The Top 10 Upcoming NFT Projects You Need to Know About

The cryptocurrency and blockchain industry has exploded in recent years, and it’s still going strong. With the crypto craze, new projects are emerging all the time, bringing the number of cryptocurrencies to the thousands and making blockchain tech an integral part of our future. But with so many projects out there, it can be difficult to determine which are worthwhile investments and which ones aren’t worth your time or money. To help you cut through all the noise of cryptocurrency, we’ve compiled a list of some of the most promising NFT projects around right now that are well worth your attention.

1) MakerDAO (MKR)

While not technically a project, MakerDAO is an Ethereum-based token that incentivizes users to build a decentralized stablecoin. MKR is especially unique because it's a hybrid system: The value of your tokens aren’t directly pegged to any real-world currency but are determined by market dynamics and risk-hedging algorithms. You can earn MKR by using Dai, which is pegged 1-to-1 with USD, as collateral for smart contracts. When you create Dai, you’re borrowing from yourself, so it’s similar to interest on money lent out at a bank—you can buy back your Dai if and when you need it (the price of Dai will fluctuate along with global market dynamics). If you don't repay your loan, however, then you lose some or all of your collateral. This helps stabilize Dai in times of volatility.

2) KIN (KIN)

KIN is a cryptocurrency designed for mass adoption, and is being used by Kik as part of its $125 million token distribution event. Through Kik’s messenger app, KIN allows users to perform basic transactions with each other, complete micro-tasks, and earn rewards. As a recent tech IPO—Kik raised $110 million in their 2017 initial coin offering (ICO)—it remains one of 2018’s most high-profile projects. While it may not be a top contender today, keep an eye on KIN moving forward. It has all of the makings of a solid project: active development, strong community support, and real-world usage through partnerships with established companies like Unity Technologies.

3) Decentraland (MANA)

Decentraland is a virtual reality platform powered by Ethereum. Users can create, experience, and monetize content and applications. Decentraland just launched their native ERC-20 token called MANA on August 17th, 2018. The token can be used to purchase land in Decentraland's virtual world as well as traded on cryptocurrency exchanges or used within games or other applications built on top of Decentraland. The team behind Decentraland has already created multiple successful VR platforms including CryptoKitties which was one of 2017's most popular blockchain projects. In addition to providing users with a way to buy and sell virtual real estate, Decentraland will also enable developers to build decentralized applications (dApps) that run on its blockchain network. This could have major implications for gaming since blockchain technology could allow for digital assets like game items or characters to truly own themselves rather than being controlled by developers.

4) Basic Attention Token (BAT)

The BAT ICO is already over, but you can still participate in its token sale. The BAT token will be used in conjunction with existing web-browsers, advertising networks and other applications to provide a new mechanism for funding publishers without relying on third-party ads. Publishers can generate BAT through their regular website and sell it on exchanges for fiat currency or other cryptocurrencies. There’s also a native browser based on Ethereum that lets users pay content creators directly using BAT tokens. The project’s founders are Brendan Eich (creator of JavaScript) and Brian Bondy (technical lead of Khan Academy). Its pre-sale ended in May 2018, raising $35 million. It launched an open sale shortly after which raised another $22 million.

5) CryptoKitties (CAT)

CryptoKitties are non-fungible crypto assets stored on Ethereum and ERC721. Each crypto kitty is unique, which means no two kitties can be said to be exactly alike. CryptoKitties is a game where users breed, collect and sell digital cats using ether (ETH), with each kitty being fully owned by you. Over 4 million of these digitized kittens have been sold in total, netting more than $25 million for their makers. The success of CryptoKitties has led to other similar projects such as KittyHats, which allow players to customize their furry friends' accessories. Users who do not wish to pay ETH directly can purchase tokens that represent different breeds of kitties. These tokens are tradable on an open market and could appreciate or depreciate based on supply and demand for specific types of kitties. Ownership is guaranteed by smart contracts, meaning that no one else will be able to make any changes to your account or its information. This creates opportunities for decentralization across a variety of industries beyond just games. While there are many upcoming nft projects looking to replicate its success, it’s unlikely that they will ever achieve widespread adoption without offering something truly unique in comparison to CryptoKitties’ cuddly charm.

