April isn’t over yet though. In fact, some of the most anticipated NFT projects of 2022 are dropping in the coming week. I’ll cover the 5 biggest ones here. And then there’s one at the end which hasn’t yet announced its exact launch date. It may very well be the biggest of them all.

Trading volume on OpenSea, the leading NFT marketplace, has really picked up steam in April (ref: Dune)

As always, none of this is financial advice. The NFT space is new, exciting, and very risky. I’m simply putting some interesting projects on your radar because of the quality of what they’re doing and the attention they’re getting. I may or may not invest in them myself but haven’t been compensated for writing this.

Apiens

Apiens has already been verified on Twitter, attracted 176,000 followers, and built a Discord with 66,000 members. And yet, it’s arguably the least hyped of the projects in this guide.

Apiens wants to build an ecosystem for fashion NFTs and be synonymous with what they call blockchain-integrated clothing (BIC). This type of clothing is connected with the blockchain via RFID (Radio Frequency Identifier) or NFC (Near Field Communication).

As an owner of one of the 8,000 Apiens avatars, you will get a commission from BIC sales, discounts on partner brands, and much more. I encourage you to read the 28-page whitepaper to get all the details.

I’m a pretty big fan of the detailed 3D artwork. While we have seen something similar in the NFT space, most notably the HAPE Prime collection, I do think the avatars are unique enough to get recognized as Apiens.

My main concern is the anonymous team. The four team members’ past experience looks good on paper, but I have no other information than what’s written on the website and their Twitter profiles. None of them even use their own photos as profile pictures.

If you’re okay with the anon founding team, set aside 0.169 ETH for April 25. The pre-sale runs for 24 hours prior to that with a mint price of 0.1 ETH. There may not be more than a few hundred left by then though.

• When? April 25, 2 pm UTC
• How many? 8,000
• How much? 0.169 ETH
• Discord: 66,000 members
• Twitter: 176,000 followers

Imaginary Ones

If you’ve read any of my other past guides to upcoming NFT drops, you’ve likely seen me reference Invisible Friends a few times. It launched 2 months ago and kicked off a new trend of animated walking characters. It’s still one of the most popular collections with a floor price above 5 ETH (~$16,000).

Several copycat projects have launched and failed since then. Imaginary Ones is different. The team has been working on the project for a long time and I honestly don’t know if they were even inspired by Invisible Friends. In any case, there’s no lack of interest in Imaginary Ones.

The project’s Twitter following just surpassed 500,000, a number that’s only been achieved by a very exclusive group of NFT projects. Because it’s invite-only, their Discord server is counting a meager 84,000 members.

The artwork undoubtedly plays a big role in these numbers. The collection consists of 8,888 extremely colorful, playful, and amazingly strange 3D characters with bodies made of little bubbles. It’s truly unique and very recognizable. And brandable.

And Imaginary Ones is very much about the brand. It’s in the name, the artwork, and their whole online identity. The project is all about rediscovering your childlike imagination, embracing creativity, and working on the dreams you once had.

The Imaginary Ones’ website is an experience in and of itself

Later, the team wants to turn the brand into merchandise, toys, NFT tools, events in the real world as well as the metaverse, and even a token to reward loyal supporters. And speaking of the team, it consists of 5 Singapore-based gentlemen who can all be stalked on LinkedIn.

Whitelisted community members can mint an Imaginary One for 0.2 ETH on April 27th. A day later, the rest of us will be able to mint in a Dutch auction. The starting price will be 50% of the floor price on OpenSea, so it’s gonna be interesting to follow the price development during those 24 hours!

• When? April 28, 3 am UTC
• How many? 8,888
• How much? 0.2 ETH (whitelist) / Dutch auction
• Discord: 84,000 members
• Twitter: 500,000 followers

Blvck Genesis

Blvck Paris was founded in 2017. They’re selling fashionable clothes, accessories, various lifestyle products, home decor, toys, and even digital products like app icons, wallpapers, and emoji packs. The one common denominator: It’s all black.

The brand’s got a loyal community and a big following on social media. I’ve personally been a fan and a buyer of their products for a while. And now they’re taking their brand into the world of NFTs.

Blvck Genesis features 9,999 unique 3D characters, crafted by the founder of the company, Julian O’hayon. Many people who already love the brand naturally gravitate toward these avatars as well. They’ve now got more than 100,000 Discord members and 220,000 Twitter followers.

Being the company and brand that it is, Blvck Paris has some great opportunities for rewarding their NFT holders. They’ve already announced that owners of some of Blvck Genesis NFTs with certain traits will be able to claim limited edition physical products to be paired with their avatars.

Blvck Paris’ online identity is very much on-brand

A play-to-earn game is also on the roadmap for 2022, developed in partnership with Hora Games. You will be able to use your Genesis NFT as an in-game avatar to win exclusive merchandise and more.

