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John Nichols

About John Nichols

Founder of NFT Insider. Content & Community Lead at AtomicHub. Co-Host of the Mint One podcast.

Posts by John Nichols:

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Mint One LIVE: NFT.NYC 2022

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Mint One LIVE: NFT.NYC 2022

With NFT.NYC 2022 in the books, John calls Rob to recall the past week in New York City, and what this means for Web3 moving forwards.

JUNE 24, 2022. PODCASTS. WRITTEN BY JOHN NICHOLS.

In a live exclusive, John checks in with Rob as NFT.NYC 2022 draws to a close, talking the biggest announcements, the craziest encounters and all the highlights from the 4th edition of the world’s premier NFT event.

Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Anchor and more!

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John Nichols
Founder & Editor of NFT Insider. Content & Community Lead at AtomicHub. Co-Host of the Mint One Podcast.
Lifelong gamer & creative.
Twitch | Twitter

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WAX Studios Announce 2nd Game, Music Mogul

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WAX Studios Announce 2nd Game, Music Mogul

With Blockchain Brawlers on the cusp of its PVP phase, WAX Studios have announced a second title – and its first pack drop is just one week away.

JUNE 21, 2022. NEWS. WRITTEN BY JOHN NICHOLS.

Several months ago in our exclusive interview with Michael Rubinelli, Head of WAX Studios, he mentioned they were working on multiple titles concurrently. Now, the second of these has been shown the light of day.

Today, WAX announced Music Mogul – a strategy-based blockchain game where your decision-making and management skills will be put to the test in player-versus-player (PvP) competition.

Players will acquire talented musicians and must optimise their line-up for the best hourly, daily and weekly performances, all in preparation for weekly 3-way PvP contests.

Music Mogul is the second game from WAX Studios, following Blockchain Brawlers.
Music Mogul is the second game from WAX Studios, following Blockchain Brawlers.

The first opportunity to acquire these musicians takes place on June 28th with Music Mogul’s first pack sale. At a cost of $75 each, these packs will contain 25 musicians in 5 different potential star ratings, taking players on the first step to building their music empire.

These musician NFTs have been created by Cub Studio – the same art house behind Blockchain Brawlers.

A crafting system will be in place to allow lower-level musicians to be upgraded into higher-level ones. This will increase their Power Score, and players will be able to compare the Power Score of their roster with rivals around the world via a Power Score Leaderboard.

The first Music Mogul pack drop takes place on June 28th, with 5,000 packs available at $75 each.
The first Music Mogul pack drop takes place on June 28th, with 5,000 packs available at $75 each.

Michael Rubinelli, Head of WAX Studios, said:

“Who hasn’t dreamed of making it big in show business? This is a chance to experience the thrill of the big time. As we did with Blockchain Brawlers, Music Mogul puts the game experience first. Play-and-Own puts the emphasis on game playing. That has to be the reason why people start up. The ability to earn is an important addition, but comes about from enjoying the game.”  

Opinion

Whilst the information that WAX was working on several games has been well-known for some time, few would’ve expected Music Mogul to come so soon after the launch of Blockchain Brawlers.

The premise of player-versus-player gameplay – where strategy and decision-making really matter – is an enticing one for sure, and public reaction within WAX’s Discord server has been an eclectic mix of hype and positivity.

On the podcast, I’ve been talking about the price-of-entry into new NFT projects, and $75 for an initial pack drop does seem quite steep. With the downturn in crypto affecting the NFT market, time will tell if the demand will result in a 5,000 pack sell-out.

WAX Studios have made a point of describing Music Mogul as “play-and-own” – focusing on ownership rather than earning potential. Is that a reaction to recent falls in community sentiment towards the phrase “play-to-earn”, or the genuine development philosophy of the game?

Once the game is live, we’ll have our answer.

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John Nichols
Founder & Editor of NFT Insider. Content & Community Lead at AtomicHub. Co-Host of the Mint One Podcast.
Lifelong gamer & creative.
Twitch | Twitter

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This Week on WAX (June 20 – June 26)

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This Week on WAX (June 20 – June 26)

Alien Worlds, Crypto Shots and Reaper Factory – it’s another HUGE week for WAX!

JUNE 19, 2022. DROPS. WRITTEN BY JOHN NICHOLS, WITH THANKS TO ZARROBA.

Some things in the world are far more important than NFTs and crypto. Our deepest thoughts and support are with everyone affected by the Ukrainian crisis, and we hope and pray for a swift end to the bloodshed and a return to peace. #WeStandWithUkraine.

IMPORTANT: To sync this week’s schedule with your Google Calendar, please click here!

Massive thanks to Zarroba for putting the Google Calendar together! You can follow his Twitter here, or catch him hanging out in all the major WAX Discord servers!

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NOTES:

Dapplica’s Ukraine humanitarian fundraiser drop is still ongoing. You can find the drop here. All proceeds go towards verified charitable organisations that provide assistance to victims of the Ukrainian crisis.

Drop Schedule

Monday (20/06/22)

Varialands provide access to their Trial Mode at 17:00 UTC!

