As the digital metaverse welcomes the up-and-coming NFT world, the creators of the Bored Ape Yacht Club took the opportunity to create something different. Now they are going viral and gaining huge success – here’s why.
Many wear blasé expressions or toothy grimaces. Some have cigarettes dangling from their mouths or the red eyes of the deeply stoned.
In an interview with Verge, the Bored Ape co-founder, Gargamel said:
“We were thinking, we have this club, this dive bar, what kind of people do we imagine would go into this bar? Who do we want? What kind of club would we ourselves want to be a part of? After a long night of brainstorming, it came to Gordon in a dream.”
However, with the massive popularity in growth, the faces of the NFT apes are now changing in style- some have different facial expressions while others have more variations with the eyes. Not one ape looks alike. They even have various forms of rarity traits.
They can be found on the largest marketplace for digital art- OpenSea or on their own personal website which at first glance is like stepping into a real-life downtown bar. The artwork scene is utterly breathtaking.
According to their website, “the lowest-priced avatar is priced at 39 ETH, which equates to over $126 000.” Within a day after the launch, all ten thousand Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) images had sold out.
This NFT has specifically caused a cultural wave within the growing NFT community. The New Yorker said, “that the Bored Ape Yacht Club was one of the first NFT projects that truly brought the world of digital art and the idea of a community together.”
This was because the artwork resonated with individuals. Some see specific traits or characteristics of the ape avatar within themselves. From these connections came a massive urge to collect.
When choosing your character, viewers have the option of either choosing a specific one you like through a category filter system or the website can completely randomise the NFT apes in a rotating slideshow sequence. That way you won’t know which ape you will receive, making some art pieces rare to get.
So far the Bored Ape Yacht Club has raked in around 20 000 community members who devote their time collecting and admiring the art. Even using them as ways to express themselves on social media, profile pictures or hilarious memes.
Hollywood is jumping on the NFT trade by collaborating this digital art with brands, advertisements, video games and more.
“Many people still have not heard of Yuga, yet they are one of the highest-grossing talents of the year from any art form, including music and film.” – Variety
So far, the generative NFT model has worked.
Explore the Bored Ape Yacht Club here.