Last Updated on January 12, 2023
Quick take:
- WENEW has partnered with Louis Vuitton, Playboy, Wimbledon, Gucci, Puma, and others to release NFTs.
- 10KTF is an interoperable digital storefront where blue-chip NFT holders can mint and collect NFTs avatars outfitted in metaverse-ready digital wearables.
- WENEW co-founder and CEO Michael Figge will join Yuga Labs as chief content officer.
Yuga Labs today confirmed the acquisition of WENEW and its flagship NFT collection and virtual community, 10KTF. Launched last year, WENEW is an NFT platform founded by famed digital artist, Beeple.
Billed as “the memory palace of the metaverse,” WENEW has partnered with TIME, Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, Wasserman, and Endeavor. Brokered by Endeavor’s IMG, its first NFT release was launched in partnership with Wimbledon to celebrate Andy Murray’s historic win in 2013.
The platform curates and releases NFTs of the most memorable moments in music, fashion, sports, and politics. It also previously partnered with Louis Vuitton, Playboy, Wimbledon, Gucci, Puma, and others to release NFTs on 10KTF.
10KTF is an interoperable digital storefront and community of top NFT collectors where blue-chip NFT holders of collections including BAYC, Cool Cats, Moonbirds, and others can mint and collect NFTs avatars outfitted in metaverse-ready digital wearable created by partnering fashion brands. The NFT collections have gained popularity by gaining popularity by releasing serialised and narrative-driven content from fictional shop purveyor, Wagmi-san.
“Figge, Beeple, and the WENEW team have found a way to create a captivating serialized story for web3, while also managing to tap into the passion people have for their digital avatars and customization,” said Greg Solano, co-founder of Yuga Labs. “Storytelling and world-building are foundational at Yuga and I’m thrilled that we get to work with the creative mind hive at WENEW in a much more robust way. The possibilities of what we can do together are endless.”
Following the acquisition, WENEW co-founder and CEO, Michael Figge, will join Yuga’s leadership team as the chief content officer, responsible for bringing out-of-the-box content strategies and experiences to Yuga Labs’ ecosystem. Beeple, aka Mike Winkelmann, will join Yuga Labs as an advisor.
Prior to becoming a co-founder of WENEW, Figge spent 12 years as creative director at Los Angeles-based video design firm, Possible, where he developed live visual identities for the world’s biggest artists including Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, Childish Gambino, Paul McCartney, and Lady Gaga, as well as the Super Bowl halftime show, Coachella, Louis Vuitton and others.
In addition to Figge, nearly 20 WENEW employees will move over to Yuga, bringing Yuga’s full-time staff to over 100 people around the world. WENEW’s team of co-founders also includes talent manager Guy Oseary, who started representing BAYC last October.
Last week, Yuga Labs introduced a new proposal created during a consultative meeting between the company’s co-founders and Randy Chung (Melonpan) of 10KTF to preserve creator royalties. It also launched a dedicated news portal for all ecosystem announcements.
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