Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
You’re reading Entrepreneur Asia Pacific, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.
Web3 entertainment group, Imaginary Ones, is a project with a mission: to redefine the Web3 entertainment landscape, with a focus on gaming.
Clement Chia, co-founder of Imaginary Ones, points out that the challenge with Web3 games lies in their complexity, often featuring intricate mechanics that deter a broader audience from participating. Imaginary Ones introduced a casual gaming layer tailored for mass appeal through Bubble Rangers, its mobile gaming app. “This approach enables Web3 players to engage with the Web3 aspects like tokens and NFTs at their discretion while focusing on delivering a more accessible and enjoyable gaming experience for all,” he said.
Imaginary Ones was founded in 2022 with its fully animated 3D Bubble NFTs that sold out within four minutes. These vibrant bubbly characters captured the hearts of collectors worldwide with their “feel good” vibes, evoking a sense of childhood wonder and creativity.
Imaginary Ones is the brainchild of serial entrepreneurs Clement Chia and David Lee. As co-founders, the duo have been active in the creative & technology industry for close to a decade, working together on OFFSET a motion design agency with a notable list of clients including Coca-Cola, Heineken, Unilever, and Google, as well as OFFEO, a SAAS-based video creation platform that achieved a turnover exceeding $20 million.
Chia, an award-winning animation artist whose art pieces have been auctioned at Sotheby’s, explains that the idea behind Imaginary Ones’ artwork is to promote positivity and happiness in the world. “Spreading positivity in the very way we build our communities and engaging with the world are what it’s all about.”Drawing from its success in digital art and a robust community following, the Singapore-based company has evolved beyond its origins as solely an NFT collection. It has now become a Web3 entertainment powerhouse, with a strong emphasis on creating diverse content, offering merchandise, and engaging in gaming initiatives.
Now, it aims to create a dynamic entertainment ecosystem powered by $BUBBLE that integrates NFTs, blockchain, games, merchandise, user-generated content (UGC), and strategic partnerships.
“Our Web3 entertainment roadmap brings together gaming, merchandise, and content to create the Imaginary World,” Chia said. That will allow users to bring their real-world experiences to “play, interact and build together” in the Imaginary World metaverse, he explained.
The company teamed with fashion giant HUGO BOSS in 2022, becoming the first Asian NFT project to partner with a global fashion brand. The collaboration saw the launch of 1001 specially curated 3D NFTs titled Embrace Your Emotions, accompanied by 500 limited-edition HUGO t-shirts bearing the artworks. All the NFTs and merchandise sold out within 10 minutes and Chia attributes the success to the message. “We wanted to inspire people to express their emotions freely and be their true authentic selves”, he said.
Part of the Imaginary Ones’ strategy is to continue to work with “like-minded” brands like HUGO BOSS and others to “create exclusive collectible merchandise that has value across Web2 and Web3 worlds”, Chia said.
To that end, the company recently unveiled a new customizable denim jacket wearable for the HUGO BLUE denim campaign. The special-edition item features unique NFT-inspired art from HUGO and Imaginary Ones. It also comes with an NFC tag that unlocks a Web AR-powered experience that can be used as an avatar skin on Roblox.
With this partnership, HUGO wants to engage with Gen-Z audiences through gaming and metaverse spaces, and tapping into the Imaginary Ones community achieves that objective.
In addition to customizing their web3 jacket and redeeming their Roblox skin, each jacket comes preloaded with Imaginary Ones’ native token, $BUBBLE. “These elements allow us to surprise and engage our users in new and creative ways,” Chia said. “[They] open up fresh avenues for interaction and personalization.”
Most recently, Imaginary Ones launched a Web3 gaming series titled Bubble Rider and Bubble Rangers. The latter, in particular, has been very well received by the gaming community, garnering over 6 million plays in three weeks. It has also racked up over 2 million downloads to date, with over 220,000 daily active users.
The Bubble Rangers game is an endless runner with NFT elements in the future—much like Temple Run or Subway Surfers. Chia says this was deliberate, as he wanted to design a family-friendly game that is easily accessible, enabling players of all ages to jump in and enjoy.
In collaboration with Samsung Singapore, Imaginary Ones has enriched the gaming experience by introducing Samsung-exclusive maps to Bubble Rangers. The game also features exclusive Samsung skins that add fresh excitement to the gameplay.
So, what does the future hold for Imaginary Ones?
Imaginary Ones will also continue to establish its presence in the blockchain gaming ecosystem, collaborating with Web3 venture capital firm Animoca Brands in April. “Animoca Brands’ support will fast-track our plans in the three areas of utility, coins and development,” said Chia. “This will help to unify Web2 and Web3 worlds and build on our promise that if you can imagine it, we can build it.”
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
