Stumbling upon a forgotten treasure map in the form of an ancient sentient robot named Huxley, two post-apocalyptic scavengers – Max and Kai – find themselves amidst a mystery of a galactic scale.

Desperate for a way out of the unforgiving machine cities, both soldiers embark on a journey to repair Huxley’s damaged memory cores, which could hold the location of untold riches and long forgotten technology that could change their fortunes forever.

A global franchise almost a decade in the making, HUXLEY™ is universe-builder Ben Mauro’s self-described magnum opus – an original IP he hand-illustrated and wrote while working on some of the world’s most beloved films and games.

Mauro, a Senior Concept Designer and Art Director, is best known for his work on AAA games like Halo Infinite and Call of Duty, as well as sci-fi/fantasy films including, but not limited to, The Hobbit, Elysium, Chappie, Valerian, and more.

“Huxley is the culmination of everything I have done in my career building the biggest franchises and worlds, taking everything I have learned working for others and creating it for myself one piece at a time trying to hit each product class (comics, games, films, novels, and collectibles) as much as I can,” Mauro told Hypemoon.

The core HUXLEY™ Saga IP is spread across a six-issue graphic novel NFT series, which made its debut last October. The comics are hand-illustrated by Ben Mauro who meticulously drew and wrote each panel. At the time, Serial #1 of ISSUE 1 set the record for the most expensive digital comic ever sold and 17th most expensive comic ever sold at 43 ETH ($184,000). Now collectors are anxiously waiting for the final two issues of the series, available for purchase at huxleysaga.com.

HUXLEY™ is powered by Feature, a next-generation entertainment studio, licensing site, and blockchain-enabled streaming platform that gives storytellers and creators a way to thrive in the Web3 space and beyond. Feature has collaborated with some of the world’s best IP and studios, partnering with Netflix to build a tech-driven campaign for the most recent season of Love, Death + Robots, as well as providing their proprietary licensing software to power the casting call for Coinbase and Bored Ape Yacht Club’s The Degen Trilogy.

“Feature is proud to partner with creators like Ben Mauro. As a technology-driven content studio, we’re passionate about helping storytellers build new franchises and cultivate community around their creative work. HUXLEY’s leap from comic panels to film, metaverse, and beyond serves as an industry case study on how new universes of art and culture can thrive in today’s saturated media landscape.” – Steven Ilous, Founder & CEO of Feature.

Valued at approximately $16 million USD in trading volume on the digital collectible secondary market, HUXLEY™’s comics have continued to pick up tremendous fan support since its 2021 debut.

On November 18, the first story told in the HUXLEY™ universe will come to a close – with the fifth and sixth comic issues available to the general public for purchase. The digital comic books can also be redeemed for individual physical versions, as well as a limited Collector’s Set available to those with one of each ISSUE 1-6. With the purchase of ISSUES 5+6, collectors will unlock the ability to read the previously released ISSUES 1-4 to immerse themselves in the entire narrative from the start.

In addition to the comics, the project features a variety of highly-detailed Avatars created by Ben that reflect those fending for survival in the desolate Wastelands of FURY-7. Robot and Human Avatars are currently available for purchase on OpenSea, with A.I. on the way.

These “avatars,” according to Mauro, serve as a path for collectors along their journey, enabling them to be “closer to the characters in the world” and offer a type of “choose your own adventure within the comic universe.”

“Imagine if you could be there talking to George Lucas as he was writing and creating Star Wars at the very start, and be able to own the very first limited edition art/comics/collectibles from that project before it became what it is today. That would be pretty incredible!” Mauro said.

The HUXLEY™ Universe continues to expand, with an upcoming video game vertical slice, film adaptation, and metaverse experiences for fans to continue engaging with the Ronin-enforced Wastelands.

“I think one of the more important aspects of what I created for Huxley is that I spent the decade building the product and the IP before launching and selling anything, building the teams and strategies necessary to share the story on a global scale,” Mauro said.

In February, Mauro told Decrypt that he tapped Marvel film producer Ari Arad (Iron Man, Blade, Ghost Rider) and Arad Productions (Uncharted, Borderlands) to turn his post-apocalyptic digital comic book NFT series into a feature film alongside Academy Award-nominated VFX supervisor Jerome Chen (The Amazing Spider-Man, Suicide Squad, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle). Together, they will bring the HUXLEY™ story to the silver screen and beyond.

While an official trailer from Arad Productions has yet to be released, Mauro and his internal team released a teaser trailer showcasing HUXLEY™’s world via CG animation. The trailer, which Mauro developed alongside Sava Zivkovic, brings the sprawling world of FURY-7 to life — a taste of what the Arad-produced feature film may look like in the future.

During NFT.NYC 2022, Mauro also released a small teaser from the unreleased video game, where attendees were able to play a vertical slice of the game which is currently under development by Big Medium Small led by Jama Jurabaev (The Mandalorian).

UNIT IMAGE, the Parisian design studio of titles like Star Wars Eclipse, The Elden Ring, and Astartes, will also be creating an immersive trailer for a new HUXLEY™ prequel story, The Oracle. They’re joined by director Syama Pedersen (Astartes) rounding out an outstanding team of 3D artists and directors. The trailer will feature the highest possible caliber of design and show FURY-7 like never before.

Utilizing Web3 technology has been integral in enabling Mauro to build things in a bigger way and sooner than expected. With the help of Feature, Mauro has been able to grow a thriving HUXLEY™ community, eager for new releases and manifestations of the IP.

“I am able to…work with more artists, tell new stories, and bring them to life in ways that would have just taken me a lot longer to do otherwise. I’m excited to have the community involved from HUXLEY’s genesis and to share this adventure with me.”

ISSUES 5 + 6 of the HUXLEY™ Saga are available for mint on November 18th – unlock the entire story at huxleysaga.com.