The Nakamigos NFT project has been creating a stir in the Web3 community. After going public with a mint on March 23, the collection has quickly surpassed the popular NFT giant Bored Ape Yacht Club in lifetime trades within just four days. At the time of writing, the project has done 5,423 ETH (nearly $6 million) in trading volume on the secondary market.
The project’s success seems to revolve around two things that have managed to pique the interest of Web3 enthusiasts: the reputable background of its founder and the intriguing mystery surrounding the project’s inception and affiliations. In this article, we take a closer look at what the Nakamigos NFT project is, who is behind it, and delve into the rumors that seem to link it to one of the most significant players in the Web3 space.
What is the Nakamigos NFT collection?
The Nakamigos NFT collection is a 20,000 PFP project created by HiFo Labs, a relatively unknown company that claims to have been producing NFT and digital projects for five years. The NFTs in the collection are 24×24 pixel characters that bear a resemblance to the popular CryptoPunks. The name “Nakamigos” is derived from the pseudonym of Bitcoin’s founder, Satoshi Nakamoto, with “Nakamigos” translating to “friends of Nakamoto.”
According to a blog post from the project, the artist behind Nakamigos is an “OG crypto artist” who may or may not reveal their identity in the future. However, some have speculated that the artist is none other than Sartoshi, the NFT influencer and crypto artist behind the 2021 mfers collection.
The reason for this speculation stems from the fact that Sartoshi’s history in the Web3 space is intimately tied to Nakamigos’ emergence. Before creating mfers, Sartoshi had amassed a significant following on Web3 Twitter, which helped cement the project’s success upon its launch in November 2021. However, in June 2022, Sartoshi left mfers and claimed that he intended to hand over project leadership and funds to the community as a demonstration of his commitment to the Web3 ethos of decentralization.
Sartoshi’s departure was met with controversy, with many labeling it as a rug-pull scam. Nevertheless, to mark his departure from the project, Sartoshi minted the end of sartoshi – eos pass collection, which served as a sentimental farewell to his community. Six months later, Sartoshi returned, and many in Web3 wondered how he would pick up the pieces of a controversial exit and carry on with his community.
On February 16, Sartoshi announced on Twitter that Nakamigos would be a 20,000 PFP project, and holders of the eos pass would receive a free mint from the collection one day before it became available to the public on March 23. However, the exact nature of Sartoshi’s involvement in the project has yet to be officially clarified.
Nakamigos’ origins: is there a connection to Larva Labs?
Since Nakamigos’ release, rumors have been circulating on Web3 Twitter about HiFo Labs’ potential connection to Larva Labs, the company that initially created CryptoPunks. Proponents of this theory point to the collections’ similar aesthetics and the fact that Nakamigos’ licensing agreement is explicitly modeled after the one that Yuga Labs made for the collection after they acquired the IP from Larva in early 2022. Nevertheless, there is currently no evidence to support these claims.