NFT Innovation Digest #15

Most innovative (author's pick)

Fractal, the gaming-focused NFT marketplace founded by Twitch co-founder Justin Kan, officially launched. Fractal is a primary and secondary market for NFTs that have in-game utilities.
first of all: we are live šhttps://t.co/y2yO4R7Ty2
— fractal āļø (@fractalwagmi) December 30, 2021
More:
- The platform initially launched on Solana but intends to add multi-chain operability in the future. 2% of the sales will go to the platform;
- Fractal initially partnered with Solana-based games such as the RPG Genopets, the shooter-stye game Nyan Heroes and the multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) Solchicks;
- In addition to the marketplace, Fractal plans to help companies to include NFTs in their games to have a more impactful launch and build bigger communities.
Most discussed

OpenDAO (with no relation to OpenSea) launched its $SOS token airdrop. Users who have made a transaction on OpenSea before 23rd December were eligible to claim the airdrop.
More:
- According to the OpenDAO website, the goal of the project is "to pay tribute, to protect, to promote" the NFT community;
- 20% of the $SOS token will be used to compensate scam victims on OpenSea, supports artists and NFT communities and provide grants to developers;
- The total number of transactions has 30% weight, and the transaction volume has 70% weight for the token distribution, meaning that users with higher transaction volumes will receive more tokens.

Ethereum co-founder Taylor Gerring purchased a Mega Mutant Serum for 888 ETH ($3.6 million) and live-streamed the Mega Mutant Ape reveal. The Mega Mutant Serum is part of the Bored Ape Chemistry Club and comes in 3 tiers: M1, M2, and M3; with M3 being the rarest of them all.
Attention all Apes, Mutants and Doggos, ITāS HAPPENING!!! Join us Tuesday night at 9PM ET to watch @TaylorGerring chug the M3 live on Twitch (video) & Spaces (audio) with @tropoFarmer, @Herb_Castillo and friends! Come for throwbacks and chugs! š§Ŗš¦https://t.co/3uLduiAKXf
— Farokh.ethįµįµ (@farokh) December 27, 2021
Mainstream Adoption

Ferrari partnered with Swiss blockchain startup Velas to issue exclusive digital content for its fans. Velas will also be the main sponsor for Ferrari Esports Series, the online series competing in the F1 Esports Series.
The next chapter is coming š Today, Velas officially partnered with Scuderia Ferrari. Thanks to both the @ScuderiaFerrari and @VelasBlockchain teams for such fantastic work you have done together.
— Farkhad S (@SFarkhad) December 27, 2021
Don't miss our updates to know moreš pic.twitter.com/X6NuVkKCkR
More:
- Vela is an open-source blockchain that mixes features of centralized and decentralized tools;
- āVelas has introduced an innovative variety of pioneering technology into the blockchain and associated products, which will now be showcased at the pinnacle of motorsportā according to Vela's CEO, Farkhad Shagulyamov.

GameStop created an NFT website soliciting applications from NFT creators. The application form asks for the applicant whether they have created any NFTs in the past and whether they have plans for NFTs to be created in collaboration with GameStop.
More:
- GameStop's NFT marketplace has been under development for several months, with a job post in April 2021 and another batch in October 2021;
- A launch date for the marketplace has not been yet announced, but this week's update revealed that GameStop will āopen up [NFT] minting access on a rolling basisā.
New products and ideas

According to Kraken CEO, the forthcoming platform will enable NFT-collateralized loans. The company has plans to offer custody services for NFTs and the possibility to use the assets as collateral for loans.
More:
- The company would take the NFT activity "off-chain", to minimize minting and transaction fees at the cost of decentralization;
- Other big exchanges are heading into NFTs, such as Coinbase, FTX and Binance, all with plans for launching an NFT marketplace.

