Cardano NFT: Yummi Universe – The Cryptonomist

This week’s guest on the Cardano NFT Column is a project that is building a Play To Earn ecosystem that takes inspiration from the famous Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh! and Digimon: Yummi Universe.

Last week’s guest was a pixel art project that is among the first 10k NFT collections.

This initiative is a point of reference for NFTs on Cardano and every week or two we will invite someone to answer some questions and give us an update directly from within the Cardano community.

Considering that many of our readers are new to the crypto space, we will have a mix of simple and technical questions.

Cardano NFT project: Yummi Universe

Hey, awesome to have you here. Please introduce your team, where are you from, what are your backgrounds?

Thanks for reaching out! Yummi Universe started as a small project by founders David and Shannon, who ran one of the first stake pools on Cardano (ENACT). The founders have since gathered a team of individuals who’s been passionate about the project ever since they discovered it.

Our team consists of 11 members from pretty much all around the world while our two founders are based in London. We have various backgrounds such as graphic design, game development, web development, music composing, cybersecurity, business, entrepreneurship and computer science.

What is the Yummi Universe? What kind of NFTs have you created and why have you chosen Cardano for your project?

Yummi Universe aims to bring a creature collection similar to Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Digimon and Moshi Monsters to the realm of blockchain. 

We have successfully released multiple collections of the adorable mascot, Naru, and are actively working on developing a full-blown ecosystem which utilises our existing NFTs, as well as new tokens designed specifically to be in our upcoming P2E game.

Why we chose Cardano is because Cardano is awesome! We believed in what Charles talked about & the power of decentralisation and a fairer system (Specifically his TED talk “The future will be decentralized“). This is why we have been invested in Cardano since its release in 2017. When NFTs came out, David contacted the co-founder (Shannon) and they brought the Hungry Naru brand to Cardano under the new name, Yummi Universe.

You’re developing a game, please tell us more. Will it be Play-to-Earn? What do you think of this model of gaming?

Yes! We are developing a trading card game! We aim to create a card collection game with gameplay being a mix of Pokémon, Slay the Spire and Hearthstone, centred around different NFT cards and a Cardano native token. 

Utilising the $YUMMI token, players will be able to collect card packs to assemble their decks! To obtain new cards, you must open packs purchasable with $YUMMI tokens in the store, each available for a limited timeframe. Once a new pack gets released or a set period of time has passed, the previous pack will be discontinued and only available through secondary markets, making the supply capped and deflationary as people open them over time.

The game will consist of different ways to enjoy playing, such as Adventure mode and Player vs. Player tournaments. Creating the perfect deck to battle opponents will be key to ensuring victory! 

The game will be a Play-to-Earn model but it is also going to be Free-to-Play! Meaning, you will not need to own Yummi Universe NFTs to begin playing the game. We want as many people as possible to be able to enjoy our game and join the community.

Games have always rewarded players with various progressions and items. Blockchain technology makes it possible to give players full custody over their earned assets. In that sense, we don’t see much inherent difference between blockchain-gaming and traditional gaming, but we acknowledge that it has led to new kinds of ecosystems that are being classified as Play-to-Earn.

What does the future hold? Where do you envision the Yummi Universe in 1 and 5 years respectively?

Right now we are busy making a new paper and building a new website, meanwhile working on game development.

We have two different games in scope, while currently focusing our development on one at a time. We would like to see this game fully released within a year, while also having the other game well into development.

In 5 years time we would like to have released multiple titles, but Yummi Universe isn’t simply a gaming company. We have always been focused on making a positive impact as a brand focused on health, mental awareness and happiness. And with that, we want to reach a larger audience while expanding the monster-collecting franchise into new mediums such as manga and TV, while also exploring ways to decentralise our platform in various ways.

Great. Any additional comments? Where can people learn more about the project?

We encourage users to drop by our Discord. The team is always available to help answer questions. We also have several informational channels within Discord that provide overall knowledge on the different aspects of the Yummi Universe Project! Updates are being provided in the announcements portion of the Discord as well as on the official Yummi Universe Twitter. 

Disclaimer: The opinions and views of the people interviewed are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Cardano Foundation or IOG. Moreover, this content is for educational purposes, it doesn’t constitute financial advice.