NFT Revolution

Amazon Is Giving Away Free Gaming NFTs—Here’s How to Claim

Amazon is rumored to be developing its own NFT marketplace, but you don’t have to wait for it—the retail giant is already playing in the NFT space via its Prime Gaming portal, and best of all, the NFTs are totally free for subscribers to claim. If you pay for an Amazon Prime subscription, then there’s already a selection of free NFTs that you can claim and use in current blockchain games. Whether they’re playable characters or special outfits and skins, these freebies are worth grabbing. And wit…

NewsGaming3 min read

Andrew HaywardAug 30, 2023

Aug 29

Did the SEC Just Declare War on NFTs?

On Monday, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced its first-ever enforcement action over the sale of NFTs, fining a Los Angeles-based media company $6 million for selling illegally unregistered securities. But does the action signal an impending crackdown against a broader array of NFT projects? The facts of the case weren’t exactly ambiguous: The fined company, Impact Theory, told potential NFT buyers that “if you’re paying 1.5 [ETH], you’re going to get some massi…

NewsNFTs5 min read

Sander LutzAug 29, 2023

Aug 24

Earl Sweatshirt Drops Surprise Album via Gala Music

For years the rumor swirled, stoked occasionally by the artists it concerned: there existed a secret, never-before-heard album from the rappers Earl Sweatshirt and The Alchemist, and it hid in plain sight. As of midnight, the album isn’t only confirmed to exist; it is now available to stream and own via Gala Music. Prior to tonight’s surprise announcement, Earl—the one-time precocious teenage collaborator of Tyler, the Creator and Frank Ocean—last officially spoke of the album in 2021, when he…

Deep DivesProfiles8 min read

Sander LutzAug 24, 2023

NFL Rivals Game Now Lets You Buy NFTs on iOS and Android

NFL Rivals, an officially licensed mobile football game from Mythical Games, added the ability Thursday to purchase NFT player cards on the secondary market via the iOS and Android apps, integrating a feature that was previously limited to Mythical’s web-based marketplace. The move comes following a recent announcement by Google that it would update its Android Play Store policies to enable NFT purchases and in-app integrations. NFL Rivals players who have reached user level 4 or higher will be…

NewsGaming3 min read

Andrew HaywardAug 24, 2023

Aug 20

NFT Platform Recur to Shut Down Despite $50M Raise and Big Name Backers

The NFT startup Recur said on Friday that its Web3 platform is winding down—unable to weather the chills of crypto winter despite hosting the IP of several big brands like Hello Kitty and Nickelodeon. Over the next several months, Recur’s platform will steadily lose its core features, the firm said in a blog post. That includes the ability for users to withdraw NFTs from Recur, cash out stablecoin balances, and trade collectibles on Recur-hosted marketplaces. “​​This decision has not been an eas…

NewsNFTs3 min read

André BeganskiAug 20, 2023

Aug 18

Mark Cuban, Yuga Labs Lead Backlash Over OpenSea’s NFT Royalties Change

Mark Cuban and Bored Ape Yacht Club creator Yuga Labs were among the major players speaking out Friday against NFT trading platform OpenSea, over the company’s Thursday announcement that it intends to sunset enforcement of creator royalties. “Not collecting and paying royalties on NFT sales is a HUGE mistake by OpenSea,” Cuban, the billionaire tech entrepreneur, wrote on Twitter Friday. “It diminished trust in the platform and hurts the industry.” Cuban’s words generally carry some weight in th…

NewsNFTs3 min read

Sander LutzAug 18, 2023

Meet the DJ Who Wears a CryptoPunk Helmet While He Spins

With today’s launch of his debut single “Angels,” electronic musician Danny Maegaard expects some doubters who are “skeptical of this new kid on the block.” That skepticism only increases when you know this digital native has spent the past couple years performing as Seedphrase, a DJ who wears a large helmet based on his CryptoPunks NFT #8348—arguably the rarest in the entire collection. “At the end of the day, I want to let the music do the talking,” he told Decrypt. “ANGELS” OUT NOW!!! 🔊 Th…

NewsNFTs

Ali ShutlerAug 18, 2023

Aug 17

OpenSea Will Make Creator Royalties Optional for NFT Trades

In its latest pivot on the subject, marketplace OpenSea announced Thursday that it will soon stop enforcing creator royalty fees on secondary sales of NFTs—a development that will impact artists and teams who receive passive income when their work trades hands following the initial sale. Beginning August 31, artists who list new projects on OpenSea will not be able to require buyers to pay a creator fee—a charge, typically ranging from 2.5% to 10%, that’s tacked on to secondary sales of NFTs and…

NewsNFTs

Sander LutzAug 17, 2023

DeGods Co-Founder Departs Amid Falling NFT Prices and Pushback

Finn DeGods, the pseudonymous co-founder of DeLabs—the startup behind the valuable Ethereum NFT profile picture (PFP) collection DeGods and sister project y00ts—said on Wednesday that they would step away from the company after nearly two years. “It’s finally time for me to move on to the next chapter,” Finn said on Twitter, noting that their transition away from the company had begun in July. “I am still bullish on DeGods and y00ts,” they added. Amid headwinds in the NFT market for various PFP…