00:00 UTC – Consonant Design drops another Chonk NFT!
17:00 UTC – The Girls of Bunnvale University reach their Final Exams!
18:00 UTC – Alien Worlds and MetaForce Comics collaborate on a Galaxy Jumpers comic!
19:00 UTC – Secret Saviours hold a set of sticker drops!

Tuesday (21/06/22)

14:00 UTC – Shnazzy holds an NFT.NYC drop!
15:00 UTC – Medium Rare Potato drop some new dishes!
16:00 UTC – Waxy‘s first auction of the week comes to an end!
16:00 UTC – Halfmoon Craft release a 1-of-1 IRL jewellery NFT!
16:00 UTC – R4KZ release V2 of their Sup Guys!
17:00 UTC – YoshiDrops bring us their first Yoshi Dailies drop of the week!
18:00 UTC – Complex Series hold a PFP drop!
19:10 UTC – MarcusNFT and Sockee collaborate!
20:00 UTC – JRG drops a Junko Miner!

Wednesday (22/06/22)

16:00 UTC – Waxy‘s second auction of the week comes to an end!
17:00 UTC – YoshiDrops hit us with their second Yoshi Dailies drop of the week!
17:00 UTC – Red Panda Adventures release a sticker pack!
18:00 UTC – Future’s Relic drop their Film Emulsions NFTs!
20:00 UTC – Galeria bring us Series 2 of Cuquitos!
20:20 UTC – wampastompa, adigitalacid and Shnazzy collaborate!

Thursday (23/06/22)

12:00 UTC – BattleLoop hold their Chest and Book drop!
15:00 UTC – Crypto Swatch and Cat Fresh collaborate!
16:00 UTC – Waxy‘s third auction of the week comes to an end!
17:00 UTC – YoshiDrops hit us with their third and final Yoshi Dailies drop of the week!
20:00 UTC – JRG drops his Gold EP!

Friday (24/06/22)

12:00 UTC – TAG release their Badge of Charisma!
15:00 UTC – Smil‘s Heroes of Midgard brings us their mint tokens!
15:00 UTC – RAWR! Cards drop a GrumpyREX NFT!
16:00 UTC – Reaper Factory hold a pack drop!
16:00 UTC – Waxy‘s fourth auction of the week comes to an end!
21:00 UTC – DrawnCompany release Wave 2 of their Action Figures!

Saturday (25/06/22)

16:00 UTC – Zendodo Party release another set of Series 5 Gold packs!
16:00 UTC – Corporate World and Bret Blackberg collaborate!
16:00 UTC – Waxy‘s fifth and final auction of the week comes to an end!
18:00 UTC – Cat Stickers drops some new custom cats!

Sunday (26/06/22)

00:00 UTC – Orchid Hunter release their Founders’ Coins!
13:00 UTC – Crypto Shots hold a set of Ship & Part auctions!
16:00 UTC – TokenGirlsLV drop their Pumping Futures NFTs!
20:00 UTC – Tales of the Crypto round out the week with a mystery drop!

* = nftinsider.io promotion.

Want to feature your drop on our calendar? Apply here, or send a message to John | Hydropwrd#0001 on Discord!

Check back every Sunday to get your lowdown of the WAX NFT drops to look out for every week!

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John Nichols
Founder & Editor of NFT Insider. Content & Community Lead at AtomicHub. Co-Host of the Mint One Podcast.
Lifelong gamer & creative.
Twitch | Twitter

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Will Cool Cats Steal The Show At NFT.NYC 2022?

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Will Cool Cats Steal The Show at NFT.NYC 2022?

The 30,000 square foot Center415 is set to host one of the most impressive NFT.NYC takeovers next week as the metaverse breaks into the real world!

JUNE 18, 2022. NEWS. WRITTEN BY JOHN NICHOLS.

NFT.NYC isn’t just industry-leading speakers, top-tier events and exclusive parties – it’s the place where projects go all-out to bring blockchain into the real world. Next week, it’ll play host to one of the most impressive IRL experiences of the Web3 space so far.

From June 21-23, generative PFP collection Cool Cats will transform Center415‘s 2-floor, 30,000 square foot space on 5th Avenue into an immersive, physical version of their Cooltopia metaverse.

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This open-to-all, free-of-charge experience will take guests on a gamified journey across Cooltopia, from piloting a boat on a mission to save the world, avoiding lava flows by climbing over a marshmallow mountain, exploring the Garden of Lights and much more.

Guests will accumulate points by visiting various locations and taking part in activities, which can be redeemed at the on-site Merch Shop for exclusive Cool Cats products. Attendees can also unlock “loot chests” containing Cool Cats plushies by Toikido as well as brand-new merch which will debut at the event.

Cool Cats holders will receive special prizes when they open these chests, including codes for virtual rewards to be redeemed in the Cooltopia game, and the opportunity to have their own Cat projected onto a building during NFT.NYC.

All this adventuring is bound to make you thirsty, and so guests can chill out, take in the experience and refuel at the Milk Bar – whilst picking up a Cool Cats plushie before they hit retail shelves.

No matter how your quest goes, nobody will leave empty-handed as there’s gifts guaranteed for all.

