All rights reserved? Apparently not. Qzuki was like, hey peeps we’re the Q version of Azuki. Then later said well you know what actually? We’re not affiliated with Azuki in any way shape or form. Uhm… bestie what? Let’s see what’s the deal with this new collection.
What Is Qzuki?
According to the project itself, Qzuki is the Q-version of Azuki. And they’re a meme community project. Q-version is the translation of the Chinese term Q版. And that’s what exactly? Basically, it means that Qzuki is the cartoonification or infantilization of Azuki’s art.
Are They Actually Similar?
Oh yes they are. I mean, they wouldn’t tell everyone they’re the Q of Azuki if they didn’t look similar. They made that clear with the name. Qzuki, Azuki. They changed one letter. Good job, peeps.
Furthermore, they both have similar color schemes. Not “similar” but rather the exact same color palette. And, Qzuki’s characters are cartoon Azuki’s facing forward. They even have, or used, 1-1 replicas of Azuki’s characters. And, they had similar logos and website designs. More on that later.
But, check the similarities yourselves. The two below pictures are of the collections’ OpenSea profiles.
Free Mint For Azuki Holders
Furthermore, Qzuki not only copied Azuki’s art but “honored” the community. They did three different mints on January 31st, 2023.
- Whitelist Mint: Free, at 12:00 am
- Holders Mint: Free, at 6:00 am
- Public Mint: 0.01 ETH, at 12:00 pm
The second mint, holders mint, is specifically for Azuki’s and Beanz’ holders. They wanted the blue-chip holders to support the collection’s rip-off.
But Is Qzuki Allowed To Do That?
In terms of art, not exactly, no. Azuki isn’t CC0. So they hold rights to their NFTs and art. Even if you buy an Azuki NFT, you don’t have the rights to use it for commercial purposes. They clearly state that on their website.
So Qzuki is technically not legally “valid”. They did, in fact, face copyright issues. They had to reach out to Azuki’s team to fix the problem. At the end of the day, you can get inspired for sure. But, you can’t just steal someone’s hard work and plaster your name on it.
So, What Happened?
Qzuki had to make major changes to their product not to face legal issues. First, they removed their logo and website design. They’re working on new designs in direct communication with Azuki’s team.
Furthermore, they removed the 1-1 replicas of Azuki NFTs. And instead used a random algorithm to generate new Qzuki NFTs. So they pushed the reveal from 3 to 5 February 2023. And, the Azuki team allowed them to keep the Q images.
But, most importantly they said they are not affiliated with Azuki. Uhm.. okay?
Did Anyone Buy Qzuki NFTs?
The Qzuki mints happened at three different timings on January 31st, 2023. And, the mint has actually sold out. And, looking at the floor price chart by NFTGo, the floor price reached a maximum of 0.077 ETH.
But, it dropped afterwards. Then, we notice an increase in sales on February 5th, 2023. This is when the reveal happened. The current floor price stands at 0.022 ETH (approx $36.21 per the ETH rate at the time of writing).
Moreover, there are also blue-chip holders who bought Qzuki NFTs, per the data by NFTGo. Some of these are also Azuki holders. This makes sense since it was a free mint for them. But, I wouldn’t say this has blue-chip potential. Since, you know, it’s cartoon Azuki and not an original collection.
What Does The Community Think About Qzuki?
So far, Qzuki has 21.4K followers on Twitter, and 9.5K Discord members. On Discord, of course, some pointed out the absurdity of Qzuki. I mean, who wouldn’t? They did push things a bit too far.
While others are supportive of this project. And, are in fact enjoying their NFTs.
Let's make Azuki become cute PFP ! LFG!🚀🚀#Qzuki @QzukiOfficial 🚀🚀 pic.twitter.com/PQMOJ9sFEQ
— jambo (@jambo_531) February 6, 2023
Qzuki 開圖了
滿意🥳🥳🥳話說我這個是不是杰倫同款😁😁😁@QzukiOfficial #JayChou pic.twitter.com/PPjneEE4gm
— jack_PHB | W+ (@Jacktr904127) February 5, 2023
Final Verdict – Is Qzuki Here To Stay?
To stay or not to stay? We can’t say that Qzuki is going to 50 ETH. Nor can we say it’s going to zero. Let’s not get into market predictions. What we can say is, it is not fully supported by the Azuki community. Azuki’s community is one of the strongest and most supportive NFT communities.
Had they fully supported this launch, the project would’ve pumped like there’s no tomorrow. However, it’s barely pumping. But, we might be seeing changes soon. Anyway, this is not the first project to allegedly copy Azuki. It happened before. Read all about that conspiracy theory here!