CryptoPunks was launched in June 2017 by Matt Hall and John Watkinson, founders of Larva Labs, a New York-based software company.
The project started as an experiment. Hall and Watkinson created a program that generated thousands of different, odd-looking characters. At first, they thought it would be useful for a mobile game. But in the end, CryptoPunks became one of the first NFT projects.
The CryptoPunks concept was inspired by the 1970s London punk scene. According to Hall and Watkinson, in the beginning, the crypto community had a strong protest spirit that goes well with the punk movement.