The team will also continue to form partnerships with other brands, bridging the gap between their digital and physical collections. And then there’s this:

“As a lifestyle brand, with high-end 3D avatars, aesthetics and designs, our vision is to develop our own Blvckverse, continuously employing a team of experts and utilizing the work of in-house developers, 3D artists, creating our own Metaverse, but in Blvck.” — Blvck Paris

I love that the Blvck Paris isn’t just dropping an NFT “collectible”. They’ve got some ambitious plans for adding utility by leveraging their strong foundation and brand. With that in mind, 0.2 ETH per NFT doesn’t seem expensive. In fact, they will likely be hard to get your hands on at that price.

• When? April 29, 2:15 pm UTC
• How many? 10,000
• How much? 0.2 ETH
• Discord: 106,000 members
• Twitter: 221,000 followers

If you want to find drops like these early, check out this guide I wrote👇

How To Find the Best Upcoming NFT Launches Early

L.O.

Lofi Originals, or just L.O., was founded by four friends from Melbourne. After successful entrepreneurial ventures on their own, they’ve now come together to build a brand around their shared passion for the lo-fi chill hop culture. L.O. is just as much a movement and a subculture as a business.

The brand values are clearly reflected in the 5,555 animated NFT avatars. From the colors to the grainy look, to the characters’ facial expressions, to the overall vintage feel… It’s all perfectly on-brand. Furthermore, these side-view shots are quite uncommon in the NFT space and help L.O. stand out.

The team has clearly stated that they don’t believe in “merch”. Rather, they’re building a premium, ethical, sustainable, and original brand. Manufactured with love, from Australia to the world.

From what I can gather on Discord and their website, the roadmap and future plans aren’t yet super clear. But the brand is and the art is amazing. And that’s really what you buy into with L.O. at this stage. That, and the team’s vision, passion, and dedication to building a brand.

I like the relatively low supply of 5,555 NFTs and a rather fair mint price of 0.09 ETH. We’re still awaiting some launch details so I’d suggest keeping an eye on the project’s Twitter and Discord for upcoming announcements.

• When? April 29
• How many? 5,555
• How much? 0.09 ETH
• Discord: 25,000 members
• Twitter: 145,000 followers

NFT Worlds Avatars

I mentioned NFT Worlds as one of the leading virtual world platforms in my latest guide to metaverse investing. It consists of 10,000 “worlds” on which owners can create games, experiences, community hangouts, concerts, venues, and more. The cheapest worlds currently go for 11 ETH ($33,000).

Each world is massive and functions as its own fully flexible metaverse that’s interconnected with other worlds in the ecosystem. And now this ecosystem is expanding with an avatar collection.

One key benefit of owning an NFT Worlds Avatar is that you get a share of the fees generated within their marketplace. You will also get access to exclusive perks and content within the Genesis Avatars’ NFT World to be released in the future. This will include games, hangout spots, venues, and more.

I’m not an NFT Worlds expert and don’t fully understand the ecosystem and how these avatars will fit into it. I encourage you to study the details here. But based on the success of NFT Worlds alone, I have a feeling these avatars will sell out before the Dutch auction drops to 0.4 ETH.

• When? April 30
• How many? 15,000
• How much? 1 to 0.4 ETH (Dutch auction)
• Discord: 68,000 members
• Twitter: 136,000 followers

Honorable mention: Otherside land sale

Last but certainly not least, a quick word on one of the biggest drops of 2022: Yuga Labs’ metaverse land sale. The company behind Bored Ape Yacht Club announced their upcoming metaverse project, Otherside, a little over a month ago. The next important milestone for this is a land sale.

We’re still missing some details around the distribution of land, who will be eligible to buy it, and at what price. And also when it will happen. Yuga Labs simply said “See you on the Otherside in April” when they dropped the trailer. Keep an eye on their Twitter account for further updates.

Project recaps

Apiens wants to create an innovative fashion brand with a collection of 3D ape avatars as their community mascots. I’m curious to see how many of their followers turn into buyers and how well the team delivers on their ideas.

Imaginary Ones is one of the most hyped drops ever. The playful brand and impressive artwork have attracted more than half a million Twitter followers. The team has been building for a while, which is great! I’m curious to see how many of their followers have lost interest in the meantime though.

Blvck Paris is leveraging their strong established lifestyle brand to launch a collection of Genesis avatars. I personally love this approach, especially when there’s as much utility in the NFTs as what appears to be the case here. I hope to get my hand on one or two, but let’s see how the launch goes.

L.O. is another super cool brand, albeit a completely new one. The team has managed to infuse the Lo-fi vibe into everything they do, including the retro-looking animated avatars. Whether I buy or not, I’m cheering for the team!

NFT Worlds is expanding its virtual world ecosystem with a collection of 3D voxel avatars. Considering the project’s success so far, I’m sure this drop will go well. The Dutch auction format will make for an interesting launch.

As if we didn’t have enough on our plates with the projects above, we’re also waiting for Otherside to launch. Will it happen in April? Stay tuned.