GM

Yeah, you totally could turn off the pc and leave your room this weekend.

Sounds pretty cringe to me though.

In today’s edition:

• Yuga announced a new Web 3 game (mints soon)

• Two new additions to the Watch List

• Four new drops

Links for the Mint/Watch list drops are HERE.

Did you know?

We have a premium pass that gives you access to a directory of every drop we cover, complete with detailed information on how to get on every whitelist (including those underrated ones that aren’t already full).

And for those curatooors out there, you can get free NFTs just by finding drops that end up on the Mint or Watch list.

Lastly, hang with me and the MoS team in a private discord with weekly voice chats. The vibes are great.

Would you like to be featured in Mint or Skip like the above ☝️ ?

Yuga announced a new Web 3 game (mints soon)

Context

Yuga Labs announced they’re collaborating with nWAY, a cross-platform game studio, on an upcoming Web3 fighting game called Wreck League.

Wreck League will launch on PC and mobile, first as a blockchain game where players can earn and trade NFTs to equip their Mechs, as well as compete in tournaments for NFT prizes.

Later, it’ll launch as a Web2 free-to-play game, where NFT owners can “sell” Web2 copies of their NFT mechs as in-app purchases and share some of the revenue.

The game is set to launch in September. Holders of Yuga assets will get access to rare in-game Mechs, but anyone can join the allowlist for non-Yuga mints here.

Our Take

Sometimes this newsletter talks about gigabrain onchain autonomous worlds with time-based mechanics.

And then other times we just talk about cool robots that can punch other robots.

Maybe we need more of that.

Here’s what I like

Track Record

nWay was started in 2011 and has been exclusively making fighting games for the past decade.

Their strength is cross-platform play, and they’ve been able to create popular licensed games in the past including Power Rangers: Legacy Wars which has over 70 million downloads.

Generally looks like a really solid partner for this type of experience.

Simplicity

The last thing we need is another attempt at a Massive Multiplayer Metaverse.

Instead, Wreck League is taking one of the most classic and narrow genres in gaming: 1 v 1 fighting.

As someone who looks at endless new Web3 game pitches, it’s refreshing to be able to understand what the game actually is without needing to download an extensive whitepaper and lore book (can’t say that for every yuga release).

Sneak peeks look great so far

Wreck League has the polish of a AAA game, including above-average visuals and a refined user interface.

Their livestream demo yesterday also showed off a decent amount of gameplay depth: combos, shield breaks, energy meters, cinematic finisher moves, etc.

Sure, ultra-elitist fight game diehards might find reasons for critique, but overall I think it’s a positive first impression.

Decent shot at going viral

High stakes onchain spectacles are the future and there’s nothing you can do about it.

Fighting games are already a decently popular eSports genre, and soon valuable onchain rewards will add more fuel and intensity to the spectator experience.

What I don’t like

Play-to-earn seems unnecessary

One of the hooks is that players will be able to stock up the in-game store with copies of their NFTs and sell or rent them to Web2 normies.

Normally this type of setup feels like a ponzi-esque red (or at least orange) flag to me.

No doubt it’ll have yield-bro speculators fist pumping, but I just wonder why this needs to be added and why they feel like they should amp up the financialization.

Surely “trade NFTs and compete for onchain rewards” is a good enough hook without needing a rev share?

You need to KYC to mint

Hey kid, want to sign up for the allowlist and buy a cool mech? Just give me your social security and government ID and no one gets hurt.

I’m sure this is mostly out of their hands as they have to comply with regulations, and it looks like the main culprit is the fact that they’re using custodial wallets.

But still, this level of friction is brutal. Imagine Timmy Fortnite asking their mom for a social security number so that he can play this cool real money game he found online.

Bottom line

As a fighting game connoisseur myself (I’m a Falco main in Smash), I can tell you that they’re notoriously difficult to balance and get right.

But I’m hoping for the best because Web3 gaming could use a win right now.

Only reason I’m not ranking this higher is because we still don’t know price/supply.

✨ Added to Watchlist ✨

NOTE: These drops are lightly curated. Our only requirement is that they have recognizable founders. As usual, DYOR. To learn more go here.

Onchain Summer

For avid Crypto Twitter users, Coinbase’s brand new L2, Base, might feel like old news by now, having been the playground for traders this week, many of whom were notoriously rugged. But the party's just getting started according to the company.

To inaugurate the launch celebrations, they’ve launched a free open edition. Shall we call these free editions the “Optimism Special”?

While holding this NFT offers little benefit, the mint prompts you to import the L2’s settings into your wallet, making for an easier onboarding as the network gears up for a multi-week onchain festival starting on August 9th, with daily mints throughout the month (I do like the sound of that).

Mint’s open until August 31st.

Untitled sovrn.art drop by MLO

Another sovrn.art drop has crossed my desk, this one from Canada-based artist Martin Lukas Ostachowski, a.k.a. MLO.

The artist has notable collectors and is exceedingly OG, with NFT art drops that span all the way back to 2018.

We don’t have drop details yet, but if it looks anything like his Video Sketches series, I’m into it. Also, why do I keep hearing 90’s dance music in my head while staring at these jpegs?

Ohayo Labs

Ohayo Labs is a creative project by Ceejay Xiong (a.k.a. ricefarmer), a software engineer and prominent BAYC community member on Twitter.

The drop is comprised of AI-generated anime PFPs, which might be manually edited, given the overall cleanliness and low number of AI artifacts. And I must say, I’m a fan of how these look.

But the question looms: What’s the value of AI art when one might be able to produce very similar outputs using your average $12 per month AI subscription model (not saying that’s what’s been used here)?

Ordinals Gang

For the inscribooors, behold Ordinals Gang, a set of 21 Bitcoin inscriptions crafted by ordinally, a core developer on the official Ordinals team who’s often deep in the trenches working on the protocol alongside its leads.

The collection features unique AI-generated characters inscribed on February 1st, 2023 which make up inscriptions #558 to #578, meaning these are some of the oldest inscriptions ever, and they have yet to be sold (although ordinally and his team have sold out other inscriptions in the meantime).

Now, I’d be lying if I said I found the art compelling, but the team seems to be genuinely attempting to build lore around these characters. They are some of the earliest Ordinal artifacts, and on top of that, they have additional legitimacy by virtue of being made by one of the protocol’s core developers, so I’ve…

✨ Added to Watch List ✨

The Mint List

1. Taproot Wizards. OG Bitcoin meme inscribed as ordinals

2. 10KTF PFP. Drop from a team that includes Yuga and Beeple

3. Project Animus. RTFKT's biggest launch since Clone-X

4. Shadow Hats. Ordinals drop from the creators of Forgotten Runes

5. Symbiogenesis. Square Enix's upcoming gaming NFT

6. Genesis SFT Pass. Digital anime collectibles from a notable team

7. LUCI: Chapter 5. Follow-up from artist with esteemed collector base

8. Quasi Dragons. Innovative drop from an Art Blocks veteran

9. Studies in Color…. Art drop from a pioneer and museum exhibitor

10. Memeland [TBC]. High-value treasure MVPs minting on BTC