The NFT crypto community is out in force at SXSW this week, with activations for metaverse startups attracting some of the biggest crowds in Austin.
Fluf World and Doodles, two projects that have sparked some playful imagination around the metaverse and its possibilities, saw SXSW attendees eager to get one-on-one time to make a pitch.
These projects aren't alone in Austin either. Here's a roundup of some of the NFT action at SXSW.
Fluf World
The New Zealand founders of Fluf erected a fairground in the center of SXSW, right outside of the Austin Convention Center. It was one of the hottest nightlife tickets in town, and a draw for workers at some of the biggest tech companies, too, such as Snap, Meta and Disney, according to people who were attending the site throughout the week. Fluf’s site had a series of hangout domes, reminiscent of the virtual “burrows” that the Rabbit avatars own in the NFT world being created through the project. Inside the SXSW domes were lounges for talks, and digital projections of NFT art. And, of course, at night there was electronic music, with long lines to get inside.
Fluf launched last year as NFT characters, known for the rabbit iconography, but the project is expanding to other characters. The New Zealand company has utopian visions for NFTs and blockchain technology, viewing it as a way for creators to find their fans and crowdsource their rise to fame, and share in the spoils. Fluf also launched a new app, partly timed to SXSW, called Burrows, which is a “metaspace” where avatars can theoretically live and create online.