CYBERCREW and You
A web3 developer has taken the GameStop NFT Marketplace by storm with promises their in-game assets will be a must-have for any gamer eyeing the metaverse.
NFTs have rubbed gamers the wrong way since their inception. Ubisoft faced considerable backlash with their own brand of cash-grab infused NFTs. Fortunately for the forward-looking among us, NFTs are so much more than JPEGS, and they are about to take the world by storm.
Neil Stephenson coined the term, “metaverse”, in his 1992 novel Snow Crash. In his story, Hiro Protagonist, yes, it’s slightly cheesy, but so is life, makes a living by working in the digital construct that connects the people of the world. Hiro is the original sci-fi ape; before the metaverse launched, Hiro snapped up some valuable code, allowing him access to unique and sought-after in-game assets. In Snow Crash, the metaverse is populated by avatars, and these avatars can range from crude and pixelated to sophisticated and audacious. The quality of your avatar says a lot about who you are in the metaverse. A reflection of real life, the metaverse will have its own social standards, and just like reality, they begin with your appearance.
Cyber Crew looks to be in hot pursuit of claiming the role of Metaverse asset creator number one. They have released a “Cyber Clone”, “Clone Card”, “Cyber Cycle”, “Chrome Cannon”, and “Can-D” NFTs. Each one of these NFTs are interoperable Unreal Engine 5 digital assets. In theory, this means that the Cyber Crew NFTs can be equipped by the owner/player across multiple consoles, systems, and game titles. Cyber Crew has positioned themselves as the veritable Web3 architects. They have created a line of in-game digital assets that users will be able to show off and wear in the metaverse and in any game that allows its interoperability. The digital representation of the self is becoming a reality thanks to Cyber Crew.
The developers with Cyber Crew are going to need to deliver the goods. On top of selling NFTs designed for a use-case that does not exist yet, Cyber Crew has attached “airdrops” to their Clone Card and Cyber Clone NFTs. Airdrops are NFTs that are generated by NFT’s. I can see I lost half the class. Let us take a step back and think about that obscure early 90s sci-fi novel, Snow Crash. Hiro Protagonist was a hacker, but he was also an early investor, so to speak. He had access to valuable metaverse assets that newer entrants to the metaverse had to pay top dollar for. The scarcity of Hiro’s in-game assets, combined with its functionality in the metaverse, is what generated its value. Cyber Crew only minted, or produced, four thousand editions of their Cyber Clone and Clone Card NFTs; scarcity has been established, and all that is left is a metaverse where it can be utilized.
I purchased the entire Cyber Crew collection for less than $400 during the first week that they were available on the GameStop NFT Marketplace. Today, a single Clone Card is selling for $600, and was briefly selling for $1,200. The reason for this rise in price is scarcity and price discovery. The users of the GameStop NFT Marketplace can buy and sell these digital assets at their discretion. When Cyber Crew announced that the Clone Card and Cyber Clone would also generate their own unique NFT’s via airdrops, the price started to skyrocket. Scarcity and exclusivity have been paired with digital utility and interoperability. Neil Stephenson’s metaverse is within humanity’s grasp, and seizing it may be as simple as loading up your GameStop wallet with a thousand bucks of Ethereum.
Each word written in this article hinges upon whether any worthwhile games will emerge in the metaverse. Cyber Crew will crash and burn entirely if no such opportunities present themselves, but I have a feeling that Cyber Crew is playing their hand close to the chest, and this hand might be a Royal Flush. Back on February 22nd of 2022, Cyber Crew released this revealing video.
“Hopium”. It is what drives men mad and accelerates the crumbling of nations. Thousands have put their money where their mouth is, and millions more are waiting to see this new-age of Web3 commerce come to fruition. Cyber Crew is flouting partnerships with major brands. The nay-sayers of YouTube would have you believe that NFTs are the new tulip bulb craze, washing over the fools and suckers of retail consumers. Snake oil salesmen do not usually sell designer handbags — but, Louis Vuitton does. The high-end designer has been battling counterfeiting of its products for decades. NFTs can be used as both the receipt and proof of authenticity. Buying a handbag in real life means securing its intrinsic value on the blockchain at the point of sale. NFTs are primed and ready for mass retail and consumer adoption. Cyber Crew is at the helm of this digital galleon, headed straight for the shores of a New World that they claim is encrusted in fortune. The only missing puzzle piece is a way to earn a living in the metaverse the same way Hiro Protagonist was able to in Snow Crash.
