What is Otherside?

Otherside is a gamified, interoperable metaverse platform under development by Yuga Labs, the creators of the Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) non-fungible token (NFT) collection.¹ The project is described as a “metaRPG” (metaverse role-playing game) that blends the mechanics of massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) with the principles of Web3-enabled virtual worlds, such as digital ownership and a player-driven economy.¹

Development is a collaborative effort, most notably with metaverse technology company Improbable, which provides the underlying M² (MSquared) network designed to support thousands of concurrent players.¹ Game software company and venture capital firm Animoca Brands is also a key partner in building the metaverse.⁸ The in-game economy is powered by ApeCoin ($APE), an ERC-20 token that serves as the primary currency for transactions and governance within the broader Yuga Labs ecosystem.¹

The world is composed of 200,000 plots of virtual land represented by NFTs called “Otherdeeds,” which players can own, build on, and harvest resources from.¹ A small fraction of these lands are inhabited by enigmatic celestial beings known as Kodas.⁹ The project’s stated mission is to create an immersive, interactive, and collaborative world that is co-created with its players, where users have genuine ownership of their assets and can bring NFTs from various collections to life as playable characters.¹

Concept and Vision

The conceptual foundation of Otherside aims to position the platform beyond a traditional video game, framing it as a community-owned digital society within the broader Web3 movement. Its core identity is built on merging established gaming genres with emerging blockchain-based principles of ownership and interoperability.

A MetaRPG: Blending Gaming and Web3

Otherside is explicitly designed to merge the immersive, social possibilities of MMORPGs like World of Warcraft with the ownership and economic principles of blockchain-based metaverses such as The Sandbox and Decentraland.⁴ The term “metaRPG,” coined by Yuga Labs, signifies a world where players not only participate in a narrative but actively own the world itself through land NFTs.¹ This model stands in contrast to traditional MMORPGs, where players’ access and assets exist on company-controlled servers and can be altered or revoked at the company’s discretion. The intended gameplay includes both Player vs. Environment (PvE) and Player vs. Player (PvP) elements, alongside quests, exploration, and resource collection, creating a multifaceted gaming experience.⁵

Core Principles: Community, Ownership, and Interoperability

The project’s vision is articulated through three core principles outlined in its litepaper.¹³

Community Co-Creation: The platform is promoted as being “built for and by the community”.¹³ Yuga Labs has stated its intention for Otherside to be an “always-evolving experience co-created with its players,” inviting Otherdeed holders, referred to as “Voyagers”, to participate in prototype builds, demos, and tests that directly influence the final game design.¹ This approach positions community feedback as a central component of the development process.¹⁵ This decentralized, community-first ethos, however, exists in a complex relationship with the project’s operational reality. Yuga Labs operates as a highly centralized corporate entity, having raised $450 million in a venture capital-led funding round.¹⁶ Major strategic decisions, such as the initial mint mechanics, corporate restructurings, and the strategic pivot to focus on BAYC and Otherside, have been made through a traditional top-down management structure, not by community governance.¹⁶ This creates a fundamental tension between the project’s philosophical alignment with Web3 decentralization and its practical execution as a corporate-led initiative.
Genuine Ownership: An Otherdeed NFT is positioned as more than a digital collectible; it is an access token that grants the holder genuine ownership and control over a plot of land within the metaverse.¹³ This principle aligns with the core Web3 tenet that users should own their digital assets and the value they create through their time and creativity.⁵
Interoperability: A key long-term goal is to support interoperability, allowing Voyagers to bring external NFT collections into Otherside as playable 3D avatars.¹ At launch, Yuga Labs plans to provide 3D models for its own collections, including BAYC, Mutant Ape Yacht Club (MAYC), and CryptoPunks, among others.¹ The vision is to create an “open-world game” that unites the broader NFT community, rather than functioning as a closed or “walled garden” ecosystem.⁸

The Voyager’s Journey: Narrative and Lore

The central narrative framework for Otherside is “The Voyager’s Journey,” an 11-part storyline centered on a mysterious Obelisk that has appeared in the world.⁶ This narrative serves as a vehicle for introducing new features, content, and large-scale playtests over time, guiding the community through the platform’s phased development.²⁰ The lore is intentionally designed with a “soft world building approach,” leaving narrative gaps for players’ imaginations to fill.²¹ The aesthetic is a unique blend of science fiction, dark fantasy, and psychedelic undertones, with the creative direction aiming for a world that feels “Otherworldly, Surreal, and Grand”.²¹ Players, or “Voyagers,” are cast as central figures in this unfolding story, invited to discover and shape the world’s economy by determining what can be harvested, crafted, traded, and sold.⁶

Development and History

The development of Otherside has been marked by significant milestones, including massive technical demonstrations, a controversial public launch, and major strategic shifts within its parent company, Yuga Labs.