Evan Luza, Co-Founder of Cool Cats, said:

“We’re beyond excited to create the first immersive and experiential real-life version of Cooltopia and share these beloved characters across the New York skyline. The experience is filled with surprises and rewards for our earliest adopters and supporters. At the same time, we will make sure the entire event accurately reflects the spirit of Cooltopia, and the Cool Cats community, as a space that’s open to all.

This event is designed not only for the ‘Web3 elite’ but for anyone interested in having a great time and learning more about Cool Cats and NFTs.”

The Cooltopia venue is open from June 21-23, with a VIP Party on the final day.
The Cooltopia venue is open from June 21-23, with a VIP Party on the final day.

Opinion

When Cool Cats debuted in July 2021, the 9,999-piece collection was available at 0.02 ETH per mint. 3 months later, the average price had skyrocketed to 26 ETH, and the NFT community at large thought we had a new blue chip on our hands.

Leadership changes, confusion around a trailer for Yuga Labs’ Otherside and a lacklustre response to Cooltopia’s release in April 2022 haven’t been kind to the collection, which average prices now sitting at around 3 ETH.

Despite this, recent changes have led to a renewed vigour. 

A new roadmap, planned updates to Cooltopia and a partnership with The Sandbox have put many eyes on Cool Cats once again, and this real-world Cooltopia experience could be the launchpad into a brand-new era for the project.

I’ll be checking it out on the ground at NFT.NYC, reporting back on my thoughts and opinions. Watch this space!

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John Nichols
Founder & Editor of NFT Insider. Content & Community Lead at AtomicHub. Co-Host of the Mint One Podcast.
Lifelong gamer & creative.
Twitch | Twitter

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Mint One 27: Your Questions Answered 2

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Mint One 27: Your Questions Answered 2

It’s time for John and Rob to dive headfirst into the digital mailbag once again to answer some of your questions!

JUNE 17, 2022. PODCASTS. WRITTEN BY JOHN NICHOLS.

Episode 27 of the Mint One podcast is here! John talks gacha games, Rob discusses the shift away from clickers, and they both head to their inboxes once again to answer your burgeoning questions on all things blockchain gaming.

Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Anchor and more!

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John Nichols
Founder & Editor of NFT Insider. Content & Community Lead at AtomicHub. Co-Host of the Mint One Podcast.
Lifelong gamer & creative.
Twitch | Twitter

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WAX Partners With Mark Cuban’s Lazy.com NFT Gallery

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WAX Partners With Mark Cuban’s Lazy.com NFT Gallery

The WAX blockchain joins Ethereum, Polygon, Solana and Flow as the latest chain to be added to the Shark Tank investor’s NFT gallery for collectors!

JUNE 8, 2022. NEWS. WRITTEN BY JOHN NICHOLS.

The Summer of WAX is certainly hitting its stride.

Today, WAX announced a partnership with billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban’s Lazy.com – an NFT gallery that allows collectors to easily share their art – becoming the fifth blockchain to be added to the service, joining Ethereum, Solana, Polygon and Flow.

Users can now connect their WAX Cloud Wallets to the Lazy.com platform, and pin or hide WAX NFTs from their personal portfolio. This portfolio can then be shared across the web with a simple custom URL, giving your friends, family and the wider community an easy way to see what NFTs you hold.

This partnership will also allow users to directly purchase individual WAX NFTs that are listed for sale on AtomicHub using their WAX Cloud Wallets.

Lazy.com’s simple-but-powerful functionality helps solve the issue of being unable to showcase the NFTs owned across multiple wallets on multiple chains, allowing users to share their holdings with one simple URL.

WAX becomes the fifth blockchain to be supported by Lazy.com, alongside Ethereum, Solana, Polygon and Flow.
WAX becomes the fifth blockchain to be supported by Lazy.com, alongside Ethereum, Solana, Polygon and Flow.

Mark Cuban, Investor on ABC’s Shark Tank and Founder of Lazy, said:

“We are excited to add the vibrant WAX NFTs ecosystem to [Lazy], the leading Personal NFT Presentation Platform. WAX has been a leading innovator for years. Lazy.com users globally will be excited to add their WAX collections.”

William Quigley, Co-Founder and CEO of WAX, said:

“Lazy.com is a great, easy-to-use digital display case for NFTs which simplifies the process of buying, selling, and showcasing digital collectibles. The integration of the WAX Cloud Wallet will give our users an additional way to share their NFTs with the world. Holders of NFTs from our wide range of popular gaming dApps will gain new utility from their tokens following our integration with Lazy.com, and new users will find the buying and selling process greatly streamlined.”

Users can share their favourite NFTs cross-chain with a single custom link.
Users can share their favourite NFTs cross-chain with a single custom link.

Opinion

This is yet another step up for the WAX blockchain. It won’t move the needle all that much, but it’s a sign that the right conversations are taking place with the right people to move WAX forwards.

Lazy.com hasn’t seen a large amount of adoption thus far, but the premise of being able to showcase the NFTs that you own – no matter the chain they’re on – in a simple and easy way is one that certainly has merit, and will continue to do so as the industry grows.

For you conspiracy theorists out there… Ethereum, Solana, Polygon and Flow are the four blockchains that Instagram recently announced support for. Could WAX be joining them there too?

Coming back to reality, seeing WAX alongside ETH, SOL, MATIC and FLOW makes one thing perfectly clear – WAX is one of the big boys now.

