Relying on what your Twitter timeline appears to be like like, you may have seen your favorite influencer or dealer speaking about Claynosaurz, the lovable 3D dinosaurs on Solana which are taking the NFT world by storm. Regardless of the SOL and ETH communities being comparatively impartial of each other, this undertaking has introduced them collectively, attracting Ethereum fanatics to SOL.
Today, chain crossovers aren’t uncommon. Most not too long ago, prime Solana tasks DeGods and y00ts, have additionally migrated chains to Ethereum and Polygon, respectively. As NFTs turn out to be more and more chain-agnostic, the boundaries between totally different blockchain worlds have gotten extra blurred and built-in. Because of this, customers can now simply entry and make the most of these digital belongings with out going through as a lot friction or complexities.
Whereas there are dozens of comprehensive Twitter threads on Claynosaurz, they typically get buried and fall into obscurity with the fixed stream of recent content material. To make sure that’s not the case, we spoke with the undertaking’s CEO, Andrew Pelekis, and co-founder Nic Cabana (Cabanimation) to present you a complete information on every little thing it’s essential know concerning the world of Claynosaurz. Dive in for the story of how Claynosaurz began, their plans to construct the model’s IP, a glance behind its wildly widespread IRL booster pack activations, and a few unique visuals.
What’s Claynosaurz?
Claynosaurz is a 3D manufacturing studio that focuses on creating high quality leisure IP in Web3 with an emphasis on ongoing group engagement. The workforce is constructed by artists from Sony, Disney, Dreamworks, Ubisoft, Netflix, Warner Bros, Marvel, Industrial Gentle & Magic, and extra.
The thought began in late 2021 when Nic and his accomplice Dan Cabral, each seasoned professionals within the animation business, started conceptualizing the Claynosaurz mental property. With the meteoric rise of NFTs, Nic’s brother Phil Cabana recommended bringing the concept into the world of Web3 and creating it as an NFT undertaking.
In November 2022, the workforce reworked the concept into a group of 10,000 animated 3D NFTs. This genesis assortment included six species of Clayno: Rex, Trice, Stego, Ankylo, Bronto, and Raptor. The preliminary launch was met with nice success, reaching greater than 130k in buying and selling quantity after only a few hours and 600k after simply two weeks. The ground sits at 63.26 SOL ($1,355.64) on the time of writing.
Pelekis, who had been serving as an advisor, formally joined the workforce as CEO shortly thereafter. Alongside the founding members, the workforce additionally contains 11 extra artists.
The lore of Claynosaurz
The origin story of Claynosaurz follows a younger boy spending his summer season at his grandparents’ home. As he rummages via his grandpa’s attic, he uncovers toys, clay, and maps, which he makes use of to create dinosaurs that stroll round an space referred to as Claynotopia. Claynosaurz is a figment of his colourful and curious creativeness. Regardless of the fleeting nature of summer season, this story pays tribute to the boundless creativeness of a kid, whereby a world exists inside their thoughts without end.
However that is only the start of the story. Pelekins defined that the lore is purposefully unfinished.
“We’ve a foundation of the story, and we all know the place our North Star is,” Pelekis stated. “Whereas we have now an enormous image of what the longer arc is, the remaining we’ll supply [from] our group. Our view is that this makes the model extra relatable and inventive.”
This concept prevails all through Web3. Many filmmakers, artists, and storytellers have embraced the facility of NFTs to convey audiences into the artistic course of earlier and extra regularly. This leads to a way more significant connection between the patron and the product, amongst different advantages.
“Historically, IP growth meant massive upfront funding over a very long time, like making a film, recreation, or TV present,” Pelekis stated, citing the variations between constructing in Web2 and Web3. “However, you solely get actual suggestions on launch, and it’s a hit and miss. In Web3, you may monetize early within the product growth cycle, construct a group that provides ongoing suggestions, and [create] unparalleled model loyalty via a way of possession and being part of the journey.”
Claymakers, clay, croissants, and extra
Creating 10,000 3D animated NFTs might look like a formidable feat, however the Clayno ecosystem is definitely a lot, a lot greater. Since its launch, they’ve launched extra collections, together with Claymakers, Clays, Sardinhas, Croissants, Tacos, and Pizzas.
