Shiba Saga: Where meme meets utility
We sat down with Franky, from Shiba Saga, ahead of their launch tomorrow to learn about how a team packed with experienced aims to find the perfect blend between meme and utility.
GG: Would you mind introducing yourself and the team, a little bit about your background?
Franky: Sure, so my name is Franky, I’m the CMO of Shiba Saga.
Past experience: Worked for Activision as a Quality Assurance Tester, jumped into a digital marketing career and have evolved ever since like a Pokemon, working for different brands, companies and even a boring job working for the Minister of Health of Quebec City, Canada 👀
Then I discovered the beauty of crypto and saw how exciting it was to 1 minute lose almost all of your investment, and then the next minute getting a +600% 😂 so that made me flip over to Blockchain Marketing, something I’ve been doing since 2018. I joined the Shiba Saga team as their CMO a while ago and have been planning some interesting marketing campaigns that will be launched soon!
Shiba Saga’s CEO is CarlosR (Rodriguez), founder of the famous G2 Esports brand, and known as the “Michael Jordan of Esports”. Carlos is a business entrepreneur and has built a huge network around the world. He’s widely known in the gaming community and is the face behind Shiba Saga. His expertise and knowledge is what will bring Shiba Saga to the next level when it comes to play-and-earn ecosystems.
And then we have the rest of the core team such as game devs, designers, animators and the marketing support team that make all of the magic happen.
GG: A wealth of experience, I’m sure many are exciting, either reading live or retrospectively, to discover how these minds are coming together on the project.
Could you tell us about the project in your own words, the vision and how it’ll work in practice?
Franky: Absolutely!
Concept:
Shiba Saga a mix of MEME coin, boasting utility, and a unique offering of a classic collection of mobile games that target the nostalgia feeling that all gamers feel inside them. Classic games like Subway Surfer, Angry Birds, Candy Crush and Mario Kart are being redefined and reskinned with our Shiba San character (go see our socials to see the character).
There’s an entire storyline behind Shiba Saga’s universe and to be honest, a game collection without a storyline would be typically boring, but with Shiba San, players will be easily emerged into the Shiba Saga Universe.
Btw, our games will be available on the app stores, which you don’t see at all with other play-and-earn games in blockchain. We’re also partnered up with huge gaming platforms allowing us to do paid ads through their platform, such as on Twitter & Instagram.
Additionally, players will be able to earn, collect and spend $SHIA tokens with in-game purchases, all while enjoying their favorite games from the Shiba Saga collection.
A portion of the in-app purchases will be used to buy back and burn $SHIA tokens and the other portion will be used to buy back and burn tokens from other projects. Which other projects will get their tokens burnt is something that the community of Shiba Saga will vote and decide on!
So we’re merging both gaming and blockchain, and using the help of some major KOLs from both worlds to help us achieve great results.
GG: Have you got any mock ups or media of the reskinned games for the readers to see?
Franky:
GG: P2E is a genre everyone wants to succeed but one that people have watched fail time and time again, often revolving around, if not a lack of player base, then sustainability issues.
With 0% tax what exactly is initially funding the reward pool for the to-earn aspect and how will it be sustained in the long run?
Franky: P2E is indeed a promising genre with past challenges, and we understand the concern. Shiba Saga’s sustainable model is designed to address these issues. While we have a 0% tax, the initial reward pool for the play-to-earn aspect is funded by a combination of factors, including our team’s resources, strategic partnerships, and community contributions.
To ensure long-term sustainability, we have a different approach. Our real-world product redemptions generate additional revenue, which are all linked back to our ecosystem. We’ve already signed retail distributor partnerships, and the revenue generated by our in-game purchases will be thrown back into the ecosystem. Games also contributes to the reward pool.
