The world of NFT has been full of stories of success with projects like Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) and CryptoPunks often making the headlines. Unfortunately, despite being advertised as an ecosystem designed to empower artists and creators, the NFT ecosystem has failed to do so.
In recent days, BAYC launched its Otherside collection, which has already seen more than $558 million in transactions and crashed the Ethereum Network. The success of BAYC is well-known to people in and out of the blockchain and crypto spaces, with celebrities like Stephen Curry, Paris Hilton, Justin Bieber, Snoop Dogg, and Eminem all supporting the project. The founders of BAYC are also well known in the space. However, how many people know the name of the artists behind the project?
Unless you go looking through Yuga Lab’s official post on how the project started, you won’t hear much about the freelance illustrators behind the original collection. While Gargamel, Gordon, Tomato, and Sass did give credit to the artists in the post, most media and investors are not even interested in learning who they are or supporting their own creative efforts.
BAYC and other NFT projects are not about the artists behind them but about the project and community itself. The truth is that the NFT space is a wildland in which most new and innovative creators fail to make a name for themselves, an issue that has been perpetuated by platforms and companies. As Anil Dash, one of those who helped invent NFTs, told The Atlantic: “Most of the start-ups and platforms used to sell NFTs today are no more innovative than any random website selling posters.”
CollectCoin is a project looking to change this reality by offering talented and innovative creators a means to be discovered in a space full of noise. Founded by Emily Bocanegra and Didi Gooco in 2021, the company has built a team of artists, programmers, and game developers to create unique NFT-powered art and games. The company has a heavy focus on gathering and helping unknown talent with humble beginnings be discovered and make a name for themselves in the NFT space.
The company’s ethos is the result of Emily and Didi’s passion to give back to the community after having become major players in their respective industries. They started developing the project back in September of 2021 before a colleague pulled out, eventually growing to have 12 talented staff members to help them transform their vision into a reality.
The first project by the CollectCoin team is Cryptic Genie Society, a game in which players and collectors can own one of the 9,888 unique hand-drawn genies, using them to gain access to a virtual world known as “The Dungeon”. The project aims to be a 3D metaverse-ready game that offers strong community-focused perks and experiences. Cryptic Genie Society will have a token utility, as well as offer a $50,000 raffle prize, an extravagant token holder party, and lastly, a trip for one (and a companion) around the globe.
Other projects by CollectCoin include NFT Music Bytes, which seeks to collaborate with music artists; 1G1F NFT, which aims to end the foster care housing bed crisis through NFTs; and the development of Metaverse for the skateboard, apparel, and coffee industries.