In 2017, Larva Labs launched a collection of 10,000 generative PFP NFTs called CryptoPunks. Created by Matt Hall and John Watkinson, the developers’ main goal was to answer the question — Can digital assets have value?
By 2021, as individual CryptoPunks sold for hundreds of thousands and even millions of dollars, that question was answered with a resounding – YES!
Now owned by Yuga Labs, the creators of the Bored Ape Yacht Club, CryptoPunks is universally recognized as one of the most important NFT collections of all time. To commemorate and celebrate the collection that put NFTs on the map, Yuga Labs is dropping a docuseries about CryptoPunks and its historic significance in Web3.
On September 15th, the first teaser for the upcoming series was posted on Twitter by Yuga Labs, sending the Punks community buzzing with excitement.
The docuseries is being released in partnership with nft now, one of the top NFT media companies around. It is also being created with input from the Punks’ community and creative direction from the Zak Group, a design office based in the U.K. The film will be accompanied by a book that also delves into the history of the iconic collection.
The docseries tells the story of CryptoPunks through feature interviews with community members, developers, and important figures in the space. Its goal is to give viewers a more profound understanding of the culture and motivations that helped fuel the digital renaissance.
The plan to collaborate with the Zak Group for a book about CryptoPunks was first announced in June of this year. Now a release date has been set for the first episode of the docuseries to air on October 10th. Yuga Labs is hoping the documentary will be a critical cultural artifact that contributes to the world’s understanding of CryptoPunks and NFT culture in general.
Yuga Labs & CryptoPunks Continue to Innovate
In March 2022, Yuga Labs acquired CryptoPunks and Meebits NFT collections from Larva Labs, helping to secure its spot as the top Web3 studio in the space. Ever since, the studio has been working hard to grow the Punks’ brand. At Rarity Sniper, we’ve been here to report some of the moves Yuga Labs has made to continue bringing value to Punk holders.
Below are some of the top headlines from CryptoPunks this year:
- Yuga Labs to Hire Christie’s Exec to Manage CryptoPunks
- Yuga Labs Grants IP Rights to CryptoPunks & Meebits Holders
- 3LAU & Steve Aoki Create CryptoPunks-inspired Supergroup
- CryptoPunks NFT Goes On Display at Centre Pompidou
- Steve Aoki & 3LAU Debut First Single as CryptoPunks Duo
- Yuga Labs Claims ‘Landmark’ Victory in NFT Trademark Case
We’ll have to wait until October 10th to see if the new docuseries from Yuga Labs and nft now is popular with fans, NFT collectors, and the public at large. But there’s no doubt CryptoPunks is one of the most important NFT collections to ever be released.
If the series sheds new light on the history of the Punks and gives viewers a deeper understanding of the collection’s ethos, we expect it will become the cultural artifact Yuga Labs is hoping for. As writers and students of NFT history, we know we’ll certainly be giving it a watch.
To find out more about the history of CryptoPunks, check out our latest deep dive. To learn about NFT history in general, here’s a link to our latest article — A Short History of NFTs.