We may rarely use the M word these days, but sandwiched between NFTs and artificial intelligence, it’s under construction and very much up for grabs, no matter what we call it.
We might remember the Imagineers from those bubble NFTs that sold for over $100 US$10 million Back in April 2022, less than 4 minutes. The multi-year project is expanding its web3 offerings through consumer brands, developing games and producing family-friendly movies and content – and that’s just the beginning.
Later, in October 2022, Imaginary Ones collaborates with Hugo Boss Deploy 1001 specially curated NFTs and sell out in 10 minutes. The collaboration, which features limited-edition merchandise online and in-store, has reportedly set sales records for the German fashion giant’s fastest-selling capsule collection. These highways, both literally and figuratively, began to connect with audiences around the world – as they also saw Bubble Rangers, a hit from the Imaginary Ones Games have developed into a huge entertainment ecosystem.
imagine those imaginary things
The Singapore-based startup was co-founded by self-taught animation artist Clement Chia (CEO) and David Lee (COO), founder of OFFSET.SG and the award-winning animation design and digital content platform OFFEO The co-founder has a turnover of more than 20 million US dollars and has more than 100 global customers, such as Netflix, Coca-Cola, Google, Nike, etc. Chia has worked with global brands such as Black Pink, Samsung, L’Oréal, and Sotheby’s, and her top-notch artwork has sold for more than $100,000 at auction.
The co-founder, known as “Cmttat” on social media, has grown through years of trial-and-error design. In 2021, the Singaporean collaborated with luxury jewelry house Van Cleef and Arpels to launch the Prulée collection, brought to life on digital screens.
Evolution of the Unreal
After the initial success of the 8888 Imaginary Ones NFT, the project launched the next phase, called “Imaginary Rides.” These are 20,000 NFTs crafted on the Ethereum network; the series was made public on May 8, 2022.
This silly maximalism encourages players to compete online or against friends via its global leaderboards. Social gaming activity generates over Reached 6 million plays in 3 weeks.
Since its early days, Imaginary Ones have been as common and popular as web3 projects. Its NFT success and gaming activity regularly attract hundreds or thousands of users to its platform, where a cottage industry of “bubble communities” has emerged, focused on the Imaginary Ones and their plans.
After months of planning and development, the company has soft-launched its first mobile game, Bubble Rangers, available on iOS and Android. The game has seen a resurgence since early 2023, with more than 250,000 people logging in last December. Anyone who still thinks the Imaginary Ones are just that silly racer will be surprised to find out just how ambitious the company really is.
Bubble Rangers is an endless parkour game just like the infamous Temple Run or Subway Surfers. Co-founder and CEO Clement Chia said he wanted a more family-friendly game with simple mechanics that anyone could pick up and play.
In recent years, Imaginary Ones has steadily expanded its marquee titles into something more akin to a platform or marketplace rather than simply a standalone game. Over the years, its psychedelic seasonal campaigns, forays into a kid-friendly YouTube channel with more than 5 million views and big-name brand collaborations have hinted at those grand plans. Imaginary Ones has tripled its revenue by announcing six new games that follow the same “pick-up-and-play” style of play.
This new series of games is already ambitious, but the upcoming development of new native utility cryptocurrency tokens, animated films, and other big-name partnerships that will seamlessly integrate the worlds of web2 and web3 is another level entirely. The company also recently announced a partnership with Immutable to continue developing mobile-first experiences using its zkEVM technology.
Why do brands need web3?
With Imaginary Ones, consumer brands are in the exciting position of needing something they might not be able to do better on their own.
Imaginary Ones is light-years ahead of its peers in web3 gaming experiences. Providing smooth, fast, seamless gaming experiences for crypto projects is often technically complex and expensive.
Co-founder Clement Chia said, “The entry point for mass adoption of blockchain will be through games and consumer brands. The technology developed by the web3 project needs to be easy to use, understand and adopt. Companies that can reach a global, non-crypto-native audience through their brand can gain an immediate user base without having to build it from scratch.
These benefits will extend the other way, too, with companies like Hugo Boss able to exceed their own retention metrics through the power of blockchain and virtual and augmented reality experiences. Well-known brands such as Disney have recently announced partnerships with Fortress Heroes to create an entertainment world that extends beyond the battle royale gaming community. Brands that enhance their products through technological measures can attract both younger and older users and broaden the appeal of the ecosystem to a wider audience.
Web3 games and their business models are also key to their success in traditional markets. For example, in the Imaginary Ones ecosystem, games are free because the company makes all NFT and blockchain-related stuff completely optional, with the goal of rotating them daily in the virtual store.
Concepts like digital asset ownership have been on the rise for some time. If the popularity of character skins in different games or limited-edition merchandise from different brands is any indication, players will be eager to collect their favorite skins and display them in the game world, no matter what form it is.
