Gm community!
Things are moving pretty quickly in the Habbo NFT project and we’re at the point where we can start talking about the BIG plans we have for interoperability for Habbo NFT holders, but also other NFT projects we are collaborating with to make Habbo a prime location in the metaverse.
This blog will touch on:
- Decentralisation and what it means
- How decentralisation applies to the Habbo NFT project
- Some of the NFT projects we’re bringing to Habbo
What is decentralisation?
I’ve been asked what the point of decentralisation is, especially when it eventually comes back to centralised services anyway. For example, OpenSea, MetaMask, and Yuga Labs are examples of both centralised services and successful Web3 companies. They control a vast portion of their market and they can have a huge impact on it too: if OpenSea is down, NFT sales go down with it. If MetaMask is down, many dApps go down as well. (dApp = decentralised app.)
The question is: how is this different from Web2?
It all comes down to the actual data layer that is decentralised. (A data layer is basically something that collects data on a website or app.) With Web2, everything is centralised. If Facebook doesn’t want to give you access to their app, your data or anything else in their ecosystem, there’s nothing you can do about it.
However, with Web3 the data layer is decentralised, which means anyone can access the data. So, in theory, with Web3, social media posts from all platforms could be stored on the blockchain and you could choose which dApp to use to read the posts. You wouldn’t have to use TikTok, Instagram or Twitter to access each of these platforms but instead you could choose any dApp you want and still have full access to all of the posts.
So why does decentralisation matter? Because with decentralisation there can be competition. Even if OpenSea is down, there’s LooksRare. There can be competition because the most valuable thing — the data — isn’t locked away on centralised servers. Anyone can create a dApp on top of that data. And anyone can access that data regardless of what platform or device they’re using.
Consider NFTs as the data. When you own an NFT, that ownership data is stored on the blockchain and anyone can access that anywhere. Regardless of the services you are using, when you provide your wallet address they can check which NFTs you own or what data you have in your wallet and they can customise the service based on that.
I want the original NFT to hold as much utility as possible. I prefer to tie unlocks or perks to the original NFT, e.g., to the Habbo Avatar you own, instead of airdropping tons of NFTs to you as the owner of that avatar. This ensures that any future owner of your avatar will also have access to the associated perks and unlocks. This is the reason we are including Habbo X room ownership with ownership of the Habbo Avatar — each avatar comes with its own room. People who don’t hold any Habbo Avatars will otherwise have to purchase NFT rooms.
Habbo NFTs and decentralisation
So what does all of this have to do with Habbo and Habbo NFTs? Since the launch of the Habbo NFT project, I have been talking about how important it is to provide ownership of your digital assets, i.e., in-game items. This is the core benefit of NFTs and this is how I think NFTs will change the gaming landscape in the future.
However, NFTs are much more than just owning digital items: it is also what you can do with them and where you can use them. They are all about utility. And one way to give utility is through interoperability — allowing you to use them in other locations in the metaverse.
For us, decentralisation and interoperability will mean two things:
- Where and how you can use Habbo NFTs.
- How we can help other NFT projects to tackle interoperability.
I tackle the above two points in detail below.
1. Habbo NFTs in the metaverse
Where Habbo NFTs have an advantage over many other NFT projects is that we have our own virtual world where you can immediately use your NFTs. Whether we are talking about Habbo Avatars or the NFT ‘furni’ item that was airdropped to you, you can take it and use it in Habbo. And not just in one Habbo server but all nine. (Furni are items you use to decorate and build rooms with in Habbo.)
However, the metaverse doesn’t end there. There are already well over a hundred locations in the metaverse and that number keeps getting bigger and bigger. What if you want to try something different? As NFTs are stored on the blockchain, any virtual world in the metaverse can see that you own Habbo NFTs and translate that into exclusive access to in-game items and locations that are not available for others. Ideally we could do something for each and every Habbo NFT furni and piece of NFT clothing you own but currently that is not realistic. Therefore, we will start with Habbo Avatars and see if it is possible to provide Habbo NFT furni owners some exclusive furni in other locations as well.
Habbo in other parts of the Metaverse
The first example of use for Habbo Avatars was in Arker where you gain access to exclusive skins if you own a Habbo Avatar.
In addition to that, we have purchased land from a variety of virtual worlds: Otherside, Worldwide Webb, NFT Worlds, and many others. We are also looking to purchase land from Sandbox and possibly from Decentraland. What we aim to do with these lands depends on the platform itself. Ultimately, we want to create different experiences on each platform — not a carbon copy Habbo Hotel. For instance, a futuristic Habbo in one and a medieval Habbo Hotel on another. As these details vary from partner to partner it is impossible to say at this stage what is doable and what is not but, overall, we want to create a vast Habbo ecosystem that reaches far outside of Sulake-owned games.
Ideally there would be some play-to-earn mechanics so that you would be able to earn NFTs that are usable both in that platform, but also in Habbo. In addition, we aim to provide you with exclusive skins in each platform where that is doable. To start with, we are introducing our iconic character Frank as a playable character on Worldwide Webb and we are also researching ways to bring your avatar’s looks to each platform.
We will release more details when we are closer to launching each “external” Habbo metaworld.
2. Habbo as the key location in the metaverse
We are aiming to create Habbo and Habbo X as the main location for NFT projects to join. Habbo has a long history of successful collaborations with major brands like the Coca Cola Company and Disney, and most recently with Sanrio (Hello Kitty) and the Teletubbies. We aim to bring this expertise to the Web3 world by collaborating with NFT projects.
So far, we have partnered with Metakey, Metaverse HQ and CyberKongz in the first round of collaborations and in the future we aim to introduce many more collabs.
So, how do these collabs work? Basically, we are adding utility to the collab partner’s NFTs by providing exclusive unlocks and perks to their holders. These are mostly in-game items that you can use in Habbo (so, not NFTs themselves). For example, if you own a CyberKong/Baby Kong, you will be able to unlock and enjoy an exclusive effect and a badge in Habbo. In addition, you are able to use a Kong head and a head accessory to make you look like a Kong while you’re hanging out in Habbo. We will also provide you access to a Kongz community room.
Most of the items will be unlocked based on the NFT ownership but some may be airdropped. We provide the collab with some NFT furni items that they can use as rewards for their community. In these cases our partner will get to choose the way they want to provide the NFT furni to their community — some will do raffles, and some will give the items to everyone in their community.
Conclusion
Our main goal is to make Habbo and Habbo X the place to be for NFT communities. We also aim to provide utility to Habbo NFTs not just in the Azerion ecosystem but also all across the metaverse. It should be noted that it will be a long process especially considering our main focus is on Habbo X. Regardless, I strongly believe that in the next few years Habbo NFTs will be the most versatile NFTs in the metaverse.
