2017
PUNKS AND KITTIES
As more people became aware of NFTs , the demand for creative and unique tradables grew . This led to two specific crazes taking off .. The first was Cryptopunks , a series of 10,000 unique digital characters that people could buy , collect and sell . Then came Cryptokitties , a blockchain game that gave users a virtual cat that they could care for and trade . Some cryptokitties even sold for six-figure sums
2021
BEEPLE
Today , NFTs are best-known as a means of trading digital art and most transactions take place on Ethereum . One of the most famous digital artists whose work has been sold using NFTs is Beeple . In 2021 , two of his artworks – a sculpture piece entitled ‘ Human One ’ and a digital collage called ‘ Everydays : the First 5000 Days ’ – were sold at auction by Christie ’ s for a combined $ 98m . They are the two most valuable artworks ever sold by NFT
2022
NFTs GO MAINSTREAM
E-commerce giant Alibaba launched Beijing Winter Olympics-themed NFTs featuring speed skating , aerial freestyle skiing , slopestyle , and figure skating , the virtual badges have a traditional Chinese ink painting style . Meanwhile , according to data by Coindesk , the global NFT marketplace will be worth in excess of US $ 80bn by 2025