Metaversal is a Bankless newsletter for weekly level-ups on NFTs, virtual worlds, & collectibles
Dear Bankless Nation,
If you scan around, there are some amazing upstart NFT projects that have been on the rise lately.
So while talks of “NFTs finally being dead” have been churning in mainstream circles in recent weeks, creatives and dreamers in our ecosystem simply continue to press on and do great work undeterred by all the noise.
That said, I’m always on the hunt for interesting work around NFTs, and I’ve been exploring a handful of newer projects that are impressing me lately.
Want to know what they are? Let’s walk through ‘em for today’s Metaversal!
-WMP
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New NFT projects to watch!
1) Archipelago
What it is: Created by Art Blocks aficionados, Archipelago is an NFT marketplace that has been custom-tailored for all things generative art. The project’s been live for a little over a week at the time of this post’s writing, and in that short span the platform has already received many rave reviews for its elegant and unprecedented design elements.
Why it matters: Other NFT marketplaces leave much to be desired when it comes to meeting the nuances of the ecosystem’s blossoming generative art scene. In specifically catering to the needs of generative art fans, Archipelago accordingly stands to become a considerable hub of activity in the NFT space in short order.
2) Astaria
What it is: Spearheaded by former Sushi chief technical officer Joseph Delong, Astaria is an upcoming NFT lending protocol that will use a novel peer-to-pool approach and center around three types of stakeholders: appraisers, borrowers, and lenders.
Why it matters: The NFT lending project scene has been swelling over the last year as projects have been racing to achieve product-market fit. There’s tons of demand in this arena and more than a few projects working on the problem already, but it doesn’t seem anyone has decisively “cracked the code” yet. Astaria’s unprecedented design may end up representing a leap forward for the space.
3) Bueno
What it is: Bueno is a suite of no-code tools for NFT creators, with the project’s first flagship product being its NFT Generator feature. This resource lets you upload art layers, e.g. from Photoshop, and then personally and simply customize the rules and rarities of your NFT collection. The project is also on the verge of releasing a no-code Smart Contract Deployer tool, so you can readily customize your art and deploy your NFT contract all from the Bueno hub.
Why it matters: Bueno’s tools will make it vastly easier for non-technical creatives to deploy their own advanced NFT projects, which may help lead to the NFT ecosystem expanding considerably in the years ahead.
4) ClubNFT
What it is: ClubNFT is an NFT infrastructure project led by longtime cryptoart expert and creator Artnome, who has personally lost priceless NFTs over time due to early collections using private servers that have been lost forever. However, private servers are still in use by many contemporary NFT efforts! ClubNFT helps you check which of your NFTs face storage risks and back them up for posterity.
Why it matters: People buy NFTs expecting that they can access them indefinitely. That’s why many folks are in for rude awakenings going forward if they don’t take proactive solutions now to backup their vulnerable NFTs. ClubNFT makes that process easy, and in turn the platform is poised to foster a resilient NFT ecosystem for years to come.
5) Spores
What it is: Spores is a music NFT remixer app built atop the Zora protocol. The project lets users remix music NFTs and then store these remixes as “Spores” on the IPFS data storage network.
Why it matters: Sometimes lost in all the hubbub of web3 is whether decentralized apps are actually fun or not. And for me, Spores passed the fun test in a big way. I found myself playing with the project for over an hour the other day, just zoning out and enjoying my little music NFT DJing fest. I’d love to see more creative and delightful projects like this, and if Spores is an early indication, we’ll be seeing plenty more where that came from.
Action steps
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🔥 Explore the Archipelago, Astaria, Bueno, ClubNFT, and Spores NFT projects
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👛 Check out my latest Bankless tactic, How to earn yield on your NFTs
Author Bio
William M. Peaster is a professional writer and creator of Metaversal—a Bankless newsletter focused on the emergence of NFTs in the cryptoeconomy. He’s also recently been contributing content to Bankless, JPG, and beyond!
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Not financial or tax advice. This newsletter is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. This newsletter is not tax advice. Talk to your accountant. Do your own research.
Disclosure. From time-to-time I may add links in this newsletter to products I use. I may receive commission if you make a purchase through one of these links. Additionally, the Bankless writers hold crypto assets. See our investment disclosures here.
