Yuga Labs, the company behind the famous Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) collection, unveiled Otherside during the ApeFest event in Las Vegas. The project was first announced in 2022, when the company raised $450 million for its development but stayed silent for nearly two years without major updates. Now, the metaverse is ready for launch, scheduled for November 12.
The Las Vegas event was streamed live from the HyperX Arena and attracted over 22,000 viewers. Partners included OpenSea and other major Web3 players.
The launch comes alongside several initiatives to expand the BAYC brand. On October 25, Yuga Labs announced the creation of Bored Ape Studios in partnership with Machi’s Six Studios. Their first joint project will be an animated series inspired by Bored Ape Yacht Club.
Web3 Elements and Gameplay in the New Metaverse
Otherside combines gaming and social mechanics similar to Fortnite and Roblox while adding blockchain features. Users can enter through a crypto wallet or a regular email login. The metaverse includes text and voice chat, and NFT holders can use their tokens as 3D avatars. Prices for avatars have not been announced yet, but Yuga Labs promised they would remain reasonable and accessible.
Otherside will also feature themed zones inspired by BAYC’s original aesthetic and a central hub called Nexus. Players will be able to visit audio rooms and participate in user-generated mini-games such as the shooter Bathroom Blitz and the zombie game Otherside Outbreak.
A Platform for Creators
Yuga Labs also introduced the Otherside Development Kit (ODK) at ApeFest – a toolkit allowing developers to build gaming worlds and applications based on Unreal Engine with blockchain integration. The company aims to attract developers dissatisfied with limited monetization options in traditional platforms like Roblox and Minecraft.
“We believe we can offer better terms to developers tired of outdated models and their economics. A Web3 ‘creators-first’ approach can reach massive scale,” said Michael Figge, Chief Product Officer at Yuga Labs.
Collaboration With Amazon Games
The key announcement at ApeFest was Yuga Labs’ partnership with Amazon Games. Together, the companies will create an NFT game set in the Otherside universe and launch an NFT collection called Voyager Boximus, with minting scheduled for October 30. Boximus is an NFT character inspired by Amazon’s signature delivery boxes. Its holders will gain access to in-game items and early entry to the project.
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