NFT startup Proof has launched its new Ethereum profile picture (PFP) collection, Mythics, the newest evolution of its prominent Moonbirds project and the latest installment in its digital art ecosystem.
Set to feature a generative series of illustrations of mythical birds—with more of a hand-drawn aesthetic compared to the pixel-based Moonbirds—Mythics arrives with what the company hails as a “new minting experience” for existing Proof NFT holders.
First announced in August 2022 alongside a $50 million Series A funding round with Proof led by VC giant Andreessen Horowitz, the Mythics collection features 20,000 profile picture NFTs based on the lore surrounding Moonbirds, a collection of 10,000 owl NFTs that has generated nearly $650 million to date worth of NFT trading volume.
Moonbirds NFT holders must “nest” (or stake) their bird to be eligible to receive a Mythic egg, which hatches one of the new NFTs. Meanwhile, holders of Proof’s Oddities collection—a previous spinoff tied to Moonbirds—must burn (or permanently destroy) their NFTs to be eligible to receive a Mythic.
Starting today, 50 claimed eggs will be selected at random each day to be “activated,” plus 50 daily Oddities chosen to be burned. Ultimately, a total of up to 100 Mythics will be released per day via this process, over the course of at least 200 days.
The new NFTs fall into three categories: the rarer stone and legendary eggs—which make up 20% of the collection, respectively—and runic eggs, which make up 60%. A legendary egg can spawn three Mythic forms; it will be down to the minter to decide which form their Mythic will take. A runic egg has two potential forms, and a stone egg only one.
“With Mythics, we’re really trying to give our community a new experience that links together the Proof ecosystem and expands the storytelling that started with Moonbirds,” said Proof co-founder and CEO Kevin Rose, in a release. “I’m so proud of how hard our teams have been working on this launch, with the goal of expanding Moonbirds’ storytelling both through art and technology.”
Holders of Mythics will have full commercial rights to their art and be able to use the characters’ IP—a fact that will surely be welcome news to some community members. Proof put a cat among the pigeons last August as it set out an abrupt (and irreversible) switch in the terms of its copyright.
Adopting a Creative Commons CC0 model meant that anyone could commercially reproduce and use the art from the two earlier Moonbirds NFT collections, even if they didn’t own the NFT in question. The benefits of this were widely debated at the time, and some Moonbirds holders were upset about the unexpected change.
Proof says all holders of Mythics will gain limited access to future Proof releases, art installations, and opportunities to attend digital and real-world experiences.
Holders will also get full membership for the Lunar Society, Moonbirds’ entrepreneurial arm where members can propose and vote for projects to be supported. Mythics are also slated to receive Proof ecosystem loyalty points when the company’s “Talons” rewards program launches.
The Mythics launch also coincides with the opening of a real-world exhibition space and Proof community hub. The downtown Los Angeles-based 4,000 square-foot gallery is called Foundry by Proof, and will hold a grand opening event on Friday.
