2021 has been a great year for digital worlds. We all have seen the way how video games, music, art, and publishing industries have shaped the way the world consumes entertainment. Books, songs, movies, and even alternative lives are what move the digital economy nowadays. NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens) are also starting to shape this new economy. NTFs have opened the door for brands to reach out to younger audiences through collectibles.
NFTs seem to be the new way of acquiring unique and exclusive property over virtual objects as they can store value just like their real counterparts.
This was the year where traditionally conservative brands, like Gucci and Nike, dipped their feet into the virtual sea and saw the immense potential of this new economy.
Gucci was the first to give this a try, holding a virtual event on the Roblox platform called The Gucci Garden Experience. They allowed Roblox users to enter and try exclusive patterns and textures unique to the Gucci brand. They also sold virtual replicas of their items on the platform, and one of their signature bags sold for more than $4,000, greatly surpassing the price of the real-world version. We can now see thousands of Roblox users sporting exclusive Gucci accessories while they play or interact in the platform, giving these blockchain-based items an enhanced value: NFTs can be cross-platformed.
This has sparked a sudden interest among exclusive designers and artists who now see a way to store the value of their work. We have seen an explosion in the NFT market as graphic artists, illustrators and developers are now contributing with their craft to enrich the virtual world. NFTs are still relatively new to us, but they already seem to be making waves. Last December, an artists collective called the Crazy Noodles Gang started a collection of precisely 4747 non-fungible-tokens named Samurai Cats NTFs. They are based on the Ethereum blockchain for added security and uniqueness. The collective is led by Japanese artist Hiro Ando, known for his amazing work focused on marrying traditional Japanese culture with modern pop archetypes.
The collection has been greeted with great success, drawing the attention of successful artists and celebs around the world.
Right before the year was over, successful American DJ, artist, and physical collector of Hiro Ando´s figures, Steve Aoki, took a stab at the NFT world by investing in Crazy Noodles Gang´s virtual collection. The move has been pretty well received, garnering more than 14k kudos on his Instagram page, and drawing the attention of many towards digital art investment.
Find out more about Crazy Noodles Gang’s collection by visiting www.samuraicats.io or follow the artist on Instagram at @hiroandoofficial