Origins and Announcement (Early 2022)

The concept for Otherside was first revealed to the public through a leaked Yuga Labs pitch deck in March 2022. The document expressed a desire to expand the BAYC universe and create a platform that would invite the wider NFT community to participate.⁸ An official announcement and teaser trailer followed later that month, confirming the project’s existence and its planned integration of various prominent NFT collections.⁸ The initial sale of its virtual land NFTs, called Otherdeeds, was scheduled for April 30, 2022, and was promoted as one of the largest NFT launch events in history.¹

The “First Trip” Tech Demo (July 2022)

On July 17, 2022, Yuga Labs hosted the “First Trip,” a large-scale, token-gated technical demonstration for Otherdeed holders.²³ The event was a significant technical showcase, with over 4,500 concurrent players participating live.²⁰ It was widely praised for its smooth performance and its ability to render a massive number of avatars in a single instance while supporting proximity-based voice chat.²⁵ The demo featured a short narrative quest where players, led by a giant Bored Ape named Curtis and his Koda companion Blue, worked together to activate an Obelisk and defeat a boss Koda.²⁰ As a reward for participation, attendees received a commemorative “Obelisk Piece” that was added to their Otherdeed’s metadata, marking the first instance of the land NFTs dynamically evolving based on player actions.²⁰

The “Second Trip” Tech Demo (March 2023)

The “Second Trip” took place on March 25, 2023, and represented a more ambitious public demo with deeper gameplay mechanics.²⁶ Approximately 7,200 Voyagers participated, a figure that included guests invited by Otherdeed holders.²⁶ The event introduced a team-based competition, dividing players into four teams led by community influencers. The objective was to collect “magic blobs” in a newly revealed “Bone” biome.²⁶ The winning team was promised a “Winged Helmet” cosmetic NFT as a reward.²⁶ The event concluded with a cinematic encounter with a giant, serpent-like creature, which served to further the world’s overarching narrative.²⁷

Corporate Restructuring and Renewed Focus (2023-2024)

Amid a broader crypto market downturn that saw the value of its flagship NFT collections decline, Yuga Labs underwent significant corporate restructuring.¹⁶ In October 2023, the company announced layoffs to narrow its focus onto core priorities, with Otherside being chief among them.¹⁶ This was followed by a second round of layoffs in April 2024, when co-founder Greg Solano (also known as Garga) returned as CEO. Solano stated that the company had “lost its way” with “labyrinthine corporate processes” and needed to return to a “smaller, more agile, and cryptonative team”.¹⁶

As part of this renewed focus, Yuga Labs divested from several non-core projects. It spun out the games HV-MTL and Legends of the Mara to game developer Faraway, sold the intellectual property for the Meebits NFT collection to MeebCo, and gave the CryptoPunks IP to a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving digital art.¹⁶

Roadmap and Future Developments (2024-2025)

ApeChain Launch: In October 2024, ApeChain, an Arbitrum-based Layer-3 blockchain, was launched to serve as the dedicated network for the APE ecosystem, including Otherside.³² This move was a direct response to the severe scaling issues experienced on the Ethereum mainnet during the Otherdeed mint.²²
Guinness World Record: On February 22, 2025, Yuga Labs set a Guinness World Record for the most players in a first-person shooter (FPS) battle on a metaverse platform, with 2,197 players participating in an event within Otherside.³³
“Always-On” Persistence: A major goal for June 2025 is to launch a persistent, “always-on” version of Otherside, which would allow players to access the world at any time, moving away from the model of sporadic, scheduled events.³³
Alpha Launch and New Experiences: Yuga Labs announced that the Alpha version of Otherside is planned to launch on ApeChain in August 2024.³⁴ Further experiences are planned for 2025, including
Bathroom Blitz, an 8v8 shooter set to launch in July, and Otherside Outbreak, a large-scale stress test event planned for August.¹⁷

