M6 Labs NFT Weekly

GM, Anon! So, price going up is taking a break, but that doesn't mean NFTs are going anywhere. As you'll see in today's edition, update after update keeps getting released, and tomorrow’s blue-chip collections are busily truly building. Let's dive in!

Project Updates

• OpenSea is currently in the process of crafting a 2.0 platform enhancement. They are diligently focused on features such as showcasing calendar-based ticketing NFTs, monitoring the trending Solana NFTs, and introducing Ordinals. 

• Sky Mavis launch Mavis store. 

• Ubisoft, the creator of Assassin's Creed, lends support to yet another crypto-powered gaming network. 

• Within its initial week, the new NFT leverage protocol, Wasabi, achieved a trading volume of $2M.

• Presail launches on Ronin.

• Looksrare launches on-chain games on Arbitrum.

• Bitcoin witnessed a rapid sellout of the Shadow Hats collection, created by the developers behind the Forgotten Runes Wizard's Cult.

• Zee Prime Capital has released its SocialFi thesis.

• Nifty Island adds support for Base and Coinbase Wallet.

• Gamestop to shut down NFT marketplace. 

• Magic has introduced a simplified account registration process for Decentraland.

• Nyan Heroes is now on the Epic Games store.

• Mercedes-Benz previews in-car NFT gallery.

• Mysterious ordinals inscription teases 'cursed' bitcoin art project

News Security tip

0xMario recounted a prevalent scheme known as the "game download scam." In this scam, the perpetrator promised job opportunities and lured the user into downloading a launcher to play the game. 

• To safeguard their computer, the user established a virtual Windows environment. SlowMist suggests a precautionary measure for downloading files like .exe/.scr/.com/.cmd/.bat/.ps1/.vbs/.js/.lnk/.dmg/.app – it is advisable to place them in either a virtual machine or an unused computer. When dealing with documents, utilizing Google Docs for sharing is recommended.

Blue Chip and Market Overview

Pudgy Penguins and Azukis have been prominent performers in the NFT charts. Despite a recent dip in the whole NFT market, these projects are poised to grow stronger as they maintain their resilience and introduce new developments. It's advisable to keep a close eye on them during the bull market. 

Now, let's delve deeper and explore the exciting developments these projects have in store and how the NFT ecosystem as a whole is holding up.

Revisiting Pudgys and Azukis

For those who are unaware of the project, Pudgy Penguins is an NFT collection on Ethereum that features 8,888 unique penguin NFTs, each with randomly generated traits.

• Luca Netz leads the Pudgy Penguins project as CEO, focusing on community engagement and value addition.

• Pudgy Penguins stands out in the NFT world due to its inclusive art and emphasis on community, bridging the gap between the tangible and digital with Pudgy Toys and Pudgy World.

• Pudgy Toys, the first mass-market NFT product, were introduced in May 2023 and sold in major stores like Amazon and Walmart, making blockchain experiences accessible to a broader audience.

• Pudgy World is a digital playground accessible through Pudgy Toys, introducing users to NFTs and providing a marketplace for trading NFT traits.

• Pudgy Penguins NFT holders enjoy exclusive benefits, including access to experiences, events, IP licensing opportunities, and community engagement.

• The Pudgy Penguins universe includes other collections like Lil Pudgys and Pudgy Rods, each with its unique characteristics and perks.

• Pudgy Penguins introduced Soulbound tokens (SBTs), including truePengu and penguPins, to empower the community and commemorate licensing deals.

• The project has ambitious plans for the future, aiming to become a leading IP company in Web3, offering opportunities for licensing deals and brand partnerships.

Azuki has faced past controversies, including accusations of fraud against its founder and the unsuccessful launch of the Elementals collection. However, despite these setbacks, the project has maintained its position in the top 10 and remains committed to strengthening its ecosystem. Let's take a closer look at the project's future plans.

• Azuki has partnered with acclaimed director Gorō Taniguchi to create an anime anthology series, aiming to expand its reach and introduce Japanese animation to new audiences while providing opportunities for talented Japanese anime creators. 

• This partnership reflects Azuki's broader plan to offer a variety of content to diverse audiences, emphasizing web3-driven storytelling.

• In a recent Twitter Space discussion, Azuki co-founder Dan and Karma from ZTX explored various aspects of the Web3 landscape. They discussed Azuki's Collector Status release, which gamifies the NFT collection experience for long-term collectors. Overall, the discussion provided insights into Azuki's approach and broader trends in the Web3 space.

