Who are the Salty Pirate Crew? The NFT community quickly made headlines when they first launched, and claim to be building the world’s “first Web3 pirate experience”. Now, the mighty pirates have turned their IP into a tasty array of booze, while they build out their Saltyverse.
NFTs and spin-off branding
NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, gained popularity since their inception in the world of art and collectibles. One of the key features of NFTs is their ability to be linked to a specific brand or intellectual property (IP). Today we’re seeing explorations of non-fungible art in the form of characters in TV shows, or new collectives using the artworks to become “the next Disney”.
The growing trend of NFT-branded projects and IP is exciting for both artists and collectors. For artists, it offers a new way to monetise their work and control the distribution of their digital creations. For collectors, it provides a new avenue for collecting and owning unique digital assets that are associated with their favourite brands or IPs. Renowned Bored Ape Yacht Club IP has been used for clothes, for example.
The Salty Pirate project offered its first collection of 3000 pirate-themed NFTs in February 2022, which they say sold out in two hours. Since then, the project launched a GEN2 Siren collection of female pirates.
We asked founder Barrett Ovens 10 questions about the NFT collection.
What benefits do the NFT owners get?
Owners are part of the inception and the claim to have a digital asset connected to the collaboration. We can’t pay dividends or rewards because then it would be considered a financial product. Pirates are available on NFT marketplaces like OpenSea.
What is the Saltyverse?
The Saltyverse is what we are calling our ecosystem. It involves different chapters and games to play through. It has treasure hunts, brand collaborations, metaverse spaces and multiple generations of NFTs (Sirens, pets, cabins, etc.)
Salt is our in-game currency and it is still in play. Actually right now people are playing through chapter three to mint pirate pets.
Who is involved in the Salty Pirate Crew?
Names include What So Not, Lucille Croft, Luude & Stu from Set Mo, as well as athletes Chris Lawrence, Latrell Mitchell, Cody Walker and Ben Seymour. There’s the Stafford Brothers, Dom Dolla, Ash Keillah, and more.
How are DAO participants getting involved in the direction of the project?
It’s a community-led project with over 20 people getting involved in all aspects of the day-to-day operations, and all for the love of the project.
By using the NFT as branding on spin-off items, the community follows. As a DAO we voted on the flavour which is currently being brewed up at the FIZZ HQ to be sold nationally in Australia. This is the first of many collaborations the team has in store.
What flavours were voted on?
The Salty Rum Punch flavour earned 74% of the vote over Fire Chili Margarita and Banana Colada.
Once the flavour was elected, so was the design of the can to feature assets from the collection. This made ‘The Salty Rum Punch’ a true community initiative.
What was the motivation for the Salty Pirate Crew and Saltyverse?
Salty Pirate Crew (SPC) wanted to be one of the first collections to collaborate with an alcohol brand and have an NFT-themed can in retail stores, not just a giveaway to its community. Discussions and agreements were made in Feb 2022 making it one of the first collections to do so.
What other benefits are there?
A golden can has been ‘buried’ in every 10th carton of the beverage. Finders are rewarded with a “Metaverse Key” NFT, which gives them access to special events and benefits within the Salty Pirate Crew world.
Who funded this?
A combination of digital agencies making a move into Web3. The founders all saw Web3 as the new frontier for digital ownership, community participation and groundbreaking technology that will change many industries, gaming being one of them. The founders also launched one of the first pirate NFTs to make a move away from animal profile pictures (PFPs).
How do you get the word out about the Saltyverse?
Web3 communities, branded collaborations, social media, metaverse events and through our game development.
What about the profits?
The first release was a proof-of-concept with the aim to take Salty Rum Punch national. A profit-share arrangement would go back into funding the game SPC is looking to develop. The game will be free to play with token gating and exclusive content for holders.
Where can people try the drink?
It can be purchased on the Hard FIZZ website, with the first batch canned on the Gold Coast.
You can learn more about the project here.