Our business model is like this:
Play-to-Earn Mechanism
In-Game Purchases
Real-World Product Redemptions
Partnership Collaborations
Licensing and Merchandising
Gaming Advertisements
Premium Features and Subscriptions
Tokenomics and Burning Mechanisms
Social Impact Initiatives
While the core gameplay is free, Shiba Saga will offer optional in-game purchases using FIAT & SHIA tokens (via Wallet Connect). These purchases might include cosmetic items, power-ups, or other enhancements that enhance the gaming experience.
Then we’re also planning on launching our NFTs, but with in-game utilities. Down the road, we also have the Shiaverse (Metaverse) where all of our ecosystem will be connected with 1 another. You’ll actually be able to find Shiba Saga products in some of the popular retail chain stores 👀
GG: Do you, or did you ever fear, going the meme route would lead to people dismissing Shiba Saga and ‘judging a book’ by its cover based on name + logo alone?
Franky: We understand the concern, and it’s a valid question, ngl. While the “meme” route might raise initial skepticism, our approach with Shiba Saga is to blend the playful and recognizable aspects of meme culture with a serious commitment to innovation and sustainability. It’s literally combining memes, games and utility. Yeah there’s a ton of other Shiba-related tokens, but I have YET to find one that has a doxed team with vast experience in different fields, that has a business license, that has a law firm, that is audited by a top audit agency, that have games that will be available in the app stores, that have onboarded major KOLs from the gaming and blockchain space.
Our goal is to attract attention through the name and logo while quickly dispelling any doubts by showcasing the depth, transparency, and real-world impact that our project offers.
We’ve meticulously developed a robust ecosystem with tangible gameplay, rewards, real-world product interactions, and social initiatives. Our dedication to transparency, community engagement, and continuous development sets us apart and solidifies our commitment to delivering results that speak for themselves.
GG: So it would be an oversight for me not to ask, just how much are you hoping to capitalise on the Shibarium hype or was that just coincidence in terms of launch timing?
Franky: I figured this would be asked haha, but no we’re not dependant on the hype of Shibarium, nor any other project.
While we’re inspired by the enthusiasm within the community and the crypto space, our project’s vision and timeline have been in development independently.
We recognize the hype around Shibarium, but our focus remains on delivering an engaging gaming ecosystem that stands on its own merits.
I know that Shibarium have had some issues lately, and I wish them well, but the way I see is that part of Shiba Saga’s plan is to buy back and burn tokens from other projects as well, so I don’t them as competitors, but more as an ally.
Every project is our ally (this sounds cheesy, right?)
GG: So no plans to migrate in time to clarify?
Franky: We’re launching on ETH first, but will expand into Polygon next. As for other chains, we are open to it, but we want this to be a community initiative so our plan is to have the community participate and vote on where they’d like to see us go next 💪
GG: I’m glad to hear that to be honest, it’d be almost the ‘easy and cheap’ option for a project that has atleast references to Shib to do so to gain short term hype/exposure but likely wouldn’t be best for the project long term.
You have completed an impressive raise, could you run us through the details of it, how much was raised, any vesting schedule, where the raises were held etc?
Franky: In all presale rounds.. we’ve raised around 3.75M. The tokenomics are visible on our website ❤️
The private seed round has a 2 months cliff, then progressive release over 2 months and 23 months of linear release. With notable figures like our CEO Carlos, raising funds for a project like Shiba Saga that have a business license, a sustainable business revenue model, a long-term vision, real-world products, etc…. we had A LOT of interest shown towards us.
GG: Also what is initial starting marketcap, that just came through as a question?
Franky: FDV is at 8 million and circulating $105k
GG: With such a raise people may be concerned about buy pressure at launch, could you detail your launch marketing plans?
Obviously there is the ‘protection’ to a degree for launch buyers of vesting for presale buyers.
Franky: Being a trader myself, and having other members of the team with investing experience, we understand the concern about buy pressure at launch, and we’ve taken a strategic approach to address it. Our launch marketing plans are designed to balance demand and ensure a smooth entry for everyone.
