Some Of The Most Impressive NFT Projects of 2022
•QQL is an Ethereum generative art NFT collection created by Tyler Hobbs and Dandelion Wist that sold $17 million worth of NFT mint passes upon launch.
• Proof of Merge is a side project by Andreessen Horowitz staffers Mason Hall and Michael Blau that created “Proof of Merge” dynamic Ethereum NFTs to celebrate the event.
• Launched in 2021, the Nouns NFT project and corresponding DAO continued to build on their premise of community governance and open-source IP creation.
• Shibuya aims to become the “A24 of Web3” by selling NFTs as voting chips of sorts, yielding a community that collectively decides how storylines develop while funding future projects in the process.
• Artist Emily “pplpleasr” Yang has a new vision for the future of cinema — and she’s using NTFS to fund it.
• Goblintown was launched with “No roadmap. No Discord. No utility,” per the project, and from a free mint came some $96 million worth
If you’ve been following the blockchain and cryptocurrency space, then chances are you’ve heard about non-fungible tokens (NFTs). NFTs have been around for years, but they exploded in popularity in 2021. As a result, we saw an onslaught of projects popping up in 2022. But which projects were the most impressive? Here is our list of the most innovative and memorable NFT projects of 2022.
DeGods
While Ethereum NFTs still dominate the market by total volume traded, Solana NFTs are making waves and gaining traction thanks to buzzy NFT collections like DeGods. Created by the recently-doxxed entrepreneur who goes by “Frank,” DeGods is a collection of profile picture NFTs on Solana that offers a number of different benefits to holders. After its fumbled launch in late 2021,
This year has seen the meteoric rise of Frank and team’s DeGods NFT project. Despite a rocky launch back in late 2021, the project had ramped up significantly with bold artistic upgrades, encouraging daily interactivity through DUST tokens, and even securing a controlling stake in Ice Cube’s BIG3 basketball league! It’s such moves that have pushed DeGods to become one of the most valuable Solana projects rivaling Ethereum behemoths in terms of USD value. Even more impressive is its branching out into the y00ts project this fall, cementing its stronghold on the NFT market.
Frank and team stepped up the “social experimentation,” relaunching with upgraded artwork and offering daily DUST tokens as incentives. This propelled DeGods to become the most valuable Solana NFT project this summer, challenging Ethereum projects in terms of USD value. To capitalize on this hype, they rolled out y00ts — another well-received NFT series — and Dust Labs raised $7 million as well. In 2023, however, Frank dropped a bombshell: DeGods will be bridged to Ethereum while y00ts is bridged to Polygon. With these moves, time will tell whether the projects (and Solana) benefit or suffer from them.
Shibuya
Emily “pplpleasr” Yang, an artist and innovator, has a vision of the future of cinema that utilizes Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) to fund projects. This project is known as Shibuya and its intent is to create “A24” of the Web3 world. Purchasing NFTs will give purchasers voting rights where the collective decides how a storyline develops while helping finance future endeavors. In the month of December 2020, Shibuya was able to acquire $6.9 million in money from capital investors like a1z6 and Variant Fund for their mission.
Their initial project is an anime series called “White Rabbit”. In this journey, a central figure explores a mystical realm related to cryptocurrency. Pllpleasr hopes to improve content of the Web3 sphere which she said “is just bad” with not enough tastemakers at play. With this momentum we are confident that more quality content produced by reputable tastemakers will arise in no time!
QQL
Have you heard about QQL? It’s an Ethereum generative art Non-Fungible Token (NFT) collection created by Tyler Hobbs and Dandelion Wist. The project has been making waves in the NFT space, having sold over $17 million worth of mint passes within its launch week despite the crypto bear market.
What differentiates QQL from other NFTs is that it allows buyers of the mint pass to shape the final artwork they turn into an NFT. Through a finely-tuned algorithm deployed to the blockchain, buyers can play around with various colorful circles large and small to create a mesmerizing image. This level of interactivity and engagement gives holders a chance to become artists themselves, as well as gamifying the entire NFT minting process.
Another interesting feature of QQL is that when artwork generated by an individual is resold, they get a small share of royalties from each transaction. This encourages users to explore their creativity through the project, as it provides them with a financial incentive for doing so. This could potentially lead to more users participating in creating art through QQL, further driving up demand for these digital pieces of art.
QQL certainly stands out among other projects in the Non-Fungible Token space due to its interactive nature and rewards structure. It has set up a new paradigm for creators who are looking to engage with their audiences while also monetizing their work. If you’re at all interested in collecting or creating your own digital artwork, be sure to check out what QQL has to offer!
Proof of Merge
Hall and Blau’s Proof of Merge project is an innovative way to celebrate the much-anticipated Ethereum merge. Through dynamic Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), users are granted “proof of attendance” as a way to recognize their participation in the Web3 space prior to the completion of the process. These tokens utilize a ‘smart contract’ that holds code to power autonomous decentralized applications (dapps) and constantly update their metadata in real time with the various stages of the original data split — switching from entirely separate, black and white circles, to partly merged circles, and finally ending with a Yin-Yang symbol that pays homage to an Ethereum panda bear meme. It is remarkable how blockchain technology can be used in creative ways like this for commemorative purposes.
Reddit Avatars
Reddit recently launched a new type of digital art called “Collectible Avatars.” These avatars depict small humanoid aliens and come in two forms; a gold one, which appears to be on a trading card, and a black and white one with eyes all over its body also appears to be on a trading card. The launch has been immensely popular with users of the Reddit community, earning them the nickname “Snoos” and leading to many being rewarded for free by Reddit. The sheer numbers behind the NFTs are staggering with more than 7 million minted on Polygon and 5.3 million unique holders; this makes it one of the most successful NFT launches to date and bodes well for both the adoption of Polygon’s Ethereum sidechain as well as the NFT industry as a whole.
Goblintown
Goblintown NFTs have taken the crypto space by storm. Launched with ‘No roadmap. No Discord. No utility,” the project went viral shortly after the collapse of the Terra blockchain, providing some much-needed levity and humor amidst a struggling crypto community. Filled with moaning, incoherent characters engaging in questionable activities (fecal matter and pretended drunkenness included), these NFTs have captured the attention of crypto degens since May 2021, eventually leading to over $96 million worth of secondary market trading. While their artwork is certainly less than appealing, they are a testament to how irreverent humor can be the driving force behind one of the wildest NFT trends of 2022.
Nouns
Launched in 2021, the Nouns NFT project and corresponding DAO have been making waves. This ambitious collection auctions off a pixelated Noun profile picture (PFP) NFT every day and has amassed a huge war chest of funds — with 29,150 ETH in its treasury (the equivalent of about $37.8 million). The treasury funds are decided on by the Noun holders themselves who vote on project proposals which range from promoting Nouns at crypto conferences to charitable efforts and even prestigious initiatives such as bringing the Nouns to New York Fashion Week.
Mainstream brands have even been granted a Noun; Bud Light was one of them this year, using its “Noun glasses” in a Super Bowl ad campaign. In order to produce an abundance of creative content and promote open-source IP creation, all IP related to the collection is released under Creative Commons CC0 license — a license that ensures any value accrued returns directly back to the original holder of the NFT.
Many NFT projects came and went but these successful projects have shown what it takes to be a project that has longevity and value.