Date	Event	Key Details / Outcome
March 2022	Official Announcement	Yuga Labs officially announces the Otherside metaverse project with a teaser trailer.⁸
April 30, 2022	Otherdeed Mint	55,000 Otherdeed NFTs sold for 305 $APE each, generating over $300 million. The event caused extreme Ethereum network congestion and backlash.⁸
July 17, 2022	“First Trip” Tech Demo	Over 4,500 Otherdeed holders participate in a successful large-scale technical demo, completing a short quest. Participants’ Otherdeeds were dynamically updated.²⁰
March 25, 2023	“Second Trip” Tech Demo	Approximately 7,200 players participate in a more complex demo featuring team-based competition and a new “Bone” biome.²⁶
Oct 2023 & Apr 2024	Corporate Restructuring	Yuga Labs conducts two rounds of layoffs to narrow its focus on core priorities, primarily Otherside and BAYC.¹⁶
October 2024	ApeChain Launch	An Ethereum Layer-3 network built on Arbitrum Orbit launches to serve as the dedicated blockchain for the APE ecosystem and Otherside.³²
Feb 22, 2025	Guinness World Record	Yuga Labs sets a world record for “most players in a FPS battle on a metaverse platform” with 2,197 concurrent players.³³

The World and Its Components

The world of Otherside is constructed from a combination of digital assets and environmental elements, each with distinct functions, rarity, and significance that contribute to the platform’s economy and lore.

Geography: The Archipelago and Its Sediments

The world of Otherside is described as a mix of a galaxy and an archipelago, featuring islands that extend from a central “Biogenic Swamp” outwards to the “Infinite Expanse”.⁵ The virtual land plots, represented by Otherdeeds, are built upon one of five distinct sediment types. These sediments correspond to rarity tiers and are geographically organized, with the rarest plots located at the center of the world.⁹ The five sediment types are:

Biogenic Swamp (rarest)
Chemical Goo
Rainbow Atmos
Cosmic Dream
Infinite Expanse (most common) ⁶

Otherdeeds: Dynamic Virtual Land

Otherdeeds are the ERC-721 NFTs that represent ownership of a specific plot of land in Otherside.¹ The total supply is capped at 200,000 deeds.¹ The first 100,000 of these were distributed in April 2022: 55,000 were sold to the public, 30,000 were airdropped to BAYC and MAYC holders, and 15,000 were reserved for Yuga Labs and its developers.⁸ The second 100,000 deeds are reserved to be rewarded to Voyagers who actively contribute to the metaverse’s development over time.¹

Composition: Environments, Resources, and Artifacts

Each Otherdeed is a dynamic NFT, meaning its properties can change based on player actions within the game.⁹ They are composed of several elements: an environment, a sediment type, up to four replenishing resources, and potentially a rare artifact or a Koda.⁶ The four primary resources form the basis for the in-game crafting and building economy:

Anima (used for research)
Ore (metal)
Shard (stone)
Root (wood) ⁸

Function and Utility

Holding an Otherdeed serves as a key to the Otherside ecosystem, granting access to exclusive events, playtests, and development opportunities.¹ The land itself is the canvas upon which players will be able to build unique experiences, collect resources, and create a wide variety of items using the Otherside Development Kit (ODK).¹

The Kodas: Primal Beings of Otherside

The design of Otherside’s core assets, particularly the distribution of Otherdeeds and the extreme rarity of Kodas, intentionally creates a multi-layered economic and social hierarchy. This structure mirrors the gear and status systems of traditional MMORPGs but translates them into real-world financial value through blockchain technology. The base layer of participation is owning an Otherdeed, which grants access and resource-generating potential. The rarity of sediments and resources creates an immediate value differential between land plots, forming the first tier of this hierarchy.⁶ The inclusion of Kodas on only 10% of the initial lands creates a second, far more exclusive tier.¹² These are not merely cosmetic pets; their lore suggests they are fundamental to the universe’s existence, and in associated games like

Legends of the Mara, they possess superior skills, making them a significant status symbol and a powerful in-game asset.⁹ The “Mega Koda” tier, limited to just 99 in total, represents the apex of this structure, analogous to legendary or mythic-tier items in traditional games but with verifiable scarcity and market value.¹² The “decoupling” event in 2023, which transformed Kodas from a land trait into a liquid, standalone asset, was a critical economic move that solidified their position as a distinct blue-chip collectible within the ecosystem.⁴⁰

