available here.

   • What to read?

     • Marguerite deCourcelle, CEO and founder, tweets about the niche blockchain gaming community

     • She has recently launched a personal token $COIN, and explains
       about it here and how it helps the gaming ecosystem.

     • Check out the Neon district game launch series - part 1,part 2, part 3 and part 4

   5. Trung Nguyen, Jiho and Axie Infinity

      

   • Axie Infinity is a play-to-earn digital pet community centred around collecting, training, and battling fantasy creatures known as Axie. 

   • It combines NFT assets with unique card and skill game mechanics.

   • Of all the blockchain games, Axie has focused a lot of time on user experience and has reduced the friction to improve the playing experience. 

   • The gameplay is really playful and simple allowing people to easily understand the game.

   • What to read?

     • Delphi Digital’s investment into five rare mystic Axie’s and why they think it's the future.

     • Jiho, Growth at Axie, has explained an ELi5 version of Axie Infinity game on Twitter

     • How the play-to-earn Axie infinity game is allowing people to earn more money than their country’s daily wage

     6. James Ferguson and Gods Unchained

     

   • Gods Unchained is a free-to-play carding game, wherein players own the in-game cards and assets.

   • The game is play-to-earn (P2E) meaning you can earn by playing the game.

   • The games allow you to collect cards as you play. The more you play, the more valuable your cards become, which you can sell in the marketplace.

   • The marketplace is a crucial part of the ecosystem and Web3, as all the assets/cards listed there are on Ethereum blockchain and provably transfer ownership while executing the trade.

   • What to read?

     • Gods Unchained plans to build a non-custodial exchange on Ethereum layer-2 for smooth trading of its in-game assets. 

     • Alex, CTO of Immutable, and Starkware did an AMA on Reddit regarding the Immutable X exchange.

     • A wholesome thread on someone earning money from trading in-game assets on Gods Unchained

This is in no way an exhaustive list. The NFT ecosystem is still in its infancy. The above projects are few of those that exhibit the potential of NFTs, and we will continue to expand on it. 

We thank all of the builders and creators mentioned in Part 1 and Part 2 for their contribution and efforts in bringing value back to artists and creators and pioneering this incredible NFT ecosystem.

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