• Azuki, recently experienced a significant 33.3% increase in its floor price, attributed to a retweet by the Weeb3 Foundation, hinting at a potential collaboration. 

• This collaboration has the potential to create a new NFT ecosystem for anime brands, revolutionizing the interaction between the global NFT community and anime. While some investors are excited about Azuki's involvement in crypto, others express concerns about the project's future. 

• Some critics suggest Azuki should have followed ApeCoin's path by launching its tokens earlier, and there are apprehensions about potential legal issues with the SEC due to Azuki's U.S. operations.

Moving on to some metrics…

Solana collections have regained their top position on the Magic Eden charts. NodeMonkes remains within the top 5, and the recent rise of the new project, Bitcoin Puppets, has propelled it into the top 10.

OKX’s NFT marketplace for ordinals is seeing substantial volume for NodeMonkes and Bitcoin Puppets as well. 

Read this interesting take on Bitcoin Puppets by SN. Click here to read the whole write-up. 

Checking in on gaming activity by chain. Ethereum, BNB, and Polygon continue to dominate. 

Despite these chains dominating gaming activity, the most popular games are on other lesser-used chains such as NEAR, WAX, and Ronin. Ronin has made a comeback with Pixels and activity on Axie is once again picking up after many upgrades.

Axie Infinity's token is once again leading the charts among gaming tokens. It will be intriguing to observe whether the project can replicate its dominance in the gaming sector, as it did during the last bull cycle.

Checking the status of games on Ronin, it appears that only Axie and Pixels are attracting significant activity. 

• It's highly likely that more games will be introduced on Ronin in the future, potentially garnering substantial attention. This is certainly something to monitor in the coming days.

Lastly, there have been modifications to the $SLP monetary policy that are worth noting for the future game mechanics of Axie Infinity.

Degen Corner

• NFT Worlds - The WRLD token is an ERC-20 token built on the Ethereum blockchain. It is the primary utility token when interacting with NFT Worlds. While trading volumes are low, the token has registered an increase of nearly 60% over the past 30 days. 

• Xai - The XAI token has been on an upward trajectory since the recent airdrop. The token surged by 35% following the airdrop and hit its all-time high of $1.21 on the 17th of January, 2024.

• Genopets has introduced a player-to-player (P2P) marketplace in both the browser and app versions of its move-to-earn game. This marketplace allows players to buy, sell, and trade Genopets items seamlessly. Users of the mobile app can make purchases using in-game currency (Qbits), while those preferring crypto can use the web interface. 

• Last Remains, a competitive stealth shooter game set in a zombie-infested world, is starting 2024 with exciting developments. They introduced a mobile-based mini-game called "Search and Rescue" on January 16th, allowing players to combine their Last Remains characters with item skins to compete for rewards, including NFTs and tokens. 

• Heroes of Mavia is gearing up for an exciting token airdrop as part of its Pioneer Program. In this program, approximately 7.5M MAVIA tokens will be distributed to eligible participants. 

• Be sure to check out the two latest games to launched on Immutable, Second World and Space Mavericks. 

• Bitcoin Ninjas deploy a Super Nintendo emulator on Bitcoin. Read more about it here.

A Note On The Shadows and Shadow Hats

• Magic Machine, creators of the Forgotten Runes Wizard’s Cult ecosystem and the Runiverse game, launched two collections on Ordinals, the Shadows, and Shadow Hats.

• The Shadows collection consists of 666 animated pixel art ghosts designed by an anonymous co-founder of Forgotten Runes. The auction for 600 Shadows quickly sold out at a top price of 0.2 BTC, raising $5.5M.

• The Shadows and Shadow Hats are inspired by the darker side of magic and secret societies. They are a canonical part of the Runiverse, and owners of Ordinals will enjoy privileges in the Forgotten Runes community.

• The Shadows and Shadow Hats collections serve as a case study of an Ethereum-based project expanding onto Ordinals, engaging with a Bitcoin-based community and expanding the project's world onto another chain.

• Magic Machine aims to build a collaborative legendarium with its community and create a fantasy franchise as prominent as "Game of Thrones" or "Lord of the Rings."

• Even though the auction is over, it might be worth picking up some of these NFTs here. 

• Read this guide if this collection interests you. 

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