NewsNFTs

André BeganskiAug 17, 2023

Kevin Returns: Pixelmon’s ‘Horrible Mistake’ Reborn as Base NFT

Crypto exchange Coinbase has brought back the much-memed Pixelmon video game character “Kevin” as an NFT collectible in summer attire—both to celebrate the launch of its new Base network and also to provide various benefits to holders. Minting the collectible—which costs $2 or just under $2 worth of Ethereum (0.001 ETH)—on Ethereum scaling network Base gives buyers entry into a raffle for an in-game NFT egg, “perks” for a planned mini-game on Base, and the ability to purchase a physical Kevin bu…

NewsGaming

Kate IrwinAug 17, 2023

Aug 16

Grimace Forever: McDonald’s Is Giving Away Free NFTs That You Can’t Trade

Fresh off of his pop culture resurgence via purple shakes that launched an inescapable TikTok trend, fast food icon Grimace will next enter the NFT world via a McDonald’s giveaway in Singapore—and the cartoonish profile pictures (PFPs) can’t be traded once minted. Beginning the week of August 21, the regional arm of the restaurant chain will offer up 2,000 total NFT collectibles featuring the global brand’s purple monster wearing varying expressions and accessories, each consisting of a distinct…

NewsNFTs

Andrew HaywardAug 16, 2023

Aug 15

Adidas and BAPE Team for Ultra-Limited Sneakers With Digital Twins

Apparel brands Adidas Originals and BAPE have unveiled a limited-edition sneaker collaboration for the Triple-White Forum 84 BAPE Low, which will be auctioned off and paired with a “digital twin” NFT version of the kicks that can potentially be worn in the metaverse. Supported by the Adidas /// Studio (Three Stripes Studio), the auction will be centered around redeemable NFTs via the Adidas Collect platform. While Adidas has previously launched multiple initiatives around NFTs, this is the first…

NewsNFTs

Stephanie HirschmillerAug 15, 2023

From Art Blocks to Block Art: Snowfro Gets Physical With ‘Heart + Craft’

Nearly a decade ago, Art Blocks founder Erick “snowfro” Calderon began 3D-printing cubes, painting them, and assembling them into hearts that he placed in public spaces. Now, that block art that preceded Art Blocks has inspired a generative art drop that in turn will let collectors assemble their own physical renditions if they see fit. Launching on August 24 via the recently launched Prohibition NFT art platform—which is built on top of the Art Blocks Engine tech suite—“Heart + Craft” is a coll…

NewsNFTs

Andrew HaywardAug 15, 2023

Zepeto, Jump Crypto Joint Venture ZTX Raises $13M for Metaverse Platform on Arbitrum

Prominent South Korean metaverse platform Zepeto is expanding into the blockchain space with its ZTX (ZepetoX) initiative, created in partnership with Jump Crypto—and today, ZTX announced a $13 million seed round led by its venture capital partner. The Jump Crypto-led round includes other investors such as Collab+Currency, Parataxis, MZ Web3 Fund, Everest Ventures Group. Valued at over $1 billion, the mobile-first Zepeto is billed as Asia’s largest “Web2” metaverse platform by active user metric…

NewsGaming

Stephanie HirschmillerAug 15, 2023

Aug 14

Crypto Sleuth ZachXBT Avoids Lawsuit After Backing Off Claims Against NFT Trader

The crypto industry’s best-known blockchain sleuth, the pseudonymous ZachXBT, said on Monday that the defamation lawsuit brought against him by Jeffrey “Machi Big Brother” Huang in June has been dropped. As part of an agreement with Huang, ZachXBT made significant alterations to his published investigation, in the process removing some of the sharper accusations against the entrepreneur and NFT trader while softening the language of some of his claims. “While I am disappointed it went down the l…

NewsBusiness

André BeganskiAug 14, 2023

FarmVille Creator Zynga Reveals First Ethereum NFT Game: Sugartown

Prominent casual and mobile game publisher Zynga announced today that its first blockchain game is called Sugartown, which will utilize Ethereum NFTs. In Sugartown, three farm animals have opened a wormhole from another dimension. Creatures called Oras have crossed through this wormhole and turned Sugartown into a fun, gamified world. The game will be released at “a later date” and will be playable via web browsers only, a Zynga representative told Decrypt via email. Zynga will release 10,000 O…

NewsGaming

Kate IrwinAug 14, 2023

Bitcoin Frontier Fund Launches Accelerator to Boost Ordinals Adoption

The Bitcoin Frontier Fund, formerly known as Stacks Ventures, announced on Monday an accelerator focused on the NFT-like Ordinals, with plans to award several startups with mentorship opportunities and $100,000 seed investments. Led by entrepreneur and influencer Trevor Owens, the Fund aims to foster growth around Ordinals, the Bitcoin-based protocol launched this January by developer Casey Rodarmor that has led to rampant experimentation around crypto’s oldest coin. Ordinals allows for the crea…

NewsNFTs

André BeganskiAug 14, 2023

Aug 11

‘Parallel’ Puts an Epic Sci-Fi Spin on Complex NFT Card Battles

Parallel is an upcoming competitive trading card game (TCG) that lets gamers play as a leader of one of five different “parallels,” or factions, in the context of an epic sci-fi world. Players must battle each other with custom-built decks of 40 cards each, and fight until one player’s main health points (HP) reach zero. While there are already plenty of NFT-powered TCGs in the market or in development, Parallel is one of the few that truly stands out from the crowd with its appealing 3D graphi…

ReviewsGames

Kate IrwinAug 11, 2023

Aug 10