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 challenge has introduced them collectively, attracting Ethereum fanatics to SOL.
As of late, chain crossovers aren’t uncommon. Most not too long ago, prime Solana initiatives DeGods and y00ts, have additionally migrated chains to Ethereum and Polygon, respectively. As NFTs grow to be more and more chain-agnostic, the boundaries between completely different blockchain worlds have gotten extra blurred and built-in. Consequently, 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 usually get buried and fall into obscurity with the fixed stream of latest content material. To make sure that’s not the case, we spoke with the challenge’s CEO, Andrew Pelekis, and co-founder Nic Cabana (Cabanimation) to provide you a complete information on all the pieces that you must know in regards to 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 standard 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 Mild & Magic, and extra.
The concept began in late 2021 when Nic and his associate Dan Cabral, each seasoned professionals within the animation trade, started conceptualizing the Claynosaurz mental property. With the meteoric rise of NFTs, Nic’s brother Phil Cabana prompt bringing the thought into the world of Web3 and creating it as an NFT challenge.
In November 2022, the workforce remodeled the thought into a set 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 consists of 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 with no sign of ending.
“Whereas we’ve a giant image of what the longer [story] arc is, the remainder we are going to supply [from] our group. Our view is that this makes the model extra relatable and artistic.”
Andrew Pelekis
However that is just the start of the story. Pelekins defined that the lore is purposefully unfinished.
“Now we have a foundation of the story, and we all know the place our North Star is,” Pelekis mentioned. “Whereas we’ve a giant image of what the longer arc is, the remainder we are going to supply [from] our group. Our view is that this makes the model extra relatable and artistic.”
This concept prevails all through Web3. Many filmmakers, artists, and storytellers have embraced the ability of NFTs to carry audiences into the inventive course of earlier and extra continuously. This leads to a way more significant connection between the buyer and the product, amongst different advantages.
“Historically, IP growth meant giant upfront funding over a very long time, like making a film, recreation, or TV present,” Pelekis mentioned, 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 possibly can monetize early within the product growth cycle, construct a group that gives 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 appear to be 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 whole, 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. “Form of like how the kid taking part in with clay has their software to create new issues.”
There are three sorts 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 completely different lessons 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 mentioned. “Every merchandise is an homage to the placement the place it was handed out, a nod to what they’re finest recognized for.”
Utilizing the Claymaker, the Croissants from Paris might 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. Presently, the Sardinhas might 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, reminiscent of open bars, DJs, and over-the-top artwork installations, Claynosaurz has achieved notable popularity of its booster packs that distinguish themselves from the norm.
By incorporating the joys 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) might be seen united of their eagerness and anticipation to open a coveted “uncommon” card. The price of each widespread and uncommon playing cards can span from a whole bunch to tens of 1000’s of {dollars}.
Nic says this has been a good way to recruit new folks into the ecosystem. Claynosaurz works with Cupcake Protocol to make use of communication expertise (NFC) on cellular gadgets via safe NFC tags on every card, that are paired with sensible 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 chance for the buddies of Web3 natives, who will not be 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 mentioned. They faucet it on their cellphone and get a free digital collectible. And that digital collectible is value one thing.”
What’s subsequent in Claynotopia
There’s lots to be enthusiastic about for followers of Claynotopia. Within the quick time period, the group will see the discharge of latest objects that may be constructed via the Claymaker, together with companions for the dinosaurs. Quickly, a brand new species of Clayno will likely be obtainable: 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 varied different avenues.
“Our preliminary focus is on short-form video, and ultimately, we plan to discover longer codecs via a TV present, YouTube collection, or perhaps a film,” Pelekis defined. He additionally talked about that the upcoming recreation will provide a recent and distinctive method to interact with collectibles, with a gameplay expertise akin to Dungeons and Dragons.
General, the Claynosaurz workforce needs to show that high quality studio-level leisure IP might be efficiently constructed on Web3, showcasing that it isn’t restricted to Web2 alone.
“The chance is to broaden the Claynosaurz model via content material manufacturing not only for Web3 however throughout conventional distribution channels as properly,” Pelekis mentioned. “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.”
