Boss Cat Rocket Club, a collection of algorithmically generated, space-bound kitties, launched last year, is one of the most successful non-fungible token (NFT) projects on the Cardano blockchain. Now, BCRC is building out Boss Planet, its own metaverse with a difference.
Founded by Blue Magic, a member of the popular Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) community (and the proud owner of Ape #4064), Boss Planet is pursuing an inclusive metaverse, in which other Cardano projects can collaborate and hang out.
Blue Magic and fellow BCRC team member Catnip told Decrypt how the Boss Planet metaverse is coming together with an impressive roster of partnerships and influencers—setting BCRC apart from the rest, and presenting a roster of rewards for the entire Cardano community.
NFTs with lower gas fees
Up until now, the majority of NFT projects have been built on the Ethereum blockchain—but that comes with a cost, in the form of hefty gas fees.
In early May, when BAYC launched its metaverse platform Otherside on Ethereum, plot-buying, the resulting virtual land grab led to 55,843 in Ethereum—worth approximately $157 million at the time—being burned.
It’s episodes like this that caused BCRC founder Blue Magic to look at other blockchains in search of a solution, and he settled on Cardano.
As the eighth-largest blockchain, with a current market cap of some $17 billion, Cardano serves some four million unique wallet addresses, and “with near to negligible gas fees, transactions between wallets are extremely affordable, relative to other cryptos such as Ethereum where gas fees can easily be over $100,” said Blue Magic.
“We wanted to provide affordable NFTs, with the same quality as Ethereum,” added Catnip, and “we believe you bet on the team; you bet on the people. And we bet on the Cardano Foundation, and Charles Hoskinson.”
Since its launch in December, BCRC has proved a great success. A genesis collection of 9,999 Boss Cats sold out in under two minutes; BCRC is consistently in the top ranks of Cardano NFT projects; it boasts the biggest community of any NFT project using on the blockchain, and released a fourth NFT collection, VOX Cats, in April.
A community-minded metaverse
It’s largely as a result of its tight-knit community that the BCRC team decided to build out its own metaverse, rather than opting for a platform like The Sandbox.
Boss Planet will host “commercial zones with storefronts selling digital assets or real-world goods, sports arenas hosting major tournaments and sporting events, concerts halls and stadiums for performing artists, galleries, decentralized financial districts, research centers, and undoubtedly a plethora of gaming and play-to-earn experiences,” said Blue Magic.
The Boss Planet map. Image: Boss Cat Rocket Club
Following up on the success of the original Boss Cats collection, earlier this year, BCRC released its Rocket Parts and Full Rocket collections, which unlock play-to-earn experiences and early access to all game development.
There will only ever be 1,111 fully assembled rockets, and both the rockets and Boss Cat NFTs grant holders access to hotels, restaurants, DeFi institutions, sporting celebrities, and musicians, through BCRC’s expanding roster of partnerships, said Blue Magic.
BCRC's metaverse includes real-world hospitality brands. Image: Boss Cat Rocket Club
Plenty of influencers are backing the project. They include legendary boxer Manny Pacquiao, who is building his metaverse boxing experience in Boss Planet’s District 5, where players can go and train.
Another is NBA All-Star player Baron Davis, who is also a Brand Ambassador for BCRC, and will be regularly seen shooting hoops at the Boss Planet stadium.
A unique energy system
One of the most innovative features of Boss Planet is its energy system, which is designed to incentivize a free market economy within the metaverse.
The platform allows for affordable micro-transactions and trading. “We want this metaverse to be a place where people can come and hang out and meet their favourite athletes, influencers and singers. And, at the same time, they can earn passive income,” said Catnip. This comes in the form of token rewards, royalties and play-to-earn games.
And there’s plenty to keep players occupied, and earning. As well as concerts, cinemas and malls, KCMG—the first Asian team to win the Le Mans endurance race—are building their own metaverse experience, and hosting live racing events.
But, just as in the real world, activities all cost energy that gradually depletes over time. To continue being active, players must replenish their energy by “resting” in metaverse hotels, and “consuming” digital energy items, which must all be paid for in the native Boss Planet token. Most recently, all community members received a free OG VOX Cat avatar, which has additional in-built energy.
With the Boss Planet beta launch coming early next year, and a major drop scheduled for BCRC’s first anniversary next December, there are plenty of opportunities to use those tokens; players will need the token for all transactions in the virtual world, and it also works with other applications in the Cardano ecosystem.
“We are one of the few projects that are inviting other projects to come to our metaverse,” says Catnip. And this community-building aspect is characteristic of the project. “What we are building is long-term, and we treat each other like family,” he added. To this mix, add some outstanding artwork, engaging gameplay and the utility provided by real-world partnerships. For instance, BCRC holders will be entitled to 10-15% discounts in real-world hotel chains, such as Japanese chain Piece, and the Santana beach resort in Greece.
As Catnip puts it bluntly: “We believe that if an NFT doesn't have real world utility, it’s just a jpeg.”
