TL;DR: With a new update or NFT collection being released almost every day, it’s clear the crypto ecosystem is constantly evolving. Alien Frens is one of the NFT collections paving the road to the digital universe — but it’s just the beginning. Knowing what brought it here and why it was created will lead you to make better decisions when investing or simply interacting with Alien Frens.
In this article, we’re gonna dive into the Alien Frens lore, answer all the Alien Frens related questions and even more. Prepare yourself for a fantasy story and a journey to the future of Alien Frens!
What is Alien Frens?
Alien Frens is an NFT collection of 10,000 pfps that live on the Ethereum blockchain.
Hello, fren 👋 have you ever been part of a community of builders? Well, now’s your chance to do so. If crypto culture has taught us anything, it’s the value of friendship and memes.
Owning an NFT is different than screenshotting a JPEG - just like holding an original Rembrandt is more valuable than owning a replica. As their name suggests, NFTs are non-fungible by design. This is different from digital tokens like Bitcoin and Ethereum.
Fungible assets can be exchanged for another asset of the same type, much like BTC, ETH, or even fiat. NFTs, on the other hand, are unique assets where their ownership details are documented on the blockchain, ensuring digital scarcity and unique attributes for each asset.
But how exactly is digital scarcity being enforced?
The concept of NFTs first emerged in 2012 with the creation of Colored Coins, which could be used to represent real-world assets on the blockchain. However, Colored Coins only worked in a permitted environment, making it more similar to a database than anything else.
As the crypto industry became more popular, people have continued to experiment with the idea of a digitally scarce asset. This led to the creation of ERC-721 and ERC-1155.
The ERC-721 standard is like a set of rules for making NFTs. These actions help in making special tokens with their unique information, making them different from one another.
Behind the scenes, ERC-721 smart contracts keep a list of who owns which token, making it safe to pass tokens from one person to another. The contract also keeps count of how many tokens there are altogether and how many each person has.
As previously mentioned, Alien Frens NFTs are secured by the Ethereum blockchain. Ownership and transaction history are publicly visible on the Ethereum blockchain along with other important info such as the NFT's metadata.
Understanding how to access an NFT's metadata is essential for holders to grasp the specifics of what they're buying.
Metadata usually includes visual attributes like color, type, wearables, and so on. On the blockchain, it looks something like this:
Alien Frens have their own set of traits that make up their uniqueness. These are the background, body, clothes, eyes, hats, and mouth.
Some traits are rarer than others, which makes a specific NFT stand out from the rest. For example, only 25 Alien Frens with armor exist.
The original Alien Frens come in four distinct groups: Green (Xenos), Yellow (Femi), Purple (Lochias), and Red (OLU). These factions add a ton of variety and special vibes to the gang. On top of that, there are super rare Alien Frens, like the 30 Blobs, 40 Zombies, and 6 truly one-of-a-kind characters!
The Alien Frens NFT collection has been autogenerated. This means that out of the potential combinations, only 10,000 Alien Frens will ever exist!
In total, 5 additional collections were developed and one massive collaboration was released recently: Alien Frens Incubators, Alien Frens Evolution, Alien Frens Key, Alien Frens UFOs, Frens Originals, Full Send x Alien Frens.
The story has it that during the intense conflict known as the Great Fren War, the original Alien Frens faced a powerful adversary, the Frenemies. To triumph, they embarked on a journey to Earth and encountered a secret incubator room. There, they crafted the Alien Frens Evolutions (AFE) that helped secure their victory back on Planet Fren. In times of peace, the OGs reminisced about their escapades on Earth, embracing new things like celery and forging strong friendships.
Inspired by these tales, a curious group of AFEs asked permission to venture back to Earth. With the OGs engaged in their Planet Fren projects, they granted permission.
While on their return journey, the AFEs stumbled upon unused incubators on the ship. These incubators, designed for OGs, worked differently for the AFEs. Embracing this discovery, the AFEs found a fresh way to form alliances on Earth and eagerly commenced building new friendships and partnerships upon their arrival.
The incubator collectables are ERC-1155 NFTs and burnable. This means NFT holders can remove the collectables from existence to create unique Alien Frens Evolutions.
AFEs are the 5th faction of frens - with 25 different body types and over 100 unique traits, they bring something special and unique to the Alien Frens ecosystem.
What is the utility of Alien Frens?
Alien Frens make for an awesome avatar pic, but it’s also your ticket to one of the most visible and active digital collectable communities in the world.
But first, let’s talk about the host of perks you get from owning an Alien Fren NFT. Remember the 5 additional collections?
Well, three of them have come with major prizes for the participants. For instance, Alien Frens airdropped 20 Alien Fren Keys to select holders on May 13, 2022. The keys enabled participants to take part in a series of games and events IRL in Las Vegas. Winners of the game event won a Tesla Model 3, fully expensed vacations, and a host of smaller prizes.
Alien Frens UFOs can be counted as the third major NFT drop, only this time, holders get to choose the color of their UFO Lambo – you can choose from over 100 different traits in the UFO Dealership in order to build your custom spaceship and the mint it!
Holding an Alien Fren grants FREE access to all of their events. Everywhere they go, they’re bringing frens together to hang out and have fun in both small and large settings.
Since December 2021, Alien Frens has given back over $2M in physical goods and digital collectable prizes to our community via raffles, activities, giveaways, and the marketplace.
In May 2022, Frens announced the Fren token. These coins can be accumulated simply by retaining their Frens NFTs, using them within the marketplace available within the ecosystem. This marketplace is teeming with various items like clothing, NFTs, exclusive opportunities for upcoming projects, and even real-world experiences. The inclusion of Fren Coins within this ecosystem brings an extra dimension of practicality and value for those holding Alien Frens.
