This extension had an earlier life as a BRAND domain name for a Chinese gaming company. The
extension was bought by the people who run the .icu registry, as a quicker way to get another active domain extension without going through the normal ICANN proposal and delegation route (they did the same with the acquisition of .bond).
Kevin Kopas in a
press release describes .cyou this way. They are pushing this as "Change You" more than "See You" if I understand the press correctly. I think they will need some name-recognition early adopters for the idea to take off.
"Since announcing the new .cyou domain extension earlier this year, we've seen a great deal of interest from Gen Z entrepreneurs, influencers, and brands, all looking to push boundaries to achieve their personal and business goals and advance social causes,"
The extension seems strange to me, as many others have posted, but the same group managed to propel .icu to the most registered new extension. I think the meaning of .icu is more obvious, and it also doubles as an acronym for Intensive Care Unit as well as the intended "I See You". The fact that premiums were inexpensively and transparently priced in .icu, for most part, just into 4 tiers, and that all domains in .icu renew at very reasonable standard rates, i.e. no premium renewal, help make it more investor friendly. I have sold a couple .icu at low $$$ but realize that overall there are very few public sales in .icu. I have I think just under 10 names in the extension, and never had many more, at least one of which is intended as possible personal development. I don't have plans to get any .cyou though (of course I said that about .icu at first too
). Seen as change you, .cyou might work, but seems a long shot to me.
It is interesting that cyou.me is currently available to hand register (no I did not take it
). CYOU has been taken in many TLDs I see.
Bob