Coinbilly Says He Acquired Full Ownership of Invisible Friends
Coinbilly, an early member of the Invisible Friends team, said he has acquired full ownership of the brand, including its smart contracts, intellectual property, remaining inventory, and After Effects files. According to ChainCatcher, he said he began working on the brand five years ago and had pursued the acquisition for more than two years, involving discussions with lawyers for multiple parties. Original artist Markus Magnusson, who created the collection’s initial artwork, will not take part in future operations.Invisible Friends features 5,000 animated characters walking in loops, with only their clothing or the objects they carry visible. The project released a teaser in November 2021; its early team included coinbilly, James Curran, and developer mikker. A charity auction on February 23, 2022, raised $1.3 million for 13 charities. The subsequent public mint had a floor price of 12 ETH, and trading volume reached about 10,000 to 15,000 ETH before the reveal. The project also partnered with Shopify, Snapchat, Sotheby’s, and Kith.Coinbilly said plans include physical products, character animation, experimental digital content, and brand partnerships, with the aim of introducing Invisible Friends to people who have not engaged with NFTs. Holders will receive priority benefits, and he plans to release a commemorative open edition for holders at no cost soon. He also said he would answer questions on Discord and X and explain the plans in a Twitch livestream at 1:00 PM U.S. Eastern Time the following afternoon.