Steven Seagal becomes brand ambassador for Bitcoin knock-off

Steven Seagal has decided to help market a new cryptocurrency known as Bitcoiin2Gen (B2G). The team behind the new coin claims its inspiration is "to make a superior or more advanced version of the original Bitcoin."
In branding, name recognition is everything. When it comes to marketing, a recognizable ambassador gets your name noticed. When you don't have either of those things, you go for the cheapest options available. That seems to be what Bitcoiin2Gen's pre-ICO has relied upon. Short for the spelling-error-search-result-inspired Bitcoiin2Gen (B2G), the new coin's team announced last week it roped in Steven Seagal as its new mascot.

"Hollywood actor Steven Seagal has become a believer of Bitcoiin2Gen. The Hollywood action star will be representing the leading cryptocurrency organization, Bitcoiin2Gen, as brand ambassador," a press release dated February 13th states.

Bitcoiin2Gen claims its inspiration is "to make a superior or more advanced version of the Original Bitcoin." Whether or not "original" should be capitalized is a question you need to ask them. It is an ERC20 token

B2G is supposed to have its own "eco-system [sic], its own wallet, its own mining machines" and access to trade for other crypto or fiat currencies. It will run on the Ethereum blockchain.


The release was short on technical updates, preferring to describe Seagal as the perfect fit for B2G's philosophy.

Referencing a quote from Toaism's founding father Chuang Tsu, the B2G team said, "the choice of Zen Master, Steven Seagal is obvious..." Seagal's apparent goals to lead people "into contemplation to wake them up and enlighten them in some manner," which "are precisely the objectives of Bitcoiin2Gen to empower the community..."

Under Siege Too


A bankable action actor in the 1990s, Seagal's star has dimmed in the recent years. Some see his movie roles as a genre in itself and his celebrity as a thing of wonder. Anyone curious enough can read about the appeal of Seagal in the book Seagalogy: A Study of the Ass-Kicking Films of Steven Seagal.

While his career might seem hard to kill, his off-screen reputation has tanked. The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating multiple sexual harassment and assault reports against Seagal. Starlets such as Jenny McCarthy and Portia de Rossi came forward in January with stories about the action star. Actress Regina Simons alleges Seagal raped her in 1994 on the set of On Deadly Ground.

B2G's team did not comment on the accusations against the actor.

Bitcoiin2Gen is also not the first altcoin to piggyback off the original bitcoin. The list includes monikers like eBitcoin (EBTC), BitcoinZ (BTCZ), LiteBitcoin (LBTC), rabbitcoin (RBBT), and Bitcoin God (GOD).

The coin's site claims to have third party agreements with mining pools and mining companies such as Dragon Mining. Their timeline marks a $50 million venture capital investment in September 2017.

However, the names of investors - much less the founders of the coin - are nowhere to be found. B2G is offering a four-tiered commission structure for promotion. Bitcoiin2Gen's founders released a statement Tuesday denying being part of a pyramid scheme.

Bitcoiin2Gen plans its ICO for March 26th.