Popular NFT project Doodles is shifting its business model from an NFT-focused project to a media franchise. The latest announcement came after the community condemned the team’s approach of silently creating products without giving details on what’s going on inside the project. Moreover, the latest launches by Doodle’s team were distressing, making the community demand answers and explanations.
Announcing the new development on Discord, Doodles’s co-founder Jordan Castro, also known as Poopie, said the move towards becoming a media brand would help the project establish its presence away from "trends that fuel speculation."
Poopie further disclosed that many projects are battling between delivering value and developing sustainable revenue streams, noting that Doodles will not spend resources to appease those with such financial motivation.
Doodles’ recent reveal received criticism and backlash from community members on Twitter. The criticism was further heightened with a response from Poppie in which he told an NFT holder who asked the co-founder to buy his Doodles to “floor it and gtfo.”
Following the profane response, certain holders of Doodles NFTs, which include Space Doodles, Dooplicators, and Doodles 2, questioned Poopie's ability to lead the project. At the same time, some claimed the co-founder "sold out" after securing funding from venture capital companies.
“So (Doodles) got $50M then decided not to be an NFT project anymore. This is basically a long way from saying we're going to be a Web 2 business and we don't care about our holders,” FarmerNash, founder of Goombles NFT project.
The backlash also extended to a new NFT collection launched by the project on March 15, 2023, barely a few days before Poopie revealed the latest announcement. NFTs within the series come in the form of socks, and users are expected to secure an entire collection of socks to receive a new pair of gold socks.
“It's wild how disconnected some project founders are from the community. Doodles think they can hype up a 'sock' drop after not tweeting for months,” said an NFT collector Fetty.
Responding to the criticism, Poopie explained to the community, saying that NFTs will continue to serve as a connective tissue for the project despite its plans to become a leading media franchise. The Doodles co-founder also assured the community that the Ethereum-based NFT project would continue to build and offer products for all holders.
Doodles’ move away from NFTs has not gone down well with its community, despite its team claiming it would be in the best interest of all stakeholders. Time will reveal whether Doodle succeeds in its mission and delivers on its new promises.