ProShares, a popular issuer of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) is seeking to launch a Metaverse-themed fund including Apple, Nvidia, and āāMeta stocks.
More:
- On 29th November, two Canadian companies, Evolve Funds Group and Horizons ETFs Management started trading their Metaverse ETFs on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

The cross-game avatar platform Ready Player Me has raised a $13 million funding round led by venture capital firm Taavet+Sten. The company creates tools for developers to sell in-game items as NFTs, adding a layer of interoperability to the emerging virtual fashion space.
More:
- Ready Player Me has the goal for users to maintain the same consistent avatar and identity across different virtual worlds, serving as a āconnective passport for the Metaverseā;
- Already 1,000 companies are using its items on their platform, including names like Warner Brothers, Dior and New Balance;
- āBuilding a good avatar system takes six months, 12 months of time, so we take that pain away from developers by doing the work for them. We want to unify the outer layers of virtual worlds to make for a smoother user experienceā said Ready Player Me CEO, Timmu TƵke.
Recommended Readings/Watchings
- Trends to Watch: NFT Collectibles: This inside.com issue explores the trends in NFT collectibles in 2021 and what to expect for 2022;
- GameFi apps revived interest in blockchain gaming: Huobi Research: This research by Huobi dives into the rising interest on blockchain gaming.
New podcasts and shows
- NFT NOW Podcast: In this episode, the NFT NOW funding team reviews the year of 2021 for NFTs and whatās in store for 2022 and beyond;
- Unchained Podcast: In this episode, the NFT OG Mitchell F. Chan explains why he has released only one NFT project this year and how NFTs are transforming the traditional art world.
NFT space in numbers
The values below are from 24th - 30th December 2021. Source: DappRadar.
Top Marketplaces
Marketplace | Blockchain | Volume | Traders |
---|---|---|---|
OpenSea | ETH, Polygon | $605.18M +17.6% |
185,919 -0.43% |
Axie Infinity | ETH, RONIN | $45.73M -15.75% |
149,592 -6.44%% |
CryptoPunks | ETH | $42.65M +53.43% |
172 +42.15% |
Magic Eden | Solana | $33.47M -27.68% |
43,896 -8.9% |
BloctoBay | FLOW | $17.87M +18.73% |
1,525 -60.07% |
Top Sales
NFT | Collection | Price |
---|---|---|
Mega Mutant Serum | Bored Ape Chemistry Club | $3.75M 999 WETH |
Bored Ape Yacht Club #3562 | Bored Ape Yacht Club | $1.64M 430 ETH |
Bored Ape Yacht Club #6436 | Bored Ape Yacht Club | $601.09k 157.99 WETH |
Bored Ape Yacht Club #8827 | Bored Ape Yacht Club | $536.14k 140 ETH |
Bored Ape Yacht Club #4628 | Bored Ape Yacht Club | $382.96k 100 ETH |
Top Collections
Collection | Volume | Traders | Sales |
---|---|---|---|
Mutant Ape Yacht Club | $74.25M +387.87% |
2,202 +190.5% |
1,638 +242.68% |
Axie Infinity | $45.77M -15.77% |
149,627 ā6.04% |
318,967 -8.69% |
CryptoPunks | $43.27M -32.54% |
173 +46.61% |
145 +70.59% |
Bored Ape Yacht Club | $42.99M +97.54% |
276 +73.58% |
155 +74.16% |
Vox Collectibles | $19.65M +179.65% |
980 +84.21% |
964 +115.18% |
The Sandbox | $16.85M -13.84% |
2,284 -32.61% |
2,425 -42.66% |
Art Blocks | $16.54M +55.28% |
3,218 +12.4% |
3,775 +30.94% |
Bored Ape Chemistry Club | $13.64M +359.48% |
186 +69.09% |
126 +24.75% |
Doodles V4 | $11.91M +48.62% |
818 +12.67% |
557 +14.37% |
Bored Ape Kennel Club | $11.6M +967.4% |
932 +556.34% |
655 +627.78% |