Metaversal is a Bankless newsletter for weekly level-ups on NFTs, virtual worlds, & collectibles

Dear Bankless Nation,

I’ll be taking the last week of the year off like I did in 2021, so this is the final Metaversal of 2022!

To be sure, the past 12 months have made for a crazy ride, with both setbacks and advances aplenty around the crypto ecosystem depending on where you look. 

In considering everything that’s happened, one of my overriding takeaways from 2022 is that the NFT space is now quantitatively and qualitatively teeming with compelling apps and projects like never before. 

This progress will keep snowballing into bigger advances!

We NFTers really have so much to be excited about heading into the new year, but in the meantime I hope you all have a safe and relaxing holiday season with your loved ones. 

For now, let’s catch you up on the past week’s NFT headlines in this EOY Friday recap — thanks for reading everyone, happy holidays ✌️🎄

-WMP

🙏 Sponsor: Uniswap Labs — Better Prices, More Listings: NFTs on Uniswap✨

📣 General NFT News

• Bankless released the final piece of the Genesis Collection of Bankless Collectibles, “Endgame” ft. Vitalik Buterin:

Bankless @BanklessHQ

Endgame with @VitalikButerin An episode that instantiates Ethereum’s roadmap. And Vitalik’s most popular appearance on Bankless. The final episode in the Genesis Collection 🦋 Episode V – Friday, 12pm EST 🔽 collectibles.bankless.com

6:14 PM ∙ Dec 22, 2022

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• Blur, the NFT marketplace aggregator, recalculated its Airdrop 2 rewards. 

• Coinbase Ventures published an awesome primer on web3 social media. 

• hildobby, a data specialist, published an excellent NFT Wash Trading on Ethereum report. 

• Zora Editions helped ~5,800 creators release 1.3 million NFT editions this year:

🌜🌞🌛 @ourZORA

Editions: 2022 Review zora.co

10:33 PM ∙ Dec 21, 2022

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77Likes18Retweets

🏆 Digital Collectibles

• Shinsei Galverse started production of an anime based on its IP. 

• Tessera hosted an auction for 250 “Raes” originated from CryptoPunk 8154:

TESSERA @tessera

She… she’s beautiful 🥲 Don’t forget to set a remindooooor – Thursday, 12p EST – 250 Raes – Starting price .277 – Implied valuation 69 ETH – LFG

2:55 PM ∙ Dec 21, 2022

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• Yuga Labs, the parent company of the BAYC ecosystem, hired former Activision Blizzard (ATVI) President and COO Daniel Alegre. 

  • Yuga Labs also launched The Trial of Jimmy the Monkey, a new lore event for the BAYC universe. 

• Wassies rolled out 3D VRM avatars for all holders. 

🎨 Cryptoart

• Dmitri Cherniak’s The Wrapture finished its year-long collector experiment with collectors successfully maintaining the series at 50 editions. Accordingly, Cherniak auctioned The Wrapture #7 to fund gastroesophageal cancer research at Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto:

NFTstatistics.eth @punk9059

‘@dmitricherniak launched “Wrapture” last Dec w just 50 NFTs. If anyone listed or sold one, he would increase the supply to 666 outputs. Otherwise it would stay at 50. The year ended & no one listed. To commemorate, Dmitri sold one he owned on auction. It went for 169 ETH.

3:54 AM ∙ Dec 22, 2022

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🎮 Decentralized Gaming

• Axie Infinity passed its Google Play Store review and launched its new Axie Accessories system:

Axie Infinity | #AxieOrigins @AxieInfinity

1/ 🌲 Axie Accessories are LIVE! ❄️ This Holiday Season, release axies and receive limited-edition accessories! Welcome to Axie Core. 🎁 | app.axieinfinity.com/lunacian-expre… Watch the cinematic trailer and let’s dive in 👇🧵 (🔊on )

6:27 AM ∙ Dec 20, 2022

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• BLVKHVND, an esports DAO, proposed transitioning to a Nounish DAO format. 

• Pirate Nation introduced 3D Voxel Pirates.

💽 Music NFTs

• musicben.eth published an awesome recap thread covering the rise of music NFTs in 2022. 

• Sound added support for liking songs and playlists. 

🌐 Virtual Worlds

• Decentraland introduced its beta for Decentraland Worlds, which facilitates personal virtual spaces for people who don’t own LAND tokens:

Decentraland @decentraland

Introducing Decentraland Worlds Beta 🌎 Worlds are your own 3D Space in the Metaverse A place for Decentraland citizens to build, experiment, and host events and even interactive experiences without owning LAND. 🎉 decentraland.org/blog/announcem… How #DCLWorlds works ⬇️

decentraland.orgIntroducing Decentraland Worlds Beta: Your Own 3D Space in the MetaverseWorlds, personal virtual spaces separate from Genesis City, are now available at no additional cost for anyone with a Decentraland NAME…

10:30 PM ∙ Dec 21, 2022

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194Likes61Retweets

💎 DeFi x NFTs

• Uniswap added support for fiat onramping via MoonPay to its web app:

Uniswap Labs 🦄 @Uniswap

1/ Go direct to DeFi 🚄 Starting today, you can now purchase crypto on the Uniswap Web App using a credit/debit card or bank transfer at the best rates in web3 thanks to our partnership with @moonpay! 💸 uniswap.org/blog/web-fiat-…

uniswap.orgBuy crypto with your card or bank accountBuy crypto with a card or bank account directly on the Uniswap Web App. Get the best rates in the market and start trading instantly!…

5:18 PM ∙ Dec 20, 2022

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Weekly action steps

• 🆕 Read Vitalik’s Top 5 Crypto Wins of 2022 and The Future of Liquid Staking in Bankless 

• 🌱 Watch Making ReFi Real on Green Pill 

• 🙇 Catch up on my other write-ups from this past week: 

  • ✧ Exchanging NFT gifts with Santa.FM

  • ✧ How to onramp to crypto without a CEX

Author Bio

William M. Peaster is a professional writer and creator of Metaversal—a Bankless newsletter focused on the emergence of NFTs in the cryptoeconomy. He’s also recently been contributing content to Bankless, JPG, and beyond!

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Not financial or tax advice. This newsletter is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. This newsletter is not tax advice. Talk to your accountant. Do your own research.

Disclosure. From time-to-time I may add links in this newsletter to products I use. I may receive commission if you make a purchase through one of these links. Additionally, the Bankless writers hold crypto assets. See our investment disclosures here.