Presented by Daz 3D
From Seven Samurai to Star Wars, we cheer for underdogs who fight back. It’s true in film and in real life, and now it’s true on Web3 too. This is the story of how one defrauded NFT community is confronting the “wretched hive of scum and villainy” in the cantina to take back what was once theirs — and show that it’s possible to build a better, safer and more secure Web3 world.
The comeback story begins with a partnership between Daz 3D, a leader in NFT strategy, marketing and full-stack development, and a band of defrauded investors who were victims of one of the biggest rug pulls in NFT history: Evolved Apes. Daz 3D and the determined community now known as Fight Back Apes are battling back with a stunning new NFT collection.
Evolved Apes started out as an NFT success story. The collection of 10,000 unique NFTs sold out quickly when minted in September 2021. Secondary sales were robust, and the community was pumped and looking forward to the development of a fighting game and other projects to grow the community, funded by proceeds from the initial and subsequent NFT sales.
But thanks to the machinations of an anonymous developer and administrator known as Evil Ape, the artist went unpaid, cash giveaways weren’t paid out, and funds earmarked for marketing, rarity tools, game development and more were siphoned away by Evil Ape. He controlled the $2.7 million in the project’s wallet as well as the Evolved Apes site and Twitter, which went dark. It was a rug pull.
Rug pull victims are usually left with nothing. But four community members emerged as leaders from the wreckage of Evolved Apes — Mike Scott, Jen Farmer, Jamie Elkaleh and Josh Bull — and they vowed to fight back. Inspired by their determination, Daz 3D CPO Ty Duperron stepped up to help bring value and security back to the community. Daz 3D’s 20+ years as an established company with the tools and credibility to ensure the project’s success gave the community new hope.
Fight Back Apes is building a community that’s bigger, better and more secure than the original Evolved Apes concept. One of the most impressive aspects of the project is the rich lore and compelling story that unfolds constantly. The community studies clues in the lore that map to the upcoming NFT collection drop, including the unique security component from Ledger.
In collaboration with the Fight Back Apes team, Daz 3D is developing a collection of 3D NFTs: hyper-realistic ape avatars with full-body 3D models for expanded utility. The avatars — including gorillas, chimps and baboons — feature a broad array of personalities and are created from hundreds of potential traits, 1970s-style clothing, props and expressions; tailor-made for projecting unique digital identities in the metaverse.
3D models will be included with each NFT, which holders can use as fully rigged models in Daz Studio to customize or create art and animation.
Why do we root for the underdog? Maybe because most of us are underdogs. Some of humanity’s most compelling stories are about communities ripped off by the powerful and unscrupulous, and, rather than accepting defeat, came together to take back what’s theirs. That spirit brought members of the original Evolved Apes together to form Fight Back Apes, and it inspired Daz 3D to join the fight.
You can now get Fight Back Apes Mint Pass here and customize your ape with your Mint pass on the website: https://fightbackapes.daz3d.com/. The collection created in partnership with Daz 3D features customizable 3D NFT avatars. The Fight Back Apes roadmap includes a comic book, Daz 3D rewards, 3D models and merch. It’s important to note that Daz 3D has partnered with prominent brands to continue to push safety in the Web3 space. Learn more about how to join the fight on the Fight Back Apes site, Discord and Twitter.
Fight Back Apes is the story of an NFT community rising above a rug pull, but it’s more than the tale of a specific group making its own destiny. It’s a story of redemption that points the way to a better future for the broader NFT community. Scams happen in real life and online, but we don’t have to let scammers get away with it. We can come together and create our own destiny — all of us — when we fight back together.
Join the fight: Get Fight Back Apes right here.
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