Lore and Origin

Kodas are mysterious, alien-like celestial beings that are central to the lore of Otherside.⁹ According to a leaked pitch deck, they were born during the Big Bang, possess cosmic energy, and created the Otherside “microcosmos” to prevent their own extinction, as the lore suggests the universe cannot persist without them.⁹ Yuga Labs has intentionally kept their nature vague, describing them as the “primal beings that have ushered us into the Otherside” and warning players to “tread cautiously” when encountering one.¹⁴

Rarity and Decoupling

Kodas are extremely rare. Only 10,000 of the initial 100,000 Otherdeeds came with a Koda attached.¹² Of these, only 99 are designated as “Mega Kodas,” an even rarer and more valuable tier.¹² The Otherside Koda NFT collection consists of these 10,000 unique characters, which have various traits and a significant market capitalization.⁴⁰

In April 2023, a “Koda Decoupling” event took place. This allowed holders of an Otherdeed with an attached Koda to burn their original NFT and receive two separate NFTs in return: a Koda NFT and an “Otherdeed Expanded” NFT. This event officially established Kodas as a standalone NFT collection, separate from the land they originally inhabited.⁴⁰

Technology and Infrastructure

To achieve its ambitious goals of scale and creativity, Otherside is built on a sophisticated technical backbone that combines a proprietary simulation engine, a dedicated blockchain, and a suite of user-facing creation tools.

Improbable’s M² Network: Powering Mass Concurrency

Otherside is being developed on the M² (MSquared) network, a proprietary technology from the British metaverse company Improbable, which is designed for creating large-scale, interconnected virtual worlds.⁷ The technological strategy employed by Yuga Labs for Otherside represents a calculated offloading of core technical risk combined with a strategic consolidation of economic control. Building a game engine capable of supporting over 10,000 concurrent players is a monumental and highly specialized challenge. By partnering with Improbable and leveraging its existing M² technology, Yuga Labs effectively outsourced this immense research and development risk, allowing the company to focus on creative direction, lore, and intellectual property integration.⁷

The M² network is engineered to solve critical limitations of traditional online worlds. Its key capabilities include:

Massive Player Counts: The network is designed to allow over 10,000 players to interact simultaneously in a single, seamless virtual space. Early tests successfully handled over 15,000 concurrent users, while the public “First Trip” and “Second Trip” demos hosted 4,500 and 7,200 players, respectively.¹
High Operations Per Second: While typical online games can handle around 10,000 operations per second (ops), Otherside, powered by M², is designed to handle over half a billion ops per second. This capacity enables unprecedented levels of real-time interaction, physics simulation, and environmental complexity.¹
Natural Voice Chat: The technology supports natural, proximity-based voice chat for thousands of users simultaneously, even in dense crowds.¹
Rich Physics and AI: The platform can support millions of complex, interactive entities supported by physics and artificial intelligence.¹

In June 2023, Improbable opened early access to its M² creation suite and open-sourced its Metaverse Markup Language (MML), allowing other creators to build with the same technology that powers Otherside.⁴³

ApeChain: A Dedicated Blockchain Ecosystem

The initial Otherdeed mint in 2022 caused extreme network congestion and prohibitively high gas fees on the Ethereum mainnet, highlighting the unsuitability of a general-purpose Layer-1 blockchain for a high-transaction metaverse environment.²² This event was a critical lesson: even with a powerful simulation engine, the user experience is only as good as its weakest link. In response, Yuga Labs stated that “ApeCoin will need to migrate to its own chain in order to properly scale”.²²

This led to the launch of ApeChain in October 2024.³² ApeChain is an Ethereum Layer-3 network built using Arbitrum’s Orbit technology, which allows for the creation of customizable, dedicated blockchains.³² Its purpose is to serve as the dedicated blockchain for all transactions within the APE ecosystem, including Otherside. By moving to a dedicated L3, Yuga Labs can control the transaction environment, ensuring low fees and high throughput for the high volume of micro-transactions expected in a full-fledged MMORPG, such as crafting, trading, and other in-game actions.² This two-part strategy; partnering with Improbable for the simulation layer while bringing the economic layer in-house with ApeChain, allows Yuga to leverage best-in-class technology for performance while ensuring all value generated within Otherside flows through its native blockchain and is denominated in its native currency, $APE. The Alpha version of Otherside is set to launch on ApeChain.³⁵

