Yuga Labs suspends CryptoPunks in response to ‘Active’ collection
Yuga Labs faces backlash over its new Super Punk World collection. The Super Punk World collection pays homage to the irreverent, early internet cryptopunk roots. Yoga Labs' decision focuses on conservation and education rather than active development.
Yuga Labs, the NFT giant behind the amazing CryptoPunks, has announced that it will halt any further development on the project following massive community backlash against the new Super Punk World collection.
The decision came after heavy criticism from the crypto community, which accused Yuga Labs of using CryptoPunks' core content for what some described as “enlightenment”.
Super punk world collection
On May 20, the official CryptoPunks label launched the Super Punk World collection, featuring 500 hybrid 3D sculptures.
Created by New York-based artist Nina Abney, these pieces are designed to pay homage to the understated, early Internet roots of cryptopunk while addressing themes of race and gender.
Reaction on the super punk world set
However, despite its artistic intentions, the collection quickly faced a wave of criticism.
One community member bluntly stated, “Yuga killed punks today,” echoing the sentiment that the project has come a long way from its original rite of passage.
The backlash included threats to NFT holders to sell their CryptoPunk assets and sarcastic comments asking if the official account had been hacked. A prominent NFT trader has urged the community to ban Yuga Labs and move forward without them.
Yoga Labs response
In response to the uproar, Yuga Labs CEO Greg Solano explained in a statement on X that the group's vision is to connect Web3 to the traditional art world by collaborating with respected artists like Abney.
Although Solano responded, she said the goal is to connect with those who support Abney's work, possibly by airdropping the new collection to her previous ventures such as Super Coolworld.
Speaking about the future of CryptoPunks, Solano announced that Yuga Labs will not be involved in the development of the project.
“What about punks? Yuga doesn't touch punks anymore. They are decentralized and maintained only on the blockchain,” he said.
The CEO went on to emphasize that Yuga's focus will shift to museums and institutions acquiring cryptopunk NFTs and educating the public about their value.
However, despite the controversy, the CryptoPunks collection has shown resilience.
In March, two record-breaking sales highlighted the enduring value of these digital assets. On March 4, a rare alien CryptoPunk was sold for 4,500 Ether (approximately $16 million), followed by another sale on March 20 for 4,850 Ether (approximately $16.4 million).