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John Nichols
Founder & Editor of NFT Insider. Content & Community Lead at AtomicHub. Co-Host of the Mint One Podcast.
Lifelong gamer & creative.
Twitch | Twitter

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What To Expect At NFT.NYC 2022

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What To Expect At NFT.NYC 2022

The 4th annual instalment of the leading NFT industry event takes place from June 20-23 – and it’s set to be the biggest one yet!

JUNE 14, 2022. NEWS. WRITTEN BY JOHN NICHOLS.

It’s time for the NFT community to take over New York City once again.

From June 20-23, NFT.NYC – the leading annual event for the NFT industry – will be taking place in the Big Apple. Over 15,000 attendees, 1,500 approved speakers and 300 exhibitors will descend on 7 iconic Times Square venues – including Radio City Music Hall, the Edison Ballroom and the NYC Marriot Marquis – for a gathering like no other.

With the world’s media looking on, exhibitors, attendees and speakers alike will be able to meet, network and forge new partnerships with some of the biggest names in the industry and beyond.

Alongside this year’s list of confirmed speakers – including Ryan Wyatt (CEO of Polygon), Randi Zuckerberg (Brand Advisor at Okcoin) and Romain Grosjean (ex-F1 driver) – are WAX’s CEO William Quigley and AtomicHub’s COO Jona Wilmsmann.

Over 1,500 approved speakers are confirmed for NFT.NYC, including WAX CEO William Quigley.
Over 1,500 approved speakers are confirmed for NFT.NYC, including WAX CEO William Quigley.

Tickets for NFT.NYC are now sold out, but don’t fret – there’s hundreds of side-events taking place in NYC both during and after the main event, giving those in the area plenty of opportunities to converse with the best and brightest people and projects around. More on that later this week!

It’s not your typical event – all suits, ties and seriousness. Think a celebration of the industry like no other, where industry giants and humble collectors stand side-by-side to revel in the latest technologies, witness brand-new innovations, and make real-world connections that cross the blockchain space.

Times Square is often called “the crossroads of the world”, and with the who’s who of Web3 heading there next week, that statement has never been truer. Whether you’re bullish on blockchain or an NFT newbie, this is one event you simply won’t want to miss. 

The 2nd Annual NFT Awards will also take place at NFT.NYC.
The 2nd Annual NFT Awards will also take place at NFT.NYC.

Opinion

I’ll be heading to NFT.NYC next week, representing both NFT Insider and AtomicHub – and I’m super-excited for it all. It’ll be the first time, outside of the pink.gg team, that I get to see our global community in person, and I’m looking forward to seeing as many of you as I can. If you’re heading there too – whether as a collector, influencer, project leader or otherwise – reach out to me via Discord.

Expect plenty of exclusive content to be released over the coming weeks as I endeavour to stick my camera in the face of, and speak to, as many people in NYC as I can!

On a more general note, these conferences are crucial for making those all-important connections that drive our industry forwards. It’s the scheduled chats, off-hand conversations and chance meetings taking place in NYC that will shape the very future of the NFT space.

For the blockchain industry, this is where the magic happens.

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John Nichols
Founder & Editor of NFT Insider. Content & Community Lead at AtomicHub. Co-Host of the Mint One Podcast.
Lifelong gamer & creative.
Twitch | Twitter

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This Week on WAX (June 13 – June 19)

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This Week on WAX (June 13 – June 19)

R-Planet, Taco and Million on Mars – we’re in for another BIG week on WAX!

JUNE 12, 2022. DROPS. WRITTEN BY JOHN NICHOLS, WITH THANKS TO ZARROBA.

Some things in the world are far more important than NFTs and crypto. Our deepest thoughts and support are with everyone affected by the Ukrainian crisis, and we hope and pray for a swift end to the bloodshed and a return to peace. #WeStandWithUkraine.

IMPORTANT: To sync this week’s schedule with your Google Calendar, please click here!

Massive thanks to Zarroba for putting the Google Calendar together! You can follow his Twitter here, or catch him hanging out in all the major WAX Discord servers!

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NOTES:

Dapplica’s Ukraine humanitarian fundraiser drop is still ongoing. You can find the drop here. All proceeds go towards verified charitable organisations that provide assistance to victims of the Ukrainian crisis.

Drop Schedule

Monday (13/06/22)

00:00 UTC – Consonant Design drops another Chonk NFT!

Tuesday (14/06/22)

17:00 UTC – YoshiDrops bring us their first Yoshi Dailies drop of the week!

Wednesday (15/06/22)

Costume Clash release their Sleepy Swamp map!

2:00 UTC – Shnazzy and Parrotfish Journey collaborate!
15:00 UTC – Million on Mars hold the public mint for their Martizens!
17:00 UTC – Waxy and Corporate World collaborate!
17:00 UTC – YoshiDrops hit us with their second Yoshi Dailies drop of the week!
18:00 UTC – Future’s Relic hold their First Correspondence drop!
20:00 UTC – Box Maze World drop their Token pack!

