Our Story

Early Days — OPSkins Marketplace

Our story started back in 2015 when our Co-Founder Artur Minacov started OPSkins Marketplace, the #1 Digital Marketplace to sell and buy your Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Weapon Skins. That product quickly skyrocketed in popularity, and Artur sold his majority shares in 2017 to some individuals who used his creation to make an ICO and create what we know today as The WAX Blockchain — King of NFTs.

Artur Minacov, John Brechesci and the OPSkins Crew in the early days of the marketplace.

From 2017 to 2019, Artur hired a third party gaming studio with almost no experience to begin work on his lifetime dream: Building his own video game. It is at that moment that The Forge Arena was born

Artur Minacov pitching at Catapulte Quebec Start-up Battle 2019

The game was the first game to have integrated NFTs before NFTs were even a thing. The OGs on WAX will remember the day we have integrated VGO Skins into the Arena. Over the years, the game has gone through ups and downs, until Summer 2021, when Arthur Rozon (Co-Founder at NEWGEN LABS) reached out to Artur from his home in Los Angeles, about an NFT project he wanted to start together. Artur did not hesitate and moved to Los Angeles right away, where both Arthurs decided that it was mandatory that The Forge Arena pivots to a game with Blockchain and AI initiatives.

Artur Minacov (Left) and Arthur Rozon (Right) moving into their Garage in Sherman Oaks, California where they envisioned their new studio.

NEWGEN LABS

Sherman Oaks Garage Summer 2021 — Artur Minacov standing in front of the door while Arthur Rozon was taking this memorable picture.

The rest is now history, the team behind The Forge Arena are pioneers. The future in the Arena is bright and has the potential of bringing the gaming industry to a whole new level.

Artur Minacov speaking at NFT NYC 2022

Artur Minacov & Arthur Rozon in the streets of NYC for the NFT NYC 2022 Event.

Community is the centerpiece of our purpose. Without every single one of you, we will not be able to take upon this extremely difficult challenge. This is why we will always put the community first and we are building our products, together, as one. This is your Unfinished Legacy!

The following video shows all of the amazing moments that The Forge Arena lived through 2017 to the present day. You can see that we have a rich history of being involved in the gaming community since our inception, and we have never stopped believing in the future of this product:

See you all in the Arena!