Did fRiENDSiES founders pull the rug?

In the wake of Logan Paul's recent controversy, it seems even the artists behind the FriendsWithYou project aren't immune to getting caught up in the drama. 

FriendsWithYou is a collaborative project between Samuel Borkson and Arturo Sandoval III, with the goal of "exploring emotional healing through culture creation and art making". In simpler terms, they aim to convince audiences that all objects in the universe are ready to be friends and support each other. This will fill life with love and harmony. Their message is clear: happiness can be found in the smallest things. With FriendsWithYou, you'll feel like you're in a world where even your toaster wants to hug you!

Since 2002, Samuel Borkson and Arturo Sandoval III have been cooperating under the motto of "Magic, Luck, and Friendship." The vibrant duo's projects have gained thousands of fans all over the world, attracting people with their simplicity, kindness, and serenity. FriendsWithYou's works have been showcased in exhibitions by Sotheby's, Art Basel, NANZUKA, Dongtan, and featured on the cover of Ocean Drive magazine. Their "Little Cloud" and Rainbow City installations have become iconic attractions in many cities.

In spring 2022, the creators of FriendsWithYou ventured into the Web3 space and released a collection of 10,000 NFTs called fRiENDSiES. Nine passes, providing exclusive early access to the character builder, were sold at auction with the support of Christie's and OpenSea. 

There were 8765 NFTs auctioned off at a Dutch public auction. Starting at 3.33 ETH, the price decreased every 15 minutes by 0.1 ETH until it reached the final reserve price of 0.1 ETH. The early bird catches the worm, or in this case, the rarest characters, as those who joined the minting party earlier had a better chance of getting their hands on the heroes of the utmost rarity. The lucky owners of these NFTs were treated to virtual friends with unique combinations of unconventional heads, bodies, tails, sprouts, and other quirky elements.  

FriendsWithYou promised that NFTs were just the first step for their fRiENDSiES project. They planned to add art installations, physical events, their own metaverse, and even bring virtual friends to reality using AR and AI technologies. However, on February 21, 2023, the eve of fRiENDSiES' first birthday, the creators announced on Twitter that the project and its associated digital goods would temporarily cease operation.

The announcement itself, along with the bright promises for the project's future, could have sparked a brief outrage among fans.  But according to many of them, after the tweets were posted, the fRiENDSiES and FriendsWithYou Twitter accounts became unavailable. In addition, there was a complete lack of activity on Discord and website loading issues. It's as if they disappeared into the digital ether, leaving fans puzzled and confused.

FriendsWithYou's actions were understandably seen by the crypto community as a rug pull. Some industry insiders not only accused the creators, but also influencers who previously promoted fRiENDSiES of unscrupulous behavior. Others tried to reach out to the artists on Twitter, offering to continue developing the project on their behalf, seeing the true value in it.

On February 22, a new post appeared on the fRiENDSiES Twitter account. In it, the creators of the project emphasized that they "are not abandoning fRiENDSiES." They are suspending interaction with users until further notice and continue to look for opportunities to develop fRiENDSiES. The artists clarified that their previous tweet aimed to inform the community of their decision transparently and honestly.

At the time of writing, the projects' websites and the fRiENDSiES Twitter account are operating as usual. However, access to FriendsWithYou Twitter is limited. In the fRiENDSiES collection, NFTs start as low as 0.022 ETH. This figure plummeted on February 21 after the creators announced a forced pause in the project's development.