We’ve structured our marketing campaigns to create awareness and anticipation gradually, providing a controlled and balanced entry for new participants.
We also have a HUGE partnership with a major luxury brand and honestly, being in crypto since YEARS, I’ve never actually seen someone do this.
Our marketing efforts will consist of targeted promotions, community engagement, and partnerships with influencer, KOLs, ambassadors, projects and brands aligned with our mission. By gradually building interest and expanding our user base, we aim to achieve a healthy balance between demand and supply, pushing to achieve a stable and sustainable launch and ecosystem for Shiba Saga ❤️
GG: What would need to happen for Shiba Saga to be deemed a success in your opinion?
Franky: This is a good one and this is an exercise I like to do for every product or business development project. Everybody THINKS they have a million-dollar idea, but we have to be realistic in the way we’re thinking, especially in this current market and with a project like Shiba Saga.
It comes down to this:
- Strong user adoption and engagement in the play-to-earn ecosystem.
- SHIA token value growth driven by demand and effective tokenomics.
- Recognition of Shiba Saga’s games on major app stores along with performance marketing.
- Positive player feedback on game quality and rewards.
- Successful integration of real-world redemptions.
- Listing of SHIA token on tier 1 cryptocurrency exchanges.
- Active and engaged community contributing to project growth.
- Successful implementation of social impact initiatives.
- Regular release of new games and updates.
- Effective collaborations and partnerships aligned with project goals.
- Transparency, trust, and consistent communication with the community.
- Long-term viability demonstrated through sustainable revenue streams and development.
GG: What is one hurdle you foresee in the future for Shiba Saga?
Franky: One potential hurdle we see in this space and with a project like ours is the dynamic nature of the gaming and crypto industries. Both spaces can experience rapid shifts in trends, user preferences, and technology. While we’re committed to innovation and adaptability, staying ahead of these changes and consistently delivering value to our community requires vigilance.
It’s simple marketing. I don’t know if there are any other marketers in this room, but trends, technology, likes, dislikes…. everything changes so it’s up to YOU to adapt to it.
To try to zig-zag this challenge, we maintain a proactive stance by closely monitoring industry developments, listening to user feedback, and continuously improving our offerings. Our strong roadmap and long-term vision positions us to navigate potential hurdles and consistently evolve with the changing landscape. We aim to ensure that Shiba Saga remains a vibrant and innovative project.
Yes, there are countless of other P2E projects, but this is NOT my biased opinion when I say that this project is different ❤️
Community Question: Your website says shiba saga will offer NFTs from team and community.
What’s the criteria for qualifying community made nft as worthy of $SHIA ecosystem and will there be rewards for community members whose nfts are chosen?
Franky: Ohhh a NFT question! ❤️
When I mentioned earlier that we don’t see anyone as competition, it’s exactly that. We want to collaborate with other communities from both the gaming and blockchain space and produce NFTs and potentially in-game characters based on those collaborations.
Shiba Saga is a community project, meaning community members will have their voices heard, whether it’s on deciding what token to buy and burn, or in this case, NFTs. Yes there will be rewards given to those whose NFTs are chosen and we will also do giveaways for simply being active in our community. As for the criteria, for every NFT design campaign, it will be mostly based on community votes because at the end of the day, the power of 10 voices is stronger than the power of 1 voice.
GG: Overall, what a joy to be able to talk to such an articulate and passionate project owner.
We wish Shiba Saga all the best not only tomorrow but down the line too.
Disclaimer: Nothing posted or said on this account is to be taken as financial advice or an endorsement. This is a paid promotion. Anyone considering investing in a project that has featured on the account should first undertake their own research before deciding whether or not to invest. It is important to note that when investing in cryptocurrencies, your capital is at risk due to the lack of regulation and volatility. This means that whilst the value of investments can go up, they can also go down. Any profits made from investments are also subject to capital gains tax.