Thursday (16/06/22)

15:00 UTC – Crypto Swatch, Muenstervision and Sublime Sounds collaborate!
16:00 UTC – R-Planet release their next round of Robot crafting!
16:00 UTC – R4KZ drop a new Rakazo!
17:00 UTC – YoshiDrops hit us with their third and final Yoshi Dailies drop of the week!
19:00 UTC – ArtVndngMchn bring us a sci-fi NFT!
20:00 UTC – Marcus and JRG collaborate!

Friday (17/06/22)

12:00 UTC – TAG release their Badge of Speed!
17:00 UTC – Taco bring us their License drop!
17:00 UTC – Red Panda Adventures drop their Dungeon Master NFT!
17:00 UTC – Gnome Series hit us with their Slinging Evolution!
19:00 UTC – JRG drops his upside-down NFT!
21:00 UTC – Floyd’s Varmints returns with a BRAD Soldier pack!

Saturday (18/06/22)

16:00 UTC – Zendodo Party release another set of Series 5 Gold packs!
16:00 UTC – Corporate World and R.Land collaborate!
16:00 UTC – Red Panda Adventures and The Last Judgement collaborate!
18:00 UTC – CREEK and Cat Stickers collaborate!

Sunday (19/06/22)

16:00 UTC – TokenGirlsLV and Magnta collaborate!
20:00 UTC – Tales of the Crypto round out the week with their Incubators drop!

* = nftinsider.io promotion.

Want to feature your drop on our calendar? Apply here, or send a message to John | Hydropwrd#0001 on Discord!

Check back every Sunday to get your lowdown of the WAX NFT drops to look out for every week!

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John Nichols
Founder & Editor of NFT Insider. Content & Community Lead at AtomicHub. Co-Host of the Mint One Podcast.
Lifelong gamer & creative.
Twitch | Twitter

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Racing Ahead: An Interview with Sammy Snake, Founder of Nova Rally

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Racing Ahead: An Interview with Sammy Snake, Founder of Nova Rally

The popular streamer, advisor and project lead opens up about his health, the exciting future of his game, and how the WAX community have helped him to rediscover himself.

JUNE 8, 2022. INTERVIEWS. WRITTEN BY JOHN NICHOLS.

Actions speak louder than words as the old saying goes – but in the case of today’s interviewee, his wealth of words and actions combined are enough to break the sound barrier.

Whether it’s covering the latest blockchain games on stream, giving his advice to breakthrough blockchain games, or leading his own game, Nova Rally, into an exciting new chapter, Sammy Snake has captured the hearts and minds of creators, collectors and critics across the WAX landscape.

With their 3D races set to release this summer, the recent announcement of a landmark partnership with Machinations and a whole host of other milestones up to this point, we were well overdue a catch-up with the man behind it all.

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John: Hey Sammy! Could you tell me a bit about yourself, your background and how you got into NFTs?

Sammy: Hey! I’m Sammy, and I’ve worked in consultancy for 7 years – mainly focusing on innovation. It’s my job to figure out how a new technology could provide value or improve an existing process.

I’ve been a long-term crypto fan and holder for over 9 years, obsessively reading about new coins – from the power of community coins such as Doge to learning about smart contracts when I purchased my first EOS, back when it was an Ethereum-based token.

I discovered NFTs before I actually knew what they were. I bought a ZED RUN horse thinking that I was just buying a game item, and later understood – through NBA Top Shot (being a huge basketball fan) – that I’d bought an NFT. Initially, I found the idea of people paying to own highlights comical, then I found myself wanting to own them and from then on was hooked.

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Nova Rally hit WAX 1 year ago. What is Nova Rally all about, and what has the story been so far?

Nova Rally is a racing sim management game. You pick a car, choose two characters to drive it, and witness your car battle it out for racing glory on the blockchain.

My aim is to achieve a Wacky Racers-style appeal. As a child, one of my fascinations was watching that show and not knowing who was going to come out on top each episode. I want that same feeling of wonder for every race that occurs on the blockchain.

Nova Rally started as an experiment with my community. Zyca, one of the members of my community, showed me some really cool 3D models of flying cars he’d created. I’d had an idea for a blockchain game for a while and asked if he could create all kinds of flying cars for us to turn into a racing simulation game.

I wrote a detailed whitepaper outlining my plans, and had races running on WAX’s testnet rather quickly. Only my community knew about the game up to that point and they were excited to try it – when all of a sudden our pre-launch popularity exploded.

I woke up to an additional 4,000 whitelist signups and the sale was a huge success. We had a very fast sellout, and the NFTs rocketed up to 18x their original cost on the secondary market. It was all a bit staggering considering it was meant to be a game for my community!

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The team worked on the game for the next few months, and then came our launch, with instant multiplayer races becoming available on the blockchain. It wasn’t all smooth sailing – we ran into a few technical challenges, some planning mistakes, and various milestones arrived later than expected.

We had a 3-year plan for how we would take the game from a simple text-based experience to a visual-heavy title that could stand alongside any ordinary game.

The support of the core player community has been so big that we’re now in a position to achieve the 3-year plan in 1-year – with the aim to release a component of the 3D racing simulations this summer. The amount I’ve learned since starting the development of Nova Rally has been one of the greatest experiences of my life. Thanks to the support of our community, I’ve been able to assemble a team of experts to bring the vision to life.

From a player perspective, how do the tokenomics of Nova Rally work?

