Many types of Web3 companies operate in the industry. There are those who specialize in non-fungible tokens. Others, provide the infrastructure to swap tokens for a cost. Some create virtual worlds where people purchase code that doubles as land, and some build apps, designed to make people more active.
Then there’s STR8FIRE (“Straight Fire”). The company, headed by Christiaan Eisberg, specializes in intellectual property and bridging stories between Web2 and Web3. With some big name partnerships and a focus on community, STR8FIRE is already making strides.
We sat down with Eisberg for a brief interview to talk about his company, intellectual property in Web3, and his team, which is “the best in the business.” Enjoy.
Could you identify yourself and the role you play at STR8FIRE?
Sure! I am Christiaan Eisberg, CEO and co-founder of STR8FIRE. I have worked with some of the most talented and inspiring creatives in the world for more than 20 years. Think of the best fashion designers, graphic designers, recording artists, comic writers, toy designers, and even format developers. This is basically what I do at STR8FIRE. My role is to support and nurture all this creative superpower, bring the best out of everyone in order to create a profitable and sustainable business that seamlessly blends the best of both Web2 and Web3 worlds.
What is STR8FIRE and what does it plan to bring to the Web3 space?
STR8FIRE redefines the entertainment industry by expanding and adapting the best Web2 IPs into the Web3 space, and also developing new IPs together with the Web3 community. In doing so, we hope to scale IPs to a mainstream, global audience. A number of successful Web2 IPs have tried to enter the Web3 space but failed spectacularly.
Even with big pockets and a thriving Web3 community, the decentralized entertainment world has proven a bridge too far. One reason is that traditional IPs that have tried to dip their toes in the world of Web3 are unwilling to cede control or hand over ownership to a community they don’t understand or trust. But Web3 thrives first on community, and we want to tap into this amazing community to develop exciting products and IPs that resonate with users, all while empowering ownership and rewards.
What was the inspiration for STR8FIRE — its genesis story?
I had my first computer when I was ten, courtesy of my father. I was mesmerized by his gesture and tried to learn a little bit of DOS programming, though I never pursued a professional career in the field. Luckily, the internet came and changed the whole picture, and even though I embraced it — setting up and running an e-commerce business, I always thought I never truly seized all the opportunities it offered. So, when Web3 emerged, I recognized it as an opportunity to immerse myself fully and play my part in shaping its future, particularly within the entertainment industry.
What are some of the projects that STR8FIRE is developing?
We have started working with some IP partners and creators to help them develop new IPs, and also bring more Web2 IPs to our platform. We’re collaborating with Web2 titles like Marvel, Bilibili, Republic and Banijay.
Banijay, as you know, is one of Europe’s largest production studios. They are the creators of global titles such as Survivor, Big Brother, and Peaky Blinders. We are working with Banijay on developing immersive experiences for some of their main titles. Bilibili is the largest animation, comics and games platform in China. We co-created the Sci-Fi animation VIRUS with Bilibili. Now we’re working to expand VIRUS into a toy collection, mobile game, and NFT collection.
We typically collaborate with three types of projects: those with established IPs such as Banijay, IPs that have been around for a long time (30-40 years) like Zen the Intergalactic Ninja , and we create new IPs from scratch. Let me also mention that we already launched our Genesis IP-based NFT collection (OG Pass) and our first casual mobile game is coming out at the end of June. Also, we’re developing our staking tool with our partner Decubate.
What are some of the unique challenges and opportunities in developing intellectual property for Web3?
I would say the base costs of developing IPs are tremendously high. Also, if you’re building a studio with 50, 100 or 250 people, it can be quite challenging. You have to worry all the time about feeding them with new work, managing outcomes, etc. At STR8FIRE, we’ve decided to do things differently. We want to work with key people that actually control the networks, those sitting in the higher hierarchy.
So, we collaborate in two ways. Firstly, we have our IP Growth Fund where we support talented creators and develop new IPs, and also help further grow existing renowned IPs in Web3. Secondly, we help our partner Web3 projects to grow into Web2 IPs by raising funds through our community on our IP launchpad. This often starts with characters from their game or NFT collections featuring in our mobile game.
Given that IP development can be a long process, how do you continually engage your community given the ups and downs of crypto over extended periods of time?
The key driver for the development of our games is IPs. So, we want to create more new IPs and further grow or acquire well-known IPs, which obviously grows the fan base and brings more revenue. In essence, we try to get our community involved in the early stages of IP development by basically co-investing with us directly in new IPs via a launchpad.
If we then can monetize that IP over and over again, it will increase in value and our OG Pass NFT holders will reap huge returns on their investment. Right now we’re starting with casual, mobile games, tapping into our network gaming guilds and incentivizing users with $STR8X tokens.
What is $STR8X and what role does it play in your ecosystem?
$STR8X is the native token of the STR8FIRE ecosystem that powers our economy. It can be used for making payments on our platform, but also in the game. Everyone who plays our games or interacts with our IPs gets rewarded in $STR8X. More importantly, $STR8X will be used for investing in the launchpad, meaning holding or staking $STR8X determines how much you can invest in our IPs.
Could you talk about the utility of your NFTs and what benefits they bring to holders?
Again, the IPs also drive our IP-based NFT collections. These NFTs have triple utility: (1) They are digital collectibles so obviously they confer ownership, (2) they unlock Real World perks, and (3) they can be staked. Staking happens during our Burning Events, which lets our NFT holders burn and upgrade to High APY NFTs. They can also stake our $STR8X token to receive exponential yields.
What is a day in the life of an average team member at your company?
Our team operates in a fast-changing environment and switches daily from getting involved in detailed product development to high-level partnership building. They get involved in community AMA’s and provide input for our financial planning. They constantly switch between Web3 and Web2, which can be challenging at times. Thank God, our team is the best in the business.
How can Web3 change the way we tell stories for the better?
At STR8FIRE, we try to create new stories that have not been told before and we’re linking it to Web3. We try to get the community involved so they can actively participate in developing our own IPs, which ultimately improves the quality of the stories. This is what forms the foundation of our portfolio of IPs.
In terms of IP development, the current Web2 landscape is dominated by streaming platforms and entertainment conglomerates, who exert greater control on IPs. Not to mention that these big corporations cater only to the mainstream audience and follow the same rules and trends. Also, consider that even mainstream Hollywood creatives struggle to attract and maintain large audiences and raise capital to bring their ideas to the world stage.
But this all changes with Web3. Through community participation and our IP Growth Fund, we can create new and exciting IPs. With our upcoming $STR8X token, our games, and IP-based NFT collections, we believe STR8FIRE can help bridge the worlds of Web2 and Web3, allowing our community to make money from the success of our IPs.
Where can our readers find you?
We’re across Discord, X, e-mail, and more. The best place to find all relevant links and more information is through the STR8FIRE website.
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