Otherside Development Kit (ODK): Empowering Creators

The Otherside Development Kit (ODK) is a suite of creation tools, built in partnership with Improbable, that will allow users to create interoperable content for the metaverse.⁶ The ODK is designed to empower a broad range of creators, from casual players to professional developers. Users will be able to create and sell a wide variety of items in the game’s marketplace, including characters, outfits, tools, structures, and even entire games.¹

The ODK is being developed around Open Object Standards to ensure that created content is interoperable and can be used across different experiences within Otherside and potentially other metaverses that adopt these standards.⁶ In July 2025, Yuga Labs plans to release new AI-powered creation tools within the ODK. These tools, featuring an AI agent named Koda Agent, will allow users to build and modify 3D worlds using simple text commands, significantly lowering the barrier to entry for content creation.¹⁷

Interoperability and Compatible NFT Collections

A core tenet of the Otherside vision is to be an open metaverse that incorporates the wider NFT community rather than being exclusive to Yuga Labs’ own intellectual property.⁸ At launch, 3D models will be provided for holders of Yuga Labs’ collections (BAYC, MAYC, Bored Ape Kennel Club, CryptoPunks, and Meebits) to use as playable characters.¹ Furthermore, the project’s initial trailer and official website have featured numerous other prominent NFT collections, including Cool Cats, World of Women, CrypToadz, and Nouns, signaling a broad vision for cross-community interoperability and a unified virtual space for the Web3 ecosystem.¹

Economy and Governance

The economic and governance systems of Otherside are designed to be deeply integrated with the broader APE ecosystem, centered around the ApeCoin token and a decentralized governance framework.

ApeCoin ($APE): The Native Currency

ApeCoin ($APE) is the official ERC-20 utility and governance token for the entire APE ecosystem, serving as the foundational currency for Otherside.¹ All transactions within the metaverse, such as purchasing items on the marketplace or buying Otherdeeds during the initial sale, are conducted exclusively in $APE.¹

The token’s market performance has been highly volatile. It reached an all-time high of $27.79 in April 2022, driven by speculation leading up to the Otherdeed mint.⁴⁸ However, following the mint and the broader crypto market downturn of 2022-2023, its value decreased significantly. The token has often failed to react positively to new project developments, hitting an all-time low in 2023 and continuing to trade at a fraction of its peak value.⁵⁰

The Agora: The Planned In-Game Marketplace

The Agora is the designated name for Otherside’s planned official in-game marketplace.⁶ It is designed to function as the central economic hub for buying, selling, and trading all in-game assets. This includes natural resources harvested from Otherdeeds, items crafted by players using the ODK, and rare loot discovered through gameplay and exploration.⁶

Governance through ApeCoin DAO

ApeCoin holders are automatically members of the ApeCoin DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organization), which provides a framework for decentralized governance over the APE ecosystem.⁹ Members of the DAO can propose and vote on APE Improvement Proposals (AIPs) that affect the ecosystem, including decisions on fund allocations, partnerships, and governance rules.⁹ The APE Foundation serves as the legal steward of the DAO, responsible for administering its decisions and managing day-to-day operations to support the community’s initiatives.¹²

This economic framework, however, creates a potential “governance paradox.” The decentralized ApeCoin DAO governs the ecosystem’s currency and treasury, while the centralized corporation, Yuga Labs, exclusively controls the development and operation of the ecosystem’s flagship product, Otherside. This creates a separation of powers: the DAO can vote to fund a community-built project, but it cannot compel Yuga Labs to integrate that project into Otherside. Conversely, Yuga Labs can make fundamental changes to Otherside’s game mechanics or roadmap without a direct vote from the DAO. This structural disconnect between the governance of the currency and the governance of the primary utility for that currency presents a complex challenge for the project’s long-term alignment with the principles of decentralized community control.

Associated Projects

To provide ongoing utility and expand the lore of the metaverse while the main 3D world is in development, Yuga Labs has introduced associated projects that are directly tied to the Otherside ecosystem.

