StarryNift: A Trial Ground for the Combination of NFT and Metaverse

Author: Chain Teahouse

DeFi, NFT, blockchain games, crypto art, and the metaverse—each of these fields is a hot gateway to a new world, interwoven and transforming into a more colorful realm.

Although many are trying to combine these fields, they often end up imitating each other and falling into homogenization, or simply cobbling together stories with makeshift blocks.

Among the stars, StarryNift shines brightly. The team exists out of passion, the content is vibrant due to co-creation, the value is diverse because of games, and the art is enriched by technology.

This time, Chain Teahouse exclusively invited Yuan, the founder of the StarryNift team, to introduce us to this unique parallel universe.

1. How would you simply introduce StarryNift?

Yuan: In one sentence, StarryNift is a gamified co-creation platform, or it can be described as a testing ground for the combination of NFT and the metaverse—exploring the development of the metaverse based on NFT assets.

2. When did you decide to create a metaverse platform that combines games, art, DeFi, and NFTs? What judgments led to this decision?

Yuan: We completed our financing in May, formed the team in June, and launched the mainnet in July. It seems like we haven't accumulated much time, but as early as 2018, I was developing and operating DEX with my Founding Partner at Bitmain. We have collaborated on multiple projects along the way, building trust and understanding.

We also noticed early on the early players in the NFT space and found many areas in existing NFT platforms that could be improved. I believe we have the R&D capabilities, game production experience, and artist resources to transform our true user needs into competitive product services.

I think NFTs are not a single track; they have opened a channel for crypto investors in the art world, and conversely, blockchain technology empowers artistic creation methods and storage. This has attracted many eyes and accumulated wealth effects, but I believe there are still grander and higher-frequency scenarios yet to be practiced.

The metaverse has many entry points, but it is like the very early days of AI, where the things that can be implemented are quite limited. Currently, it mostly stays at the level of adding visual effects to DeFi to become GameFi, while the scene of "Ready Player One" requires not only blockchain but also the development, exploration, and integration of many technologies like VR/AR and 5G.

Returning to the entrepreneurial team itself, compared to the large companies that have strong financial power, we do not have that much capital strength. We need to take small steps and iterate frequently to reduce the cost of trial and error. Therefore, the direction we found that can be implemented is to start from a gamified co-creation platform, ultimately providing a comprehensive platform that integrates creation, trading, entertainment, and gaming.

3. Compared to NFT trading platforms like OpenSea and Rarible, what is StarryNift's most obvious advantage?

Yuan: Currently, StarryNift is more comparable to gaming platforms.

OpenSea, Rarible, and others are completely open platforms that are not limited to the form of content, lowering the minting threshold and providing an open market. StarryNift currently has its own incubated IP and game mechanics, so it is not exactly the same type at this moment.

However, in the long term, we hope this platform will be more open. After we build a solid backend infrastructure, we will open interfaces and invite more creators to interact.

We hope to build an ecosystem, inviting third parties to operate their games on our planet and earn corresponding income. Artists can also leverage our platform to give their creations more use cases and gain more financial support.

When we build the entire metaverse and then open interfaces for others to come and play, there may be some similarities, but our assets are still more inclined to the gaming aspect, while OpenSea is more like the Amazon of the NFT world.

4. For professionals in the more financial-oriented cryptocurrency field or the more technical blockchain industry, NFT art is very unfamiliar and even somewhat repulsive. What is the user profile for NFT art? How does StarryNift reach this group?

Yuan: Our user profile currently consists of three groups, which can also be broken down into three stages.

First, there are those who play DeFi. The operational threshold for activities like blind box draws is actually not high; they will speculate on NFTs or DeFi gameplay for profit based on appreciation expectations.

The next level is NFT collectors, who are high-end capital players and enjoy collecting various styles.

The content we create is IP × IP, meaning our IP multiplied by other IP meme themes. For example, seeing our virus bugs might remind one of movies, games, or celebrity series, and in the future, we will also add more original content with emotions and atmospheres.

The next level consists of gaming enthusiasts (like SLG), who are willing to pay for entertainment and will also flock in due to P2E.

The entire blockchain gaming ecosystem is three-dimensional, with different players forming a multi-faceted ecosystem, and we need to reach out layer by layer.

5. StarryNift's first blind box theme is Code Green. Can you introduce the worldview and possible gameplay in the future?

Yuan: Our worldview is based on a co-creation platform, with a main storyline and different subplots developed by artists and users. Currently, the main storyline is the story of Code Green.

This is a series of alien viruses that disguise themselves as humans to infiltrate Earth, rapidly replicating and invading resources through evolution and mutation advantages. Humans can track the origin of the chaos through the 1155 protocol to restore the once glorious civilization.

Users can inherit the mutated parts of Code Green through breeding and enhance their combat power. They can also create virus colonies (equivalent to colonies) with their own independent storylines.

Ultimately, we want to explore and reflect on the relationship between humans, nature, technology, and the universe. In a post-pandemic era, we should recognize the insignificance of humanity and express that humans can coexist with the energies that balance us.

We hope this is a project that grows together with the community, where everyone can Create to Earn, Play to Earn, Govern to Earn, Auction to Earn, etc., sharing and co-building prosperity.

6. StarryNift has a multi-chain plan. How will NFT cross-chain be achieved?

Yuan: We will not explore the underlying technology of cross-chain itself, as we are not a protocol-level project, but we will implement the best solutions for NFT cross-chain support through the 1155 protocol from the perspective of application products, making the platform more open and allowing NFT assets to be traded across different chains.

Ultimately, we hope to provide everyone with a richer, three-dimensional, and secure free world.

7. What do you think is the gene of the StarryNift team?

Yuan: This is a state I aspire to, a small but beautiful team that exists out of passion.

I think the keyword is passion. We love blockchain, love learning, love fun and new things, love creation, and love how technology changes the world.

In this process, we do not have a strong utilitarian mindset; we enjoy being part of the community. This is the state I aspire to—a small but beautiful team that exists out of passion.

8. What kind of artists does StarryNift hope to attract? What is the core advantage that attracts artists?

Yuan: We are attracting some emerging international artists. They want to explore cross-disciplinary work, and an individual's strength is limited; they need a more complete team to realize their vision, such as technology, story planning, UI, etc. Our team can provide this transition from singular works to a series of IPs and then to more vibrant content across the universe.

At this stage, we are very open; the cooperation methods are not limited to contracts, community volunteers, or full-time lead artists. We all discuss the worldview and gameplay together, brainstorming and inspiring each other as co-creators. We hope more like-minded individuals will join us.

9. According to StarryNift's economic model, what are the core factors supporting the value of SNFT?

Yuan: SNFT is a utility token. Users can create and trade NFTs and other activities to earn SNFT, and they can also use it for payments in gaming scenarios (for example, burning SNFT can increase the probability of winning ultra-rare NFTs or upgrading item rarity) and for community voting.

NFTs can be mined to earn SNFT, creating a self-circulating incentive mechanism.

10. Finally, what are the potential opportunities and challenges for StarryNift in the future?

Yuan: The opportunity is that NFTs have already broken out of their niche, which means the user base has expanded significantly. The metaverse is a concept with infinite imaginative space, so the ceiling for this track is very high.

There may be opportunities to break through if we sharpen our skills in any area, such as having an IP that everyone loves, fun gameplay, or a well-designed economic model. In short, any point that explodes can create your survival space.

As for challenges, there will certainly be many competitors, with elephants to catch up and surpass in terms of game reserves, financing scale, and team size.

Think broadly but act pragmatically. I believe this is the best of times; opportunities will always be given to those who remain true to their original intentions and navigate through the ups and downs.