We’re introducing a brand-new economy based around our races. Players will be given Fuel simply for owning our assets – nice and simple. You use that Fuel to enter races. Depending on your finishing position in those races and how much Fuel you spent to enter, you’ll receive an amount of our token, CHARM.

CHARM is used to enter all of our mini-games, buy our Premium Season Pass, complete quests, buy race track pieces, invest in your own racing team franchise, recharge weapons and much more. It’s central to everything the game offers, and players can choose which aspects of the game they want to participate in.

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The Nova Rally World Championship and Season Two are slated to arrive in the coming months. What can the community expect to see from these?

Season One was very much a function-first approach, ensuring every core system worked as intended. The World Championships will be a celebration of Season One and all who took part in it – a great competition with some fantastic prizes for our loyal supporters.

Season Two is a much more visual-focused experience, with 3D races you can watch and enjoy instead of just looking up your finishing position and race time.

Here’s a few of the updates in the pipelines:

  • Fully-customise your cars with our in-game cosmetic NFTs
  • A brand-new event-based racing system, with feedback on all segments of the track
  • Daily quests
  • Huge quality-of-life updates, with a much more streamlined interface
  • New strategy options, such as weapon choices, when to use boost, player attributes and more. Either take out your opponents, or beat them with sheer speed!
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The 3D release will build up to a new game mode – Super Circuit. Here, players will see if they can lead their own racing franchise to the top – with every race broadcast live on Twitch – pitting player-created decentralised racing teams against each other to see who will be crowned champion.

Season Two will be jam-packed with entertainment and I can’t wait to play it!

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You’ve recently partnered with Machinations.io. Could you explain what this partnership will involve, and what it will mean for Nova Rally?

Nova Rally is an intricate game with many moving parts. All of these fun features are easy to add to our development pipeline, but in reality, every little update needs to be modelled within the overall economy to ensure that there’s balance and sustainability.

This process is incredibly time consuming – that’s why we’ve partnered with Machinations.

Founded in 2018, Machinations.io is the first and only browser-based platform used by more than 35,000+ professionals to design and predict game economies & systems for premium, free-to-play, and play-to-earn games.

Alongside their platform, they have expertise in modelling every possible scenario, allowing us to gain instant feedback on how one new feature would affect the entire ecosystem. It is irresponsible to run a Play-To-Earn game without significant expertise, and that’s why our partnership with Machinations is so important – they have experience across the entire gaming industry, from mobile titles to AAA giants.

They’re doing a complete review of the planned Nova Rally economy with the CHARM token. It’s a thorough process involving large-scale simulations and the designing of contingency plans.

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Once this review process is done, Machinations experts evaluate if our economic models pass their criteria. If so, Nova Rally will obtain the Verified by Machinations seal. To retain this seal, our economy will be continuously monitored and re-forecast by Machinations, based on live telemetry & Web 3.0 market data.

Players who buy Nova Rally assets can purchase with the confidence that we are constantly aware and in-tune with the game economy, and that we have built and will continue to build the game in a sustainable way.

I think the program is a fantastic opportunity, and I’m proud to be a part of their initial select project group. Shoutout to our other WAX representation within the program, Novopangea. I will always support projects who realise the importance of investing so much energy into the planning of their economy.

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You’ve mentioned being on the verge of achieving your 3-year plan with Nova Rally in just 12 months. What comes next?

It’s all about getting then getting that 3D race experience to as many people as possible. We’ve partnered with Simplex to allow both fiat and crypto methods to get started in the game. We also have a new fast-paced game mode where you draft random drivers and cars and try to get as many wins as possible before you run out of lives!

On top of that, fleshing out the story and the universe is very important to us. The goal of the Super Circuit game mode is that it’ll be like a virtual Formula 1 – but with rockets!

We want players to really care about the racing team they choose to support and be excited to tune into the livestreams and watch the action. Our in-game tokens have a unique use in this respect, as players will be using them towards the greater goal of contributing to a team they are a part of, helping them to win championships.

Your livestreams have become a regular highlight of the community. What can viewers expect to see from you when you go live?

My livestreams are a great place to come and find out about new WAX projects. I’m addicted to trying out new games, and I love to showcase innovation on my stream. I’m not a very serious person when I’m live – it’s a great outlet for me to have fun after a long day of working.

You’ll get a lot of variety. Some days I might be ranting about questionable moral practices, others it’s more of a technical discussion or a chat about the future vision of Nova Rally when I get overexcited.

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I try to stream every day – even if I can get one viewer to enjoy themselves for an hour, that’s a huge success for me.

I’m also very happy to be a member of the WAX Ambassador program, and hope to showcase all of the greatest games the WAX blockchain has to offer. The exciting developments that happen every single day on WAX make my life so much easier when creating content!

I always say that WAX is better than any TV series – every day, there’s new projects, great personalities and sometimes a bit of drama!

You’ve been a tireless advocator for WAX, interviewing many up-and-coming projects. What are some of your favourite projects on WAX right now?

Beast Garden, Fightland and ZOS are all great games available right now with solid mechanics – and more importantly, great people behind them. I would trust all these projects because I’ve had chances to speak to them at length and get to know them as people. The best projects to me are when there’s no doubt in my mind that they have a future vision.

