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Super Bowl is not full of crypto ads this time, but it was an advertisement for one NFT-powered game, with a QR code to scan for one of 10,000 free collectibles. The process didn’t quite work out as expected for many viewers – but some of those who found free NFT are flipping it for hundreds of dollars.
Web3 gaming startup Limit Break said it paid $6.5 million for the advertisement, which advertised a free Ethereum NFT mint for its anime-inspired game project, DigiDaigaku. The animated commercial was built around a persistent QR code, which the ad claimed would allow viewers to create (or generate and claim) a free NFT for the game after scanning it.
Unfortunately, many viewers on Crypto Twitter said that scanning the QR code only redirected them to the Twitter profile of Gabriel Leydon, co-founder and CEO of Limit Break. The website address encoded in the code redirects people to Leydon’s Twitter page after a few seconds, so some users may not have seen the first page load before being redirected.
“I dropped everything to watch the Super Bowl for a 30-second ad that would bring generational wealth from a free coin,” tweeted Pseudonymous Crypto Twitter personality ThreadGuy, “and all I got was the ability to follow a mfer on Twitter.”
Others criticized the move as a means of “engagement farming” on Leydon’s part. Some said Leydon tweeted out the mint link before the ad actually ran, while others complained the minting process wasn’t easy enough — users needed an Ethereum wallet to claim NFT, potentially excluding crypto newcomers and mainstream viewers.
“Dude really paid millions on a Super Bowl ad to leak the link on Twitter first and nurture the mass audience their first NFT experience,” tweeted pseudonym YouTuber Popeye. “This could have been huge if it was a super easy onboarding process without creating a wallet etc.”
There are many such complaints on Crypto Twitter – but Limit Break apparently released at least some of the promised 10,000 total Ethereum NFTs for this DigiDaigaku collection – and these free NFTs have been quickly trading hands on secondary markets as the Super Bowl continues.
According to data from the NFT marketplace OpenSea DigiDaigaku Dragon Eggs NFTs traded for over 0.5 ETH (over $750) right after the mint, although the price has dropped and risen again during the game.
The floor price – or the price of the cheapest NFT on a marketplace – fell to about 0.32 ETH (about $485) on OpenSea during the break, but has climbed back to about 0.39 ETH ($585) currently. About 912 ETH (over $1.3 million) in trades have already changed hands since the ad ran.
The fluctuating price may be due in part to uncertainty surrounding a second announced wave of Dragon Eggs NFTs. Leydon has been tweeting about another chance for another 5,000 of the NFTs, which users can become eligible for by registering through the DigiDaigaku website and retweeting one of his tweets. It is unclear whether these NFTs are part of the original total of 10,000 or will be added to that number.
