Since the success of Bored Ape Yacht Club and other NFT projects featuring ape-inspired visuals, there's now a new ape in town.
BAPE has officially announced its entry into the NFT space with (B)APETAVERSE, an NFT community that promises BAPE fans access to exclusive content and other opportunities. Born in 1993, streetwear label BAPE has been associated with apes due to its recognisable ape-head logo graphic, as well as other monkey characters including Baby Milo, and now the label is stepping into the NFT space with its own collection of digital art.
"All beings of the Metaverse, come greet The King of Apes, whose new face shall be unveiled soon," reads the description.
There will be 10,000 unique NFTs total, and judging from the blacked-out teaser image, the artwork looks to deviate away from the usual pixel-art and drawing-based styles currently prevalent in the market, opting for a more life-like digitally rendered aesthetic.
BAPE's new announcement is part of a larger industry movement towards the metaverse space with the two largest sportswear giants already involved: Nike through RTFKT and adidas with their latest user-generated NFTs in collaboration with Prada. BAPE is perhaps the first and largest streetwear label to launch an independent NFT project, though in similar vein, Gap recently launched a gamified NFT experience.