Chiang You-Pai's "Leopard Head" NFT project hastily ends in controversy? Insiders: It's obvious they are planning to exit scam.

Orange Fruit Design, founded by Jiang Youbo, a descendant of the Jiang family, issued two NFT projects, "Gentle Panther" and "Gentle Panther 2.0," during the peak of the NFT craze last year. However, as the NFT trend subsided, Jiang Youbo's projects encountered operational issues, leading to the official closure of the Discord group today, causing dissatisfaction among holders.

Two "Leopard" NFT Projects Launched by Chiang Yu-po

The as studio under Orange Fruit Design released the "Gentle Panther" project in March last year, featuring leopard heads as its main theme. Each piece is designed as 1/1, deviating from the popular trend of algorithmically generated art at the time, emphasizing the rarity and artistic beauty by personally designing each piece.

In the first NFT project by Chiang Yu-po, 316 NFTs were sold at a price of 1 ETH each. Calculating at an ETH price of about $3,000 at the time, the total revenue was approximately $950,000.

In June last year, Chiang Yu-po collaborated with internationally renowned artist Soo Sunny Park to release "Gentle Panther 2.0," also featuring leopard heads but exploring different artistic styles. However, the sales performance this time was not as strong as the first release, with only 123 units sold at prices of 0.8 or 1.2 ETH, earning approximately $200,000 based on current prices.

Chiang Yu-po Shuts Down NFT Project Discord! Past Commitments Officially Fall Through

From the development roadmap of the NFT project, it is clear that as studio had high expectations for its NFT projects, planning various art exhibitions, international NFT collaborations, and promising holders physical leopard heads at the "Gentle Panther" art exhibition this autumn.

However, recent developments in the project have taken a different turn, casting doubt on whether the promised developments will materialize.

According to Gentle Panther's Discord content, on May 8th this year, Chiang Yu-po expressed his feelings about managing the project on Discord, announcing the cancellation of the physical exhibit of leopard heads.

Chiang Yu-po cited the reason for the cancellation as unwillingness to put in more effort for the current situation and emphasized that all endeavors require long-term investment and effort, and doing such hard work requires strong beliefs. Currently, Chiang Yu-po has lost interest and faith in the development of the Discord group.

Furthermore, Chiang Yu-po mentioned that the Discord group would be closed after the completion of free digital art, and the group was officially shut down yesterday.

Following the closure of the group, discontent among holders of the leopard NFTs has arisen, feeling that the initial promises were not fulfilled. The holders have now established a new Discord group "Finding Lost Leopards" to collectively explore solutions.

From a business perspective, some holders may have intended to profit from this NFT, but the liquidity of the two NFTs in the current secondary market is close to zero. With the cancellation of the physical art exhibition, the only opportunity to cash out has vanished. Moreover, with the closure of the official communication channel, it's no wonder that some holders are expressing dissatisfaction.

Is Chiang Yu-po's Operation Good? Insights from Insiders

Following the incident, insights were sought from insiders of the project regarding their views on the Discord shutdown.

The insider stated: "I find this matter very irresponsible. I think Mr. Chiang is a very self-centered person. He basically has the final say on everything, and many promises he made were not kept. In the end, he hastily released a digital art video and then closed it. It's obvious he wanted to cut losses. In the aftermath, the issue was not addressed. If it was just an art NFT project sale, it would be acceptable, but he actually leaned towards empowering NFTs."

Regarding how to "safely exit" an NFT project and whether one should always be accountable to the community, the insider expressed:

"I think investing in NFTs is no different from investing in a company. The project party presents a business model, attracts investors who are the holders, and the project party can adjust its operation policy according to the market, rather than closing down without warning and without liquidation. As for the Roadmap development plan, it's something that can be fatal, so now more NFT projects focus on Guidebook planning guidelines. As for a safe exit, as long as there is good communication and the promised tasks are completed, it should be sufficient. If unable to fulfill, maintaining two-way communication is still necessary. Ending abruptly is the worst choice."