Tapinator Provides Shareholder Update on NFT Initiatives

Rhea-AI Summary

Tapinator, Inc. (OTC: TAPM) has provided an update on its Non-Fungible Token (NFT) initiatives, originally launched in 2018. Despite early challenges due to a nascent market and regulatory uncertainties, the company believes the NFT market has now matured, citing significant sales in the sector. Tapinator plans to announce a new NFT platform soon, aiming to offer a curated experience in a crowded marketplace. CEO Ilya Nikolayev emphasized the potential for curation to create shareholder value, although he cautioned that monetization is not guaranteed.

Positive

• Company recognizes the NFT market has matured, indicating growth potential.
• Upcoming announcement of a new NFT platform aimed at curation could enhance shareholder value.
• Historical focus on NFTs provides Tapinator with expertise to leverage in the evolving market.

Negative

• Previous NFT launches were met with limited market size and regulatory uncertainties.
• No guaranteed monetization from the upcoming NFT initiatives.

NEW YORK, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Tapinator, Inc. (OTC: TAPM) ("Tapinator," the "Company," "we," "our" or "us"), a developer and publisher of category leading games for mobile platforms, is providing an update on its Non-Fungible Token ("NFT") initiatives. As background, in January 2018, the Company concluded there was a significant future market opportunity for NFTs as it related to gaming, art and collectibles. In February 2018, Tapinator announced the beta launch of BitPainting, a digital platform for collecting iconic art on the blockchain, and one of the very first NFT marketplaces. The application was built on the Ethereum Platform and relies on our proprietary smART contracts. At the time, we communicated our belief "that the $45 billion art market was ripe for disruption by blockchain technology through crypto-collectibles (e.g. NFTs) which will drive art sales via digital scarcity and will democratize fine art investment."

In March of 2018 and in conjunction with Mego Games, we launched Darkwinds, an online fantasy based trading card game. We announced that a "feature of Darkwinds, as compared to other on-line card games, is that it runs on top of the Ethereum network. More specifically, all Darkwinds cards are non-fungible tokens (NFTs) or crypto-collectibles, a new standard for virtual objects where players have perpetual rights to sell, trade and give away their items, both within and outside of the game's ecosystem." Today, the game's cards continue to be available to trade on third party NFT platforms such as OpenSea.

When we initiated these pioneering efforts, we recognized that the NFT market was in its infancy. We were extremely proud of the high quality of both of these products and that they were brought to market both cost-effectively and on schedule. Despite the quality of these applications, however, we were disappointed by the relatively small market size for both products at the time and the regulatory uncertainty surrounding crypto collectibles. Based on our experience with these initial launches, we concluded that the addressable market in 2018 was too nascent to generate significant near-term value for our shareholders.

Today, we believe the market for NFTs has finally arrived, despite the fact that we are still in the very early stages of the market's development.  The recent $69 million record Beeple digital art sale at Christie's and the $200+ million in sales to date of NBA Topshots digital moments are just two data points representing this exciting new era and opportunity for blockchain based digital art and branded collectibles.  While BitPainting was too early to market in 2018, we are confident that our vision was accurate.  Furthermore, the expertise that Tapinator acquired while building the application, as well as our study of the market for the past three years, are valuable assets that we are now leveraging as we develop a new NFT platform which we expect to announce later this month. 

Ilya Nikolayev, CEO of Tapinator, commented, "Current NFT marketplaces are extremely cluttered. For example, OpenSea indicates that it lists over 4 million items on its platform. We do not believe that another uncurated, NFT emporium is the future.  We do, however, believe there is significant opportunity within certain other areas of the NFT market. More specifically, we believe that the ability to offer curation and democratization of NFTs will provide significant utility to NFT consumers and can create significant shareholder value. We plan on announcing our upcoming NFT platform within the next several weeks via a landing page that will provide an overview of our upcoming product and allow visitors to request an invitation to join. We believe that we were one of the first and currently few public companies to operate within the NFT space and, accordingly, we are pleased to communicate our ongoing progress in this area to our growing shareholder base during these most exciting times. Although we cannot guarantee that our NFT initiatives will result in material monetization for Tapinator, we are excited to soon announce a platform that, we believe, reflects the need for curation and democratization within the space."

About Tapinator
Tapinator Inc. (OTC: TAPM) develops and publishes category leading games for mobile platforms, with a focus on the social casino genre. Tapinator's library includes more than 300 titles that, collectively, have achieved over 500 million mobile downloads, including notable properties such as Video Poker Classic and Solitaire Derby. Tapinator generates revenues through the sale of branded advertising and via consumer transactions, including in-app purchases and subscriptions. Founded in 2013, Tapinator is headquartered in New York, with product development and marketing teams located in North America and Europe. Consumers can find high-quality mobile entertainment wherever they see the 'T' character logo, or at http://tapinator.com.

Forward Looking Statements
To the extent that statements contained in this press release are not descriptions of historical facts regarding Tapinator, they are forward-looking statements reflecting the current beliefs and expectations of management made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "believe," "goal," "seek," "plan," "feel," "may," "will," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend," "target," and similar expressions (as well as other words or expressions referencing future events, conditions or circumstances) are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, among other things, our belief that the NFT market has finally arrived, our belief that BitPainting was too early to market in 2018 and our belief that our vision for the NFT market was accurate, our expectation that we will announce a new NFT platform soon, our belief that there is significant opportunity within certain other areas of the NFT market, our belief that the ability to offer curation and democratization of NFTs will provide significant utility to NFT consumers and can create significant shareholder value, our plan to announces our upcoming NFT platform later this month via a landing page that will provide an overview of our upcoming product and allow visitors to request an invitation to join, our belief that we were one of the first and currently few public companies to operate within the NFT space and our belief in our ongoing progress in the NFT area. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause our future results, performance or achievements to differ significantly from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, Tapinator undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. The quoting and trading of the Company's common stock on the OTC Marketplace is often thin and characterized by wide fluctuations in trading prices, due to many factors that may have little to do with the Company's operations or business prospects. As a result, there may be volatility in the market price of the shares of the Company's common stock for reasons unrelated to operating performance. Moreover, the OTC Marketplace is not a stock exchange, and trading of securities on it is often more sporadic than trading of securities listed on a national securities exchange. Accordingly, stockholders may have difficulty reselling any of their shares. For a further description of the risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from those expressed in these forward-looking statements, as well as risks relating to the business of the Company, please see the Company's Supplemental Information Report as filed with the OTC Markets on March 16, 2020 and as updated from time to time.

CONTACT:
Tapinator Investor Relations
investor.relations@tapinator.com
914.930.6232

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SOURCE Tapinator, Inc.

FAQ

What recent updates has Tapinator (TAPM) provided regarding NFTs?

Tapinator recently announced it will unveil a new NFT platform, believing the NFT market has matured since its initial attempts in 2018.

When did Tapinator launch its first NFT initiatives?

Tapinator launched its first NFT initiatives in early 2018.

What challenges did Tapinator face with its earlier NFT products?

The company encountered a small market size and regulatory uncertainty with its earlier NFT products, limiting their impact.

What is the expected impact of Tapinator's new NFT platform?

The new NFT platform aims to provide curation and democratization in a cluttered marketplace, potentially enhancing shareholder value.

What does Tapinator's CEO say about the current NFT marketplace?

CEO Ilya Nikolayev stated that the current NFT marketplaces are cluttered, indicating a need for curation and targeted offerings.