The artwork reveals for the Ethereum NFT gaming project Pixelmon is getting crushed on social media after much anticipation and a $70 million mint.
The reveal was “unacceptable,” according to Syber, Pixelmon’s founder, but the project’s development would continue. (NFTs are one-of-a-kind blockchain tokens that represent ownership of a digital asset; each NFT in Pixelmon represents ownership of an in-game asset.)
According to the Pixelmon website, players will be able to catch other Pixelmon and collect them as NFTs in an open-world RPG when the game launches. The first batch of collectibles will be “playable genesis collectibles” that will not be available in-game. Holders of the first batch of NFTs will also get “exclusive access to a Pixelmon land airdrop.”
Pixelmon mint prices—the cost of purchasing an NFT in a primary sale—started at 3 ETH (roughly $8,100) and gradually decreased through a Dutch auction format, with some mints costing less than 3 ETH.
Some Twitter users were disappointed with the artwork, claiming that the price paid for the pixelated NFTs was ridiculous, while others claimed that some of the NFTs were “broken” and accused the project of being a scam.
Syber spoke out about what happened over the weekend, claiming that the NFTs minted did not accurately reflect the in-game assets. He apologized on Discord, calling the OpenSea NFT reveal a “horrible mistake.”
Pixelmon assets appear to be based on Unity stock models in some cases.
With top titles like Axie Infinity now valued at over $3 billion and the digital card game Splinterlands partnering with Warner Music Group to include musicians in future games, the NFT gaming space is exploding. But Pixelmon isn’t the first blockchain gaming project to face backlash, and it’s unlikely to be the last.
Twitch streamer and Axie Infinity player Brycent has been following the blockchain gaming space for about a year and is the founder of the Loot Squad esports guild, which is backed by Delphi Digital.
