Friendsies NFT creators deny 'abandoning' project amid rug pull allegations

2 years ago

Nonfungible token (NFT) postulation Friendsies has refuted claims it is “abandoning” its NFT task pursuing a tsunami of “rug pull” accusations aimed astatine its founders.

On Feb. 21, the founders down the NFT task told its Twitter followers that it was putting a “pause” connected Friendsies and “all aboriginal integer goods” for the clip being, citing marketplace challenges.

Around 40 minutes later, the Twitter relationship was deleted, portion the relationship of Friendswithyou, who developed the project, was made backstage — sparking rumors that the founders had “rugged” for astir $5 million.

With the $5.3m @friendsies_ai hard rug earlier contiguous it remains unclear however the funds could’ve perchance been spent.

There person been nary announcements since September, nary assemblage treasury, and nary P2E game.

The squad blames “market volatility” arsenic their rationale. pic.twitter.com/FM8ytum4Ur

— ZachXBT (@zachxbt) February 21, 2023

The project's Twitter relationship has since been reinstated with the founders vehemently denying it is “abandoning” the project. The founders’ relationship is inactive private, however.

“It is wide that we person upset galore of you with the quality of our announcement, and possibly we did not grip that successful the champion mode possible,” they said, adding:

“To beryllium precise clear, we are not abandoning fRiENDSiES.”

The founders said the archetypal announcement was much astir pausing societal engagement “until further notice.”

“That was not intended to mean we are pausing gathering and seeking opportunities, those efforts stay on-going,” it added.

Friendsies is simply a postulation of 10,000 Ethereum-based NFTs that launched successful March 2022. It purported to springiness each holder a custom-built “digital companion” which could beryllium utilized successful the Metaverse, real-life experiences, creation installations, and eventually a “Tomogatchi-like” play-to-earn game.

Friendsies NFT postulation listing connected OpenSea. Source: OpenSea

There are presently 3,323 owners of Friendsies NFTs, with a level terms of 0.012 Ether (ETH) (approximately $20) and a trading measurement of 3,775 ETH, according to information from OpenSea.

In the archetypal announcement, Friendsies said the “volatility and challenges of the marketplace person made it precise hard to determination this task guardant successful a mode we tin beryllium arrogant of.”

˙ᵕ˙ - Hi friends! We wanted to scope retired straight to the assemblage with an important update.  As the task founders, we person decided that it would beryllium champion to enactment a intermission connected @fRiENDSiES_Ai and each aboriginal integer goods for the clip being. We had the champion intentions to marque a

— fRiENDSiES (@fRiENDSiES_Ai) February 21, 2023

In the follow-up Twitter thread immoderate 17 hours aft the intermission announcement, the project’s founders admitted they were “overwhelmed” with hatred and threats implicit the announcement:

“We were overwhelmed with hatred and threats & some our Twitter and website were attacked [...] We are atrocious if we fto you down contiguous with our communication, but we are not going anywhere,” it wrote.

Related: NFTs volition enactment arsenic high-end spot during roar cycles: Real Vision CEO

Making a nationalist connection to instrumentality implicit Friendsies. I’ll instal a caller squad and instrumentality the task guardant with a antithetic imaginativeness

The IP has truthful overmuch imaginable and the holders merit better. We conscionable cannot support letting worldly similar this descent due to the fact that it truly is hurting the space.

— Satvik Sethi (@sxtvik) February 21, 2023

Mastercard’s erstwhile NFT merchandise lead, Satvik Sethi, who resigned successful spectacular fashion earlier this month, has adjacent made an connection to instrumentality implicit the Friendsies NFT project.

“I’ll instal a caller squad and instrumentality the task guardant with a antithetic vision,” helium said.

“[Friendswithyou] if you attraction astatine each astir your holders similar you’ve ever claimed, bash the close thing. Don’t wantonness radical who enactment their spot successful you contempt each the noise. Hit maine up, let’s sermon it.”

View source