There are two friends who may have had a greater impact on the NFT industry than anyone else – they are Larva Laboratory.
Matt Hall and John Watkinson’s work continues to innovate the digital asset ecosystem, creating the environment we see today, laying the foundation and foundation for many of today’s most popular collectibles inspiration.
From creating the world’s most valuable NFT series to technological innovation that drives the industry forward, the two continue to push boundaries and blaze new trails. They left an indelible mark – but how did they do it?
Here’s our complete guide to the 2024 Larvae Lab.
What is a Larva Lab?
Larva Labs is a tech company founded by Matt Hall and John Watkinson, two seasoned creatives perhaps best known before NFTs for creating open source legal document repository Docracy and Android avatar creator Androidify, which became Android’s Spokesperson.
With experience and expertise in a wide range of fields, they turned their attention to the emerging world of blockchain technology in 2017, creating what they are now probably best known for: CryptoPunks – a pixelated avatar made of 10,000 fully on-chain pixels. Project NFT collection.
CryptoPunks went largely unnoticed until NFTs burst into mainstream consciousness in early 2021, and CryptoPunks quickly became the most valuable NFT collectible in the world – a title it still holds today.
Larva Labs doesn’t stop there. In 2019, they created Autoglyphs: a collection of code-based generative art NFTs on Ethereum, the first of its kind. They subsequently released Meebits in 2021: a generated collection of 20,000 3D voxel characters, complete with a free marketplace—one of the first to implement a free approach.
CryptoPunks, Autoglyphs, and Meebits have each innovated the digital asset industry in different ways, and have earned Larva Labs a reputation for new, interesting, and completely unique products, tools, and applications.
Larva Lab History
Larva Labs was founded in the early 2000s as a place for Matt and John to explore professional and experimental projects.
Much of their early work focused on the then-nascent smartphone industry, specifically Android devices. They released two popular Android home experiences: Slide Screen in 2009 and Flow Home in 2014, as well as the Androidify tool in 2011 and the app-based chat tool AppChat in 2012.
In 2017, they launched CryptoPunks – a collection of 10,000 unique pixel art avatars on the Ethereum blockchain. CryptoPunks needs no introduction, it is the most valuable collection of NFTs in the world and one of the most well-known NFTs in mainstream consciousness.
Larva Labs released their second collectible, Autoglyphs, in 2019, a 512-piece fully on-chain code-based generated art collection (the first on-chain generated NFT collectible of its kind) with proceeds donated to climate change Charity 350, and Larva Labs relinquished any control over the collection in their code.
Their third series of Meebits launches in 2021, featuring 20,000 generated 3D voxel characters – complete with a free marketplace and asset pack, allowing each Meebit to be played in any game engine, 3D studio or virtual world that supports rigging Use animated avatars.
Larva Labs sold the management and intellectual property rights to CryptoPunks and Meebits to Yuga Labs (the creator of the second most valuable NFT series, Bored Ape Yacht Club) in early 2022, shortly after the NFT market reached its all-time peak. This marked a moratorium on their active public engagement in the blockchain space, but their contributions are still praised to this day.
What’s next for the larvae lab?
Although Matt and John are largely inactive in the blockchain space as of 2024, Larva Labs is still regarded as the forefront of innovation in the NFT industry – and has played a key role in inspiring countless NFT series and blockchain games to come to Web3 .
While many companies have taken a step forward, none can match the leaps their various products have made.
John Watkinson has been largely silent online, while Matt Hall is listed as working at Larva Labs and at Google Creative Labs through Larva Labs projects.
Their last major interaction with the blockchain space was a series of interviews in late 2023, although they have remained largely disconnected from the industry since then.
Despite this breakout, we don’t think the pair will return to the blockchain. Their past experience demonstrates a deep interest, curiosity, and respect for new technologies blazing trails—and as blockchain continues to become more mainstream, who knows what the team at Larva Labs might be able to do.
Whatever the future holds, Larva Labs has left a unique mark on the NFT industry. Just like Matt and John did with Android, their work influenced much of what we see in the blockchain industry today, and their contributions will forever be the cornerstone of the NFT ecosystem.
