NFT Metaverse Pastel World Pushing Art and Tech Boundaries Despite Bear Market

Web3 venture Krew Studios has released further details about its much-hyped NFT avatar project Pastel World, both in a lengthy Twitter thread and freshly-updated litepaper.

The startup, which was behind the smash-hit NFT collection MASKS from actor/artist Jordi Mollà, describes Pastel World as the “most ambitious project released by the Krew Universe to date,” one whose multi-chain model will “pave the way for future collaborations” with emerging crypto communities.

Manga Meets Metaverse

Pastel World is the brainchild of singer-songwriter JVCKJ, formerly one half of multi-platinum pop pair Jack & Jack, and London-based illustrator Uriah Barrett-Thomas. An NFT/PFP collection in the mould of CryptoPunks, but with more utility, the series features authentic manga art and follows a fantastical storyline which ostensibly doubles as the project’s roadmap.

In a nutshell, each tokenized avatar is a “Prophet” journeying through space and time equipped only with a magical backpack, an enchanted item that must be nurtured to ensure survival in Pastel World. In due course, the metadata for each NFT will refresh, causing a gem to appear on Prophets’ backpacks – a precious stone that determines which ‘zone’ each character must inhabit. Moreover, each customizable element of the NFTs will play a part in the continued narrative.

To quote the aforementioned tweet thread, “The creativity that infuses the lore filters down to the planetary environment, divided into painstakingly mapped zones such as Cloud9, Fairy Kingdom, and The Grounded where the undead roam.”

Although Pastel World came about as a result of the aforementioned artistic collaboration, Krew Studios has been heavily involved in the creative and technical process via its web3 launch studio, Krew Labs. The company’s eponymous creative agency will also handle marketing and community management going forward.

“Anyone can create 10,000 PFPs and slap a theme on top, but it takes skill to craft an entire universe around an NFT collection,” says Rambino, Krew Studios’ co-founder. “One of the things that impressed us most about Pastel World was the lore.”

In all, 8,800 Pastel World NFTs have been minted on Ethereum and the team intends to pursue various integrations with other web3 communities, including those that have been incubated by the platform’s launchpad, Krew Universe.

With the upcoming introduction of special traits and accessories concealed in Prophets’ backpacks, and the evolution of the planet’s various zones, it is thought that Pastel World will transition into a full-blown metaverse.

Staying Bullish in a Bear Market

Like several other projects in the web3 space, Krew Studios is at pains to stress that it’s business as usual despite bearish market sentiment. The recent downturn has seen a sharp decline in NFT floor prices, with the industry still struggling to shrug off the reputational damage it suffered as a result of Terra’s spectacular crash.

In fairness, Krew’s optimism for the success of Pastel World isn’t delusory. As well as leveraging the talent and profile of both JVCKJ and Barrett-Thomas, the company is banking on its considerable production experience: prior to switching its attention to web3 in 2021, Krew Studios had worked on projects for clients such as Universal Music, Boohoo and Epic Records.

Over the past year, the studio has expanded its team to ensure it possesses the necessary experience to make a mark in web3. In-house creatives include experts in blockchain, digital art and gaming, while an experienced advisory team has been brought on board to help guide promising NFT artists and brands determined to make a splash in the crypto world.

In the near term, Krew’s goal with Pastel World is to nurture a passionate and engaged community of token-holders and traders, the better to cement the project’s status in the growing metaverse economy. The firm is also building infrastructure for upcoming web3 ventures and creating a private club for art collectors, Mask World, featuring curated NFTs.