In this edition of the TON Innovators series, we’re turning the spotlight on TON Punks, an NFT collection that goes beyond cool digital art.

Picture unique avatars, a buzzing community, and the excitement of GameFi, all built on TON. Inspired by Ethereum’s CryptoPunks, TON Punks features 9,999 unique NFTs, each with its own personality and individuality.

But this isn’t just about collectibles. The team behind TON Punks is building a play-to-earn GameFi experience fully integrated with Telegram. TON Punks blends art, gaming, and community in a metaverse powered by a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) and PUNK tokens, allowing members to play, collaborate, and shape the project's future.

Let’s jump into the interview and discover what makes TON Punks unique.

Welcome to TON Innovators. Your team can be considered one of the pioneers of NFTs on TON. What made you launch the Punks on TON when it was still in its nascent stage?

We’re pleased to be here! When we first explored TON and prepared our collection, we realized that TON is deeply inspired by the Digital Resistance movement. Its purpose is to create and maintain a self-sustainable platform that delivers performant, secure, and flexible services to its users.

We support these principles and have joined TON’s mission, expanding it by focusing on how users can express themselves. NFTs serve as the best way to fulfil this as they remain permanently stored on the blockchain. Punks as visuals align perfectly to show off the uniqueness of each of us. These elements combined resulted in what is now known as TON Punks.

TON Punks is not just a collection—it’s a community, a set of principles, and an ecosystem.

Tell us more about the people behind TON Punks.

TON Punks’ core team comprises senior developers, designers, marketers, and managers. They’ve been working continuously and will continue to work on the development of our ecosystem in full accordance with our mission, roadmap, and most importantly, DAO decisions.

Building on what we mentioned earlier, it’s not just about the core team. It’s about the mission and the collective community guiding professionals on their next steps.

What makes TON Punks unique in the NFT space?

We’re very proud of being the first on-chain NFT collection on TON. This shouldn’t be considered bragging. Rather, it's a result of a known approach. When most doubted TON’s future, we became “the digital rebels” and pushed forward.

“Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”

We believe our uniqueness lies in our shared mindset of openness and adoption.

Why should I own a punk?

It’s up to you whether you want to own a Punk NFT or not. However, we could suggest why you might be interested:

• Your Punk is your universal digital persona—whether you want it to represent your real identity or serve as a pseudonym.
• Your Punk is an access key to the private community and DAO behind the PUNK ecosystem. It gives you a share of power (use it wisely and with caution).
• Your Punk is a collection of benefits—both internal (available within our ecosystem) and external (obtainable through partnerships).

Can you explain the role of the PUNK token in the TON Punks ecosystem?

PUNK is the utility token fueling the whole TON Punks ecosystem. It serves as a source of user incentives, drives the economy, and is the universal currency across our applications.

Can you briefly explain how Punks function within the play-to-earn ecosystem?

We’re building a GameFi ecosystem that is deeply engaging and integrates PUNK extensively. Our latest and most popular game, Cubes?, reached over 5.7 million users. The game offers a meditative experience where players mine cubes to find questions, creating a relaxing environment. What’s inside these cubes? That’s a mystery we’ll reveal soon!

Say I want to purchase PUNK. How can I get it?

PUNK is officially listed on Ston.fi, a major TON DEX. Our PUNK/TON pool ranks among the leaders based on total value locked (TVL), so you should expect smooth swaps with default settings. Just get some TON, hop onto Ston.fi, select the desired amount, and hit Swap. Tokens will arrive as soon as the transaction finalizes.

What upcoming features and expansions can players look forward to for TON Punks?

Mystery has always been our defining feature. Throughout our journey, the community has shown us that a big announcement doesn’t necessarily mean great success. That said, we’ve been delivering a consistent and reasonable update pipeline, surprising our fans and attracting millions of users. Let’s keep going!

We leave you with this:

TON Punks is more than just a collection of digital avatars. It's a growing ecosystem built on decentralization, freedom, and enlightenment. The dedication and vision of the team behind TON Punks have created a project that resonates with the values of TON's community.

Learn more about TON Punks on the following platforms.

Website | Wiki | Twitter | Telegram

This interview is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an endorsement, approval, or recommendation of the project. The views and opinions expressed in this interview are those of the interviewee and do not necessarily reflect the views of TON Foundation. This is not an investment advice.