Pudgy Penguins signs with WME, Bitblox to create Web3 gambling games and more
Blue chip nonfungible token (NFT) project Pudgy Penguins has signed a representation deal with major Hollywood talent agency William Morris Endeavor (WME).
According to an announcement via Twitter on May 5, Pudgy Penguins wants to spread its intellectual property across film, television and games.
Pudgy Penguins joins a growing list of major NFT projects that have sought out Hollywood representation deals as a way to expand their brands and audiences. WME’s other NFT-related clients include Dapper Labs co-founder Mack Flavelle, the Boss Beauties project, pseudonymous NFT artist FEWOCiOUS, and artist Claire Silver.
Pudgy Penguins is the twenty-first best-selling NFT project of all time, according to data from CryptoSlam. Since its launch in July 2021, it has generated sales of $250.2 million in secondary markets.
Last month, the project was acquired by Luca Netz of Netz Capital for 750 Ether (ETH), worth around $2.5 million at the time of purchase on April 3rd.
Pudgy Penguins has gradually developed a Web3 ecosystem and community around the project and has already made some moves to bring the intellectual property into the mainstream.
In late March, the project launched soft physical Pudgy Penguin figurines with certificates of authenticity and proof of ownership registered on Ethereum.
Bitblox to build Web3 gambling games
New blockchain game studio Bitblox has launched to build a suite of Web3 gambling games on the Solana-based Hxro Network: a distributed liquidity layer for derivatives trading and gaming applications.
The online gambling industry was worth approximately $63.5 billion in 2022 and is projected to grow 11.7% annually from 2023 to 2030, according to Grand View Research.
In an announcement on May 4, Bitblox Games stated that it would focus on developing player-to-player games built around skill and speed, where players bet against each other rather than the “house”, as in a casino.
“Blockchain-based gaming brings additional transparency to gaming operators while giving players the ability to bet in new and engaging ways,” said Bitblox CEO Brandt Page.
Specific games have yet to be announced; however, more information is likely to come later this month, with Bitblox debuting at the CasinoBeats Summit 2023 in Malta between May 23 and May 25.
Related: A New Frontier for Collectibles: Preserving Music History in NFTs with Legends of Rock
Generative art via Unreal Engine
NFT infrastructure and ecosystem developer Palm NFT Studio has launched a new tool via Epic Games’ Unreal Engine, enabling creators to create generative “game-ready” 3D assets and art collections.
The tool is called “Palm Generative Art Maker.” It provides a simplified process for people to create generative art and assets, which is usually quite complicated for creators who are not well versed in coding.
The tool was launched on May 4 and is available for download as an Unreal Engine plugin.
It enables users to develop a concept in the plugin and then port the assets into Unreal Engine 5.1 to fine-tune and add post-processing details. From there, they can stamp the assets as NFTs on the blockchain.
Interest in generative art has increased alongside the growth of the NFT sector over the past couple of years, with profile picture and avatar-based projects such as CryptoPunks helping to popularize the method. At the same time, NFT art projects such as Tyler Hobb’s Fidenza have also fueled interest in the computer-based art style.
Digital Star Wars toys on Flow
NFT startup Cryptoys has unveiled the upcoming launch of Star Wars digital collectibles on the Flow blockchain, home to major NFT projects like NBA Top Shot.
The NFT collectibles, or “digital toys,” will release on May 24, with the artwork having a similar design to Funko Pop figures. Each token will be priced at $39.99 apiece in a randomized “blind box,” where the buyer will not know what grade they received until after the purchase.
The NFTs will feature characters such as Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia. They will come in different rarity levels, from common to rare, legendary, “Grail” and “Ultra Grail.”
Other good news
Kenya’s lawmakers are considering introducing a 3% tax on crypto and NFT transfers and a 15% tax on monetized online content, according to a new bill introduced on May 4.
The former OpenSea executive accused of insider trading of NFTs was convicted on May 3 of wire fraud and money laundering in a New York federal court.
Blade: NFT art pioneer wants to upload her brain so she can live forever: Josie Bellini, NFT Creator
