Holy cash grab, Batman!
DC next month will release the Bat Cowl Collection — a total of 200,000 unique NFTs, which are 3D-rendered images that draw on the Caped Crusader’s 83-year history. The nonfungible tokens (NFTs) will be priced at $300 apiece, meaning DC and Warner Bros. are looking at landing $60 million from the drop.
The Bat Cowl Collection will go on sale starting April 26, and owners of DC FanDome NFTs will receive exclusive presale access to the digital collectibles. The new NFTs will be released through DC’s NFT marketplace at nft.dcuniverse.com (where fans can purchase “upgrades” as well). The DC FanDome NFTs, released last year, are superhero collectibles that were doled out randomly for free to registrants of the annual fan event.
The NFT drop comes on the heels of the theatrical release of Warner Bros.’ “The Batman,” which has reeled in more than $330 million at the domestic box office alongside the launch of the largest consumer products collection in more than a decade for a Batman movie. The Bat Cowl Collection NFT release is being managed by Warner Bros. Consumer Products in partnership with Palm NFT Studio, which provides creative services for artists and rightsholders looking to create NFTs and managed the DC FanDome drop.
According to DC, each NFT in the Bat Cowl Collection features a distinct identity and set of traits “reflecting the diversity of Batman stories and their passionate fans.” In addition, DC plans to integrate the Bat Cowl Collection into future stories from DC Comics.
To instill fear into their hearts, you will become a bat. A monster in the night. Heed the call. 04.26.2022 #BatCowls pic.twitter.com/cizOwa91cJ
— DC Bat Cowls (@batcowls) March 29, 2022
Besides giving Batman fans the opportunity to own a one-of-a-kind NFT collectible — and the potential for higher resale value — the Bat Cowl Collection promises to grant buyers additional perks. Those who purchase NFTs from the new collection will get access to a private DC Universe fan forum featuring behind-the-scenes content, select fan events, physical collectibles, merch and more. DC has developed a two-year roadmap, which will “expand utility” for Bat Cowl NFT owners every 52 days in areas such as augmented reality, metaverse integration and expanded wallet capabilities.
“What’s exciting about this amazing collaboration is that we are continuing the evolution of [Batman’s] distinctive Bat Cowl by bringing it into the modern digital world, making it accessible and more wildly engaging than ever before,” DC Publisher and Chief Creative Officer Jim Lee said in a statement. “Through the introduction of carefully curated colors, textures, and upgrades — the end results offer a take and taste for every kind of Batman fan out there and serve as powerful ways for all of us to make a timeless icon our very own.”
NFTs use blockchain (a distributed ledger technology) to certify the ownership of a unique digital content asset — and they’ve continued to draw widespread interest across the entertainment landscape ever since NFT mania took off a little more than a year ago. “We believe the Bat Cowl Collection will allow collectors to deepen their connection with Batman and the DC Universe, while embracing their fandom in the growing metaverse ecosystem,” said Josh Hackbarth, head of NFT commercial development for Warner Bros.
DC and Warner Bros. announced the Bat Cowl Collection at the inaugural NFTLA convention. They are working again with Palm NFT Studio, which led the creative development of the NFTs alongside 3D design studio Daz3D. The Palm network features “low gas costs and fast transaction finality,” according to the company.
Warner Bros.’s Hackbarth is overseeing all NFT initiatives at the studio. Last year, Warner Bros. Worked with Nifty’s to create 91,000 limited-edition NFTs featuring characters from “Space Jam: A New Legacy,” which were given out for free to fans. Warner Bros. also launched the sale of 100,000 NFTs for “The Matrix,” timed for the debut of “The Matrix Resurrections,” also in partnership with Nifty’s. The studio teamed with Cartamundi’s Hro platform for DC trading-card NFTs, which have a hybrid physical-digital component (dropping March 31), and Funko Digital Pops (which dropped March 29).
