World, meet InterPop: The Emerging Landscape of NFTs and Fandom
Are you an avid collector? The kind of person who gets a profound rush of excitement when you finally acquire that long-coveted first-edition comic book, a rare variant cover, a piece of movie memorabilia, Beanie Baby, or a certain blue-eyed dragon card? If so…you’ve come to the right place.
Today we are thrilled to unveil InterPop: a gaming and collectibles superteam redefining the future of NFTs (more accurately, clean NFTs) and fandom.
Led by Brian David-Marshall and a new team of veteran talent from the comics, gaming, and collectibles spaces, InterPop is a subsidiary of TQ Tezos that is laser focused on the emerging landscape of fandom.
Emergents on Tezos
Games and comics have evolved with the times; traveling from spinner racks and hobby stores to the at-your-finger-tips convenience of computers and mobile devices. What has been missing from that digital experience is true ownership — and agency — of your game cards, that nagging irritation of not having a unique first edition that belongs to you, and the joy that comes with building, maintaining and displaying a collection.
InterPop is working to redefine and evolve those digital outlets to create better game experiences, scratch that itch and help you build a digital collection of unique objects that you can buy, sell, or trade as you see fit, using technology built on Tezos.
The journey began with the Emergents TCG, a digital trading card game where deck-building and blockchain technology come together to create an experience not unlike going to your local comic shop and buying the new cards you need to continue fine-tuning your deck (though in this case, your cards are tokenized on the Tezos protocol as clean NFTs where you can trade, sell, or cherish them forever in their digital glory.)
Today, the Emergents universe offers a lineup of brand new superpowered characters in a TCG — but the InterPop team is taking this a step further.
InterPop is also creating its own digital comic universe — featuring three ongoing titles — that enriches the Emergents universe with brand new stories written and drawn by some of the brightest talents in the superhero game. By tapping into the power of Tezos, fans will experience unprecedented new ways to interact with and shape the narrative of those three titles through community governance systems. Readers of the comics will be able to participate in choices that range in scope from the “cosmetic to the cosmic” from issue to issue.
Skills-based Games
In addition to collectibles, InterPop is also developing a suite of skills-based games that capitalize on the unique features of blockchain technology. They will soon be launching a competitive variant of Solitaire, the first in a series of games that will allow users to stake their tez in a prize pool, play the game, and have rewards distributed on a verifiable, secure network.
And MORE
The InterPop team is continuing to explore how developments in NFTs on Tezos can help shape and expand the systems of fandom — from novel applications in collectibles and gaming to newfound ways to empower audiences with storytelling power. InterPop also recognizes the importance of sustainability across the gaming ecosystem and is proud to leverage development of a low-carbon, clean NFT standard on Tezos. Stay tuned to hear the latest creations from the minds at InterPop.
All led by a new team of fans, fanatics, gamers, and industry pros
The InterPop team is led by President and Publisher Brian David-Marshall, who has a background in physical comics and is a fixture of the Magic: The Gathering community from his time working with the game’s publisher, Wizards of the Coast. After working with the team at Coase, inspiration struck like a flash of lightning from a wizard’s staff. He saw an opportunity for blockchains to unlock new avenues and ways for both collectors and gamers to engage not just with the games and stories they love but for new ways for communities to coalesce around them.
And just like that, InterPop was born.
Working alongside Brian are industry veterans Rachel Gluckstern, editor on Detective Comics and Batman and Robin for DC Comics; Drew Nolosco, who worked on Transformers CCG for Wizards of the Coast; Leonard Perez coming to us from Scopely where he worked on Star Trek Fleet Command; Jason Sharp, co-founder of Same Table, the #1 social app in 50 countries with over 25 million installs; Magic the Gathering Hall of Fame player and game designer Zvi Mowshowitz; and fellow Magic Hall of Gamer Alan Comer who has extensive hands-on experience with the rules engines that make digital card games work; Magic Online, Artifact and Pokemon to name a few; and Kathleen Breitman, creator of Coase, who is serving as a senior advisor.
Want to learn more? Hear Brian David-Marshall dive into the details of InterPop during his TQuorum Session. Stream it here.