6) Moon Money Chain (MMNY)

I’ve never been a huge fan of counterparty-based, non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and, frankly, I don’t know that they’ll be adopted widely by game developers. However, if there is an exception it might be something like Moon Money Chain . This game makes use of ERC721 tokens and will run on an Ethereum testnet for now. But no worries about beta bugs and delays; unlike many blockchain gaming projects MMNY is scheduled to launch with its full version in December 2019. The game itself looks pretty standard for crypto collectibles: you can buy items using ETH or BTC, trade them with other players and level up your characters. There are even some special items you can purchase only with Moon Money Coin (MMC), which is a token unique to MMNY. The project has already raised more than $2 million during its ICO period and has more than 1,000 active users so far—not bad at all! If you want to try out MMNY right now, you can download their desktop client here.

7) Telos Foundation (TLOS)

The Telos Foundation is a non-profit organization based in Switzerland. The Telos Foundation aims to promote and support long-term development of open source software projects that have been forked from EOSIO. It will also oversee governance on projects associated with these codebases, including arbitration should disputes arise regarding use of these software toolsets. One such toolset is an alternative implementation of EOSIO called Telos, which is currently undergoing testing. TLOS tokens are used for transactions within and outside of DApps using the Telos platform, similar to how ETH tokens are used on Ethereum-based DApps. As such, they can be considered as a utility token. However, they do not appear to serve any other purpose than being tradeable assets at present. Due to their lack of functionality, we would not recommend investing in them at present time; however, it’s important to keep an eye on their progress as things could change over time. If you are interested in learning more about Telos and its progress so far, you can read our guide here.

8) Ether Kingdoms (IMPCHAIN & IDHUB )

Though still in development, Ether Kingdoms is an online trading card game that runs on a blockchain platform. Each digital creature in it will be based on non-fungible tokens (NFTs), which are assets that cannot be interchanged with others of their kind. The game’s creators, IMPCHAIN and IDHUB, have already developed and released two successful collectible card games: Cryptomon Chess and Cryptomon Blackjack. With over 100 million users between them, these games have proven that there is a strong demand for non-fungible assets. Now they’re looking to expand into other areas of gaming by bringing NFTs into trading card games. In addition to being sold as individual cards, players can also buy booster packs—which include five random cards—and trade them with other players for better cards or sell them for ETH. This helps ensure liquidity and keeps prices competitive throughout gameplay.

9) TrueDonate Platform (TD Donations Inc.) / TrueBit Network

The blockchain was born as a digital, open ledger for peer-to-peer transactions that don’t require intermediaries or centralized governance. Until now, these transactions have been limited to financial products like Bitcoin and tokenized assets. One of blockchain’s most underrated features is its ability to record non-financial data. TrueDonate Foundation leverages blockchain technology to give donors complete transparency over charitable contributions by using smart contracts and Non-Fungible Tokens (NFT). By providing donors with a public ledger of all donations in history, TD Donations gives donors complete confidence in a charity's spending habits and proven results.

10) Terra Virtua

Unlike many other projects in which they take years, if not decades, of development and millions of dollars to create a game (for example, look at Rocket League or Fortnite), Terra Virtua is attempting something that has never been done before: building an entire platform and ecosystem for any future blockchain game developer. With countless ICOs already failing due to their lack of foresight into how their platforms will work once they have launched and with no games on them yet, it's hard not to admire Terra Virtua's bravery. If they can pull it off though? I think we'll be looking at what will become one of (if not THE) best virtual reality gaming environments on Earth. Definitely worth keeping an eye on.