I was a huge wrestling fan as a kid, so I think Blockchain Brawlers has huge potential – if we can eventually see them in the ring!

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Here’s a few more of my favourites on WAX:

  • The Seventh Seal – a 4X strategy game, and one of the most impressive games I’ve played on WAX thus far.
  • Moon Stones – an RPG with a unique art-style, jam-packed with features and characters. If you’re looking for a game to play, this can easily take several hours of your day.
  • Novopangea – one part great art, one part story and one part Sim City.
  • Cosmos Eleven – a football management sim. I’m excited for new PvE Story mode and the opportunity to improve my galactic soccer players.
  • CritterCraft – a livestream game that’s oozing with charm, created by a team with a great track record of making fun browser games.

My personal dark horse is an upcoming game called Turis Station. It’s an isometric lofi metaverse where your NFT character has its own thoughts, feelings and memories – and when you aren’t around they’ll move around the station going about their own business.

It’s all done through AI, and they have a fantastic story to tell. I’m like a little kid waiting for that one!

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How would you describe the WAX community, and what effect have they had on you thus far?

The WAX community is filled with all different types of people, but what I love the most is the excitement and the willingness to help one another. I’ve made friends for life.

People may see me as a jolly character on stream, but I’ve suffered from depression and intense anxiety my whole life.

The WAX community helped me regain confidence in myself after a rough few years with chronic vestibular migraines that started when I was 25. The ground moves when I walk, I randomly feel sick, I get intense adrenaline rushes and panic attacks and I mostly work lying down. I was just getting through days medicated up to my eyeballs, not really speaking to anyone, and I lost my sense of humour. I couldn’t speak to anyone about any of my feelings without breaking down in tears.

My main thought was why had all this happened to me, as I mourned for the life I had before.

I accidentally started a community through giving away starter NFTs to hundreds of new players. Suddenly, people were looking up to me and I felt I needed to help them learn what WAX is and how to use it, so I started to stream to make it a bit easier to talk to people.

At first it was lying down on my bed on my laptop with no camera, and slowly people in the chat encouraged me to try more and more things. I would usually feel sick after 10-15 minutes, but sometimes it would all disappear because I was in the moment.

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I streamed every single day for 6 months for an hour, even if I had nothing to say. I now feel like my old self again, and although I still have medical issues, I want to say a heartfelt thank you for anyone who has come into my stream because it was the best therapy I could’ve done.

My main focus is to try and give back to people wherever I can. Behind the scenes, I’ll always offer to lend an ear, give honest advice if needed or help if I can. I love all of my WAX friends and I should probably tell them that more often.

What is the biggest problem in the blockchain space right now, and how do we go about solving it?

The onboarding for new players is just too clunky. It’s a huge issue that’s stopping a big wave of people arriving and trying out some of the great games that already exist on WAX.

I’m actively working on initiatives to make this process seamless. The dream is to get people to start playing any WAX game in 2 clicks.

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Where do you see the future of the WAX blockchain?

I think we will see AAA games come to WAX. The Unity and Unreal SDKs funded by WAX Labs are a huge step forward for the platform, and I think it will lead to some awesome games, primed and ready for the next wave of WAX fans.

I also think WAX will eventually process transactions on other chains seamlessly, using IBC technology to help with congestion. It’s all fascinating reading if you have some time. There’s some great minds in Telegram and Discord chats actively solving issues to these huge problems that limit mass adoption.

Is there anything you’d like to add? Anything you’d like to say to the reader?

Look out for Nova Rally this year – we’ve been working with some fantastic people to bring our game to the next level.

Here are a few highlights you can look out for this year:

  • Watch every race in 3D
  • Race your own way, thanks to customisable character attributes
  • Fully customise your car with NFT cosmetics, including paints, decals, trails, stickers and more
  • Win in style with NFT taunts and celebrations
  • A brand-new in-game economy, fully-modelled and monitored in real-time with live blockchain data thanks to Machinations
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Oh, and if you’re a creator and would like to have your own cosmetics within Nova Rally, please contact me!

We have a revenue share smart contract in place for secondary market fees, and we’d love to make monthly creator content packs for release.

Time for our quick-fire questions!

What fuels you?

I surround myself with ambitious, positive people, and thrive off trying to innovate.

One unusual fact about you?

I can’t move my left eye to the left. It’s called Duane’s Retraction Syndrome, and very few people have it.

If you could give one piece of advice, what would it be?

When you make a mistake, hold your hands up, admit it and try to improve – don’t cover it up. People go to great lengths to protect their pride and it’s so silly. We all make mistakes, it’s just how we move on from them.

You can invite three people, real or fictional, to dinner. Who do you choose and why?

I’d love to play a game of poker with Norm Macdonald, Brad Owen and Spraggy. All are hilarious and love poker like I do – I think it would be a good time!

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What is your purpose in life?

My purpose in life is to lift up those around me, and leave them better than when I found them.

How can we follow you and your work?

I stream most days on Twitch. You can find me here.

Sammy’s devotion to the WAX blockchain, its creators and the community at-large is a shining pillar of brilliance of the space – and we’re all privileged to bare witness to that and to reap its rewards.