The number of Frens you possess determines the base rate of tokens earned per day. This base earning is then increased by the number of factions you hold, starting with a base multiplier of 1. Owning at least one of the OGs factions unlocks that faction's multiplier. These multipliers are additive, so having one of each faction and 2 UFOs results in a 4.5 multiplier. If you also possess a 1 of 1, your multiplier increases to 5.75.
As the Alien Frens brand expands, NFT holders will be able to continually earn rewards. Whether you are hodling for a season or longer, the Alien Frens ecosystem continues to explore new ways of keeping holders engaged.
Who created Alien Frens?
Alien Frens was created by Mason Crowe and his team in December 2021.
Mason is a 2D/3D artist and filmmaker from Ohio, now living in California. He is the founder of the Alien Frens NFT project and the author of the idea, as well as a big fan of alien creatures. Before entering the world of NFT, he worked on music videos, films and commercials.
Aside from that, not much is known about Mason. As it appears, he prefers keeping a low profile and engaging with the Alien Frens Discord.
The Alien Frens NFT project was established without an officially declared mission. Nevertheless, Mason Crowe's objective was to cultivate one of the most renowned and impactful communities in the metaverse. The current outcome suggests the achievement of that goal. Additionally, the creators aimed to challenge a prevalent stereotype in contemporary pop culture. Traditionally, aliens are portrayed as somewhat unfriendly beings. In contrast, Alien Frens is depicted as humorous and benign, aiming to break the stereotype associated with extraterrestrial entities.
The official mint happened on December 20, 2021.
The minting price was 0.02 ETH. Surprisingly, the total trading volume of secondary sales surpassed 31K ETH.
The most expensive Alien Fren #668 was sold on April 10, 2022, for 51 ETH.
A mere 2% of the collection, which comprises 194 pieces out of 10,000, is available for sale. Prices for these available pieces span from 0.02 ETH to 11 ETH. This scarcity indicates that the majority of holders perceive the project as a promising investment and are in no rush to sell their assets at lower prices.
Who is developing Alien Frens now?
The group spearheading Alien Frens consists of enthusiastic individuals committed to bringing to life the grand idea of forming the largest circle of friends in the cosmos. Guided by Mason Crowe, the team comprises several essential members.
Justin Brown, also known as Pape (@PapetheGreat), serves as the Marketing Manager, overseeing project products, intellectual property rights, events, and various project aspects.
AUTOPIXEL (@autopixel), an expert well-versed in NFTs, blockchain, and DeFi, brings extensive experience to the team.
Gabriel Montane, or monti (@NotAnImpulseBuy), functions as the Community Manager, focusing on community engagement and seeking partnerships with other projects.
Sean Herron, recognized as Sean (@SeanOhio_), specializes in project partnerships and collaborations, boasting a wealth of experience in brand development and team establishment.
Finally, Glen Lee Robinson, known as GLR (@glennleerob), holds the position of Chief Communications Expert. Additionally, he curates the finest collection of photos and manages their promotion.
Investors are also an important component of any NFT ecosystem. Although they don’t get involved directly in the governance of the project, they do exert an influence over the brand’s expansion into the mainstream. As of 2023, Alien Frens sought no strategic fundraising and it’s relying entirely on the community contributions.
As part of the Alien Incubator Chamber, Alien Frens has partnered with 5 distinct brands.
The Alien Frens team has announced the discontinuation of quarterly roadmaps in favor of missions. These missions will be available on the project's official website, allowing the community to monitor their progress as a percentage. This shift, as described by the project's creators, enables more precise investment in community development, aligning with market trends and the current preferences of token holders.
How does Alien Frens make money?
Now, let’s get to the juicy part – how does Alien Frens make money?💰 (No, flipping and rug pulling are not the correct answers)
The answer to this question is strongly related to intellectual property.
Think of popular trademarks such as Mickey Mouse, Spider-Man, or Coca-Cola. Every time you see movies, books merch, or posters with them, know that the owners of the IP get a share of the profits. The same thing goes for NFT holders, in theory.
When it comes to NFTs, it’s quite challenging to fit them into the traditional framework of copyright law. To give more context, owning an NFT doesn’t mean holders have automatic control over the creative work. This creative control needs to be granted by the creator.
As such, NFT holders should pay attention to what IP rights, if any, come with owning the NFT.
When you purchase an Alien Frens NFT, you own the image. You are free to use the NFT for any purpose you wish. However, the Alien Frens name is a registered trademark of Alien Frens Inc., and cannot be used without express permission.
The founder of Alien Frens has come up with a grants IP system. In this system, NFT holders can submit a grant application for the IP and receive up to $200K in funding from the team to monetize the idea. Additionally, fren owned businesses receive full support from the entire community. Because that’s what frens are for 🖖
Another way of generating revenue is via royalties. Alien Frens team earns 5% from secondary NFT sales.
The mission of Alien Frens is to create the biggest fren community in the entire universe. As previously mentioned, Alien Frens uses missions to channel the community treasury.
So far, the completed NFT missions include:
Participation in the Art Basel fair in Miami (held on December 1, 2022)
An exclusive merchandise release commemorating Black Friday (November 25, 2022). The merchandise was available for purchase using U.S. dollars. Discount cards were applicable for the purchases.
Enabling owners to independently earn coins, adjusting the formula for Fren Coin earnings, and impacting OG Frens' coin generation while leaving AFE and UFO derivative collections unaffected.
They participated in the NFT London event.
The release of Comic Book issue 1 featuring Alien Frens characters, offering a digital PDF on the official website, with physical copies available to token holders later.
Introduced their marketplace, offering exciting items for Fren Coins, providing an opportunity to immerse in thrilling adventures.
Launched a platform to support alien frens photographers.
Where can I buy Alien Frens?
You can buy Alien Frens on OpenSea.