Legends of the Mara (LoTM)

Legends of the Mara is a 2D collectible strategy game set in the Otherside universe.³⁹ It was initially developed by Yuga Labs but has since been acquired by the game development studio Faraway as part of Yuga’s strategic refocusing.¹⁶

The game combines resource management, idle collection, and strategic combat elements.⁵² It is deeply integrated with the main metaverse’s lore and assets. To play, users must hold an Otherdeed NFT.⁵² The gameplay involves using these Otherdeeds to generate resources (“Sediment Fragments”) and claim “Vessels,” which can then be nurtured and evolved into creatures called “Maras”.⁵³ The game expands on the lore of Kodas, establishing them as superior beings for hunting, farming, and enchanting within the game’s mechanics.³⁹ Players can also evolve their Maras into more powerful “Kodamaras,” directly linking gameplay progression to the most valuable assets in the ecosystem.³⁹ Strategically, LoTM serves as a way to provide ongoing utility and engagement for Otherdeed holders, introducing core economic loops like resource gathering and asset evolution while the full 3D metaverse continues its development.³⁸

Reception and Challenges

Since its announcement, Otherside has been one of the most high-profile projects in the Web3 space, attracting both significant investment and intense scrutiny. Its development has been characterized by major technical achievements, a significant public controversy, and the persistent challenges of building a large-scale metaverse in a volatile market.

The Otherdeed Mint Controversy (April 2022)

The public sale of 55,000 Otherdeeds on April 30, 2022, was a major event that, while financially successful, resulted in significant technical issues and community backlash.¹⁸

Gas War and Technical Issues

The immense demand for Otherdeeds led to unprecedented congestion on the Ethereum network.²² Transaction fees, known as gas fees, skyrocketed to unsustainable levels. Users reported paying between 2.6 to 5 ETH, equivalent to approximately $6,000–$10,000 at the time, solely for the transaction fee, in addition to the mint price of 305 $APE.¹⁸ The event burned nearly 70,000 ETH in total fees, and many users lost significant funds on transactions that failed to go through.⁸ The load was so intense that Etherscan, the primary Ethereum block explorer, crashed during the mint.¹⁸

Community Reaction and Criticism

In the aftermath, Yuga Labs faced significant backlash from the community.⁴⁵ Criticisms focused on several key areas:

Poor Smart Contract Optimization: The smart contract used for the mint was widely criticized for lacking gas-saving optimizations, such as the ERC-721A standard, which had become common practice for large NFT drops. Many felt this technical oversight directly exacerbated the gas war.¹⁸
Mint Mechanics: Yuga Labs had initially planned a Dutch auction but switched to a fixed-price, first-come-first-served model at the last minute. This decision was seen as a direct cause of the gas war, as it created a frantic race that favored individuals with the capital to pay exorbitant gas fees, as well as those using sophisticated bots.¹⁸
Accusations of Intent: Some community members speculated that the mint was “planned to fail” in order to create a pretext for Yuga Labs to launch its own blockchain. This theory was fueled by a tweet from the official Yuga Labs account immediately following the event, which apologized for the issues and suggested that ApeCoin would need to migrate to its own chain to scale properly.²²

Critical Reception of Tech Demos

The “First Trip” and “Second Trip” technical demonstrations received generally positive feedback on a technical level. Participants and observers were impressed by the platform’s ability to handle thousands of concurrent players smoothly in a single environment, a feat that pushes the boundaries of online gaming technology.²⁵

However, the reception of the gameplay and content has been mixed. While some users have praised the graphics and described the experience as “ethereal,” others have been underwhelmed.⁵⁷ A common critique is that the demos felt more like a “proof of concept” than a polished game, lacking deep, engaging content and replayability.⁵⁷

Market Performance and Broader Challenges

The trajectory of Otherside exemplifies a critical “hype-to-execution” gap that is prevalent in the Web3 space. The project’s history is defined by a cycle where immense initial hype and financial success, such as the Otherdeed mint, create community expectations that are incredibly difficult to meet with the slow, iterative reality of large-scale game development. This has led to periods of disillusionment and strategic resets. The mint itself, while financially successful, was a technical and public relations failure that damaged community goodwill.¹⁸ The subsequent tech demos, while technically impressive, were criticized for their lack of compelling gameplay, highlighting the difference between building a technology demonstration and building a fun game.⁵⁷ This gap between the initial hype and the tangible product was exacerbated by the crypto bear market, which removed the tailwind of ever-increasing asset prices.¹⁶ Yuga’s subsequent restructurings and renewed focus on “shipping” are a direct acknowledgment of this execution gap, placing the company in a “show, don’t tell” phase where it must deliver a compelling product to regain the momentum lost after the initial hype cycle faded.¹⁶