Early NFT holders had been airdropped Claymakers and Clay, however new holders can nonetheless purchase this stuff on a Solana market. In complete, there are 10,000 Claymakers and 31,000 Clay NFTs. “The Claymaker acts as a transmuter. It’s mainly a software in recreation to craft objects,” Pelekis defined. “Type of like how the kid enjoying with clay has their software to create new issues.”
There are three varieties of Claymakers: First (single-use), Deluxe (5 makes use of), and Restricted (limitless makes use of). Additional, there are six colours of single-use Clay (Black, Blue, Purple, Inexperienced, White, and Yellow) and one unlimited-use Clay (Gold).
Down the road, Clay can be utilized to forge armor for the Claynos, who will then tackle totally different courses in consequence.
The Claymaker will also be used with the objects obtained from IRL occasions to function a burning or minting expertise referred to as “molding” to create new objects within the story. At every in-person occasion, unique digital objects are given out to the group within the type of booster packs relying on location.
“The workforce handed out NFTs with artwork representing sardine cans in Lisbon, croissants in Paris, and pizza slices at NFT NYC,” Pelekis stated. “Every merchandise is an homage to the situation the place it was handed out, a nod to what they’re greatest recognized for.”
Utilizing the Claymaker, the Croissants from Paris will be molded into Medieval-themed gear sooner or later, and Tacos will be capable to be molded into Metropolis of Angels-themed gear for the dinos. At present, the Sardinhas will be molded into eggs. The eggs will later hatch into a brand new species of Clayno — however extra on that later.
IRL as a guerrilla activation for onboarding
Among the many typical choices of Web3 IRL occasions, comparable to open bars, DJs, and over-the-top artwork installations, Claynosaurz has achieved notable approval for its booster packs that distinguish themselves from the norm.
By incorporating the fun and nostalgia of opening a beloved childhood Pokémon card pack, they’ve succeeded in seamlessly mixing the digital and in-person experiences for attendees. In a video by content creator Minhxdynasty, attendees (who’re given a free booster pack for attending a Claynosaurz occasion) will be seen united of their eagerness and anticipation to open a coveted “uncommon” card. The price of each frequent and uncommon playing cards can span from lots of to tens of 1000’s of {dollars}.
Nic says this has been an effective way to recruit new folks into the ecosystem. Claynosaurz works with Cupcake Protocol to make use of communication expertise (NFC) on cell gadgets via safe NFC tags on every card, that are paired with good contracts.
“What we’re doing with Cupcake provides us the chance to reward folks for being there at these occasions. It has a component of enjoyable, which we’re all about. And provides a component of thriller. It additionally presents NFTs in a means that’s extraordinarily approachable to a brand new demographic,” says Nic.
This gives an elevated probability for the buddies of Web3 natives, who is probably not acquainted with Web3, to be onboarded and launched to the platform.
“There are individuals who know nothing about NFTs and say it’s like Pokémon playing cards, however with many added use circumstances as a result of it’s digital,” Nic stated. They faucet it on their telephone and get a free digital collectible. And that digital collectible is price one thing.”
What’s subsequent in Claynotopia
There’s rather a lot to be enthusiastic about for followers of Claynotopia. Within the brief time period, the group will see the discharge of recent objects that may be constructed via the Claymaker, together with companions for the dinosaurs. Quickly, a brand new species of Clayno can be accessible: the Pterodactyl. Utilizing the Claymaker, Sardinhas holders will be capable to burn their NFT for an egg which can hatch right into a clay Dactyl.
On a broader scale, the workforce’s efforts are directed towards increasing the attain of their IP and integrating it into the mainstream. They’re at present creating a recreation and exploring numerous different avenues.
“Our preliminary focus is on short-form video, and finally, we plan to discover longer codecs via a TV present, YouTube sequence, or perhaps a film,” Pelekis defined. He additionally talked about that the upcoming recreation will supply a contemporary and distinctive technique to interact with collectibles, with a gameplay expertise akin to Dungeons and Dragons.
Total, the Claynosaurz workforce desires to show that high quality studio-level leisure IP will be efficiently constructed on Web3, showcasing that it’s not restricted to Web2 alone.
“The chance is to develop the Claynosaurz model via content material manufacturing not only for Web3 however throughout conventional distribution channels as effectively,” Pelekis stated. “Past that, constructing a personality studio that may effectively develop IP that begins in Web3, however can permeate into different avenues is one other long-term goal.”