Known worldwide for its wildlife documentaries, National Geographic has officially swung and missed when it came to NFTs. Taking to Twitter, the company announced its ready embrace of non-fungible tokens, but problems immediately emerged for the team and its would-be customers.
Much like the weekdays, issues started from day one when National Geographic posted an image from Bored Ape Yacht Club across its social accounts. Its intent was to hype up its community ahead of the kick-off of its own Genesis Collection on Polygon.
So, what was the initial response? Not great. From the outset, community members branded the move an overt scam with comments and profanities being ubiquitous. The unfortunate reality was that the team’s decision to post BAYC NFTs was not a good idea, especially as the Genesis Collection was to consist of unique works from some of its more popular photographers.
National Geographic: Then came the technical issues
Scepticism aside, this wasn’t the end of the issues for the team, as concerns from the community were dove-tailed with multiple technical problems. For example, the platform used for minting its Genesis NFTs – Snowcrash – strained in the face of customer requests, with one referring to it as a ‘complete fail’ for all parties.
Alongside request issues, a serious lack of interoperability with user wallets and Snowcrash led to all trades taking place on one platform, with customers complaining in droves.
Lastly, the current economic climate for cryptos and NFTs has not put people in the best mood for any sales. With prominent celebrities in the legal firing line for digital assets, outsiders are cynical in the face of a bearish drop in the market.
This NFT sale is not the only one to face an outpour of criticism from its community, with gaming companies like Ubisoft understanding first hand the kind of vitriol that can come from a community without the knowledge or the patience for new technology.