Asset Devaluation: Since the 2022 NFT market peak, the value of Yuga Labs’ core assets has declined dramatically in line with the broader crypto bear market. The floor price of BAYC NFTs fell over 90% from its peak, and ApeCoin has consistently traded at a small fraction of its all-time high.¹⁶ This has put significant pressure on the company and eroded investor confidence.
Inclusivity vs. Exclusivity: The project faces a fundamental challenge in balancing the exclusivity desired by its high-value NFT holders with the need to attract a mass audience required for a successful MMORPG.²⁹ The high cost of entry for Otherdeeds remains a significant barrier for mainstream gamers who are not already invested in the NFT ecosystem.⁶⁰
Delivering on Ambition: Building a metaverse of Otherside’s proposed scale is a monumental undertaking. Yuga Labs has publicly acknowledged its own struggles with game development, with some of its smaller mini-games failing to meet community expectations.²⁹ The ultimate challenge remains turning its ambitious vision and impressive technology into a fun, engaging, and sustainable virtual world that can appeal to an audience beyond the existing crypto-native community.²⁹

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Garga Talks Guinness World Record & The Future of Otherside. (2025). NFT Now. https://nftnow.com/features/garga-talks-guinness-world-record-the-future-of-otherside/
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Otherdeed for Otherside NFT Floor Price Chart. (n.d.). CoinGecko. https://www.coingecko.com/en/nft/otherdeed-for-otherside
Everything You Need to Know About Otherdeed for Otherside and Kodas. (n.d.). Medium. https://medium.com/nswap/everything-you-need-to-know-about-otherdeed-for-otherside-and-kodas-16108ba13849
Legends of the Mara. (n.d.). IQ.wiki. https://iq.wiki/wiki/legends-of-the-mara
Otherside Koda. (n.d.). IQ.wiki. https://iq.wiki/wiki/otherside-koda
Otherside Koda (KODA) Floor Price & Charts. (n.d.). Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/digital-assets/nfts/otherside-koda-koda/
MSquared. (n.d.). MSquared.io. https://msquared.io/
Improbable Opens Up Tech Behind Bored Ape Metaverse. (n.d.). Decrypt. https://decrypt.co/145332/improbable-opens-up-tech-behind-bored-ape-metaverse
How the Otherside Mint Crashed the Ethereum Blockchain. (2022). Virtual Reality Times. https://virtualrealitytimes.com/2022/05/02/how-the-otherside-mint-crashed-the-ethereum-blockchain/
ApeCoin – The Official Token of Bored Ape Yacht Club – Otherside Metaverse. (n.d.). YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcgzzKPP3VU
APEUSD Charts and Quotes. (n.d.). TradingView. https://www.tradingview.com/symbols/APEUSD/
ApeCoin Hits All-Time Low Despite Yuga Labs’ Otherside Metaverse. (2023). CCN.com. https://www.ccn.com/analysis/apecoin-all-time-low-despite-otherside-metaverse/
Legends of the Mara. (n.d.). GAM3S.GG. https://gam3s.gg/legends-of-the-mara/
Yuga Labs’ Otherdeeds NFT mint triggers backlash from community. (n.d.). Investing.com. https://www.investing.com/news/cryptocurrency-news/yuga-labs-otherdeeds-nft-mint-triggers-backlash-from-community-2815361
Yuga Labs’ Otherdeeds NFT mint triggers backlash from community. (2022). Cointelegraph. https://cointelegraph.com/news/yuga-labs-otherdeeds-nft-mint-triggers-backlash-from-community
Mixed Reviews for Yuga Labs’ Bored Apes-Themed Otherside Metaverse Test. (n.d.). Binance News. https://www.binance.com/en/square/post/2024-03-03-mixed-reviews-for-yuga-labs-bored-apes-themed-otherside-metaverse-test-4913017543177
The Bored Ape Metaverse went live… (n.d.). Reddit. https://www.reddit.com/r/Buttcoin/comments/1b4ulhm/the_bored_ape_metaverse_went_live_it_looks_like_a/