In much the same way as he’s been blessed by his viewers, we’ve all been blessed by him. Every project he has spoken to has grown stronger through his guidance. If you’re a fan of blockchain games on WAX, you’ve likely benefitted from his impact – even if you’re unaware of it.

As Nova Rally – and the WAX blockchain itself – enters an exciting new era, personalities such as Sammy form the very heart of the community. Join his streams, keep an eye on Nova Rally, and cherish his presence in the space. Sammy wouldn’t be the same today without the WAX blockchain, and we wouldn’t be the same without him.

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John Nichols
Founder & Editor of NFT Insider. Content & Community Lead at AtomicHub. Co-Host of the Mint One Podcast.
Lifelong gamer & creative.
Twitch | Twitter

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This Week on WAX (June 6 – June 12)

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This Week on WAX (June 6 – June 12)

Farming Tales, DeepMine and Taco Racers – it’s a HOT week on WAX!

JUNE 5, 2022. DROPS. WRITTEN BY JOHN NICHOLS, WITH THANKS TO ZARROBA.

Some things in the world are far more important than NFTs and crypto. Our deepest thoughts and support are with everyone affected by the Ukrainian crisis, and we hope and pray for a swift end to the bloodshed and a return to peace. #WeStandWithUkraine.

IMPORTANT: To sync this week’s schedule with your Google Calendar, please click here!

Massive thanks to Zarroba for putting the Google Calendar together! You can follow his Twitter here, or catch him hanging out in all the major WAX Discord servers!

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NOTES:

Dapplica’s Ukraine humanitarian fundraiser drop is still ongoing. You can find the drop here. All proceeds go towards verified charitable organisations that provide assistance to victims of the Ukrainian crisis.

Drop Schedule

Monday (06/06/22)

00:00 UTC – Consonant Design drops another Chonk NFT!
17:00 UTC – MetaForce Comics release their Issue 1 variants!
17:00 UTC – Farming Tales and Greetings from Sativa collaborate!
20:30 UTC – CryptoFlash returns with the 1st drop of his 13th set!

Tuesday (07/06/22)

14:00 UTC – ARK Infernum drop more Cryocapsules!
15:00 UTC – Senor Lupe hits us with his Chummy Cyber Frens!
17:00 UTC – YoshiDrops bring us their first Yoshi Dailies drop of the week!
18:00 UTC – Box Maze World hold a limited drop!
19:10 UTC – Marcus hits us with his weekly NFT drop!
20:30 UTC – CryptoFlash holds Drop 2 of Set 13!
21:30 UTC – Chair drops more unique chairs!

Wednesday (08/06/22)

It’s Taco‘s birthday!
Medium Rare Potato hold a PvP event with a $6,000 prize pool!

17:00 UTC – DeepMine release their Ultimates Mines!
17:00 UTC – Taco Racers drop their Series 1 Parts packs!
17:00 UTC – Halfmoon Craft bring us their Pride stickers!
17:00 UTC – YoshiDrops hit us with their second Yoshi Dailies drop of the week!
18:00 UTC – Future’s Relic hold their Studio Instruments drop!
19:00 UTC – Dogefellas drop their Founder’s Coin!
20:30 UTC – CryptoFlash holds Drop 3 of Set 13!

Thursday (09/06/22)

15:00 UTC – RAWR! Cards release a celebration NFT!
15:00 UTC – Crypto Swatches and Chair collaborate!
17:00 UTC – CraftWorld hold their Land sale!
17:00 UTC – YoshiDrops hit us with their third and final Yoshi Dailies drop of the week!
17:30 UTC – MUD Planet release their Premium Passes!
20:00 UTC – The Ocean Defenders drop their Starter packs!
20:00 UTC – Galaktika return with their Axolotl packs!
20:15 UTC – Moon Mining He3 hold an auction for a Moon Land pack!
20:30 UTC – CryptoFlash holds Drop 4 of Set 13!

Friday (10/06/22)

12:00 UTC – TAG release their Badge of Skill!
17:00 UTC – Pizza Slice and Krypto Kumas collaborate!
20:30 UTC – CryptoFlash holds the 5th and final drop of Set 13!
22:00 UTC – DrawnCompany drop their Dinosaur Land!

Saturday (11/06/22)

16:00 UTC – Zendodo Party release a set of Series 5 Gold packs!
16:00 UTC – R4KZ drop their Sup Guys NFTs!
17:00 UTC – DeHoot Valley hold a Cargo drop!
18:00 UTC – Cat Stickers brings us a mystery cat!
18:00 UTC – OrderWorks drop their launch pin!
20:15 UTC – Moon Mining He3 hold another auction for a Moon Land pack!

Sunday (12/06/22)

20:00 UTC – Tales of the Crypto round out the week by releasing Series 2 of ZOMB on a Stake!

* = nftinsider.io promotion.

Want to feature your drop on our calendar? Apply here, or send a message to John | Hydropwrd#0001 on Discord!

Check back every Sunday to get your lowdown of the WAX NFT drops to look out for every week!

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John Nichols
Founder & Editor of NFT Insider. Content & Community Lead at AtomicHub. Co-Host of the Mint One Podcast.
Lifelong gamer & creative.
Twitch | Twitter

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