
OpenSea acquires NFT marketplace aggregator Gem
In a Monday Twitter post, OpenSea announced that it has acquired NFT marketplace aggregator Gem for an undisclosed sum. A blog post by OpenSea CEO Devin Finzer said the company made the move to improve the experience of its experienced “professional” users.
Gem enables traders to purchase NFTs across multiple collections and multiple marketplaces in a single transaction, saving on gas. Currently, OpenSea is adding popular gem features to its platform, such as its collectible floor price scanning tool and rarity-based rankings.
Gem will continue to operate independently of OpenSea as a standalone product, but OpenSea intends to continue integrating more Gem functionality into its NFT marketplace in the future.
However, many user comments on the Twitter thread criticized OpenSea’s latest move. Amid multiple hacks and the most recent phishing scandal, collectors like @BandoNFT said he would rather invest in OpenSea to “improve communication and customer service.”
1/ Exciting news!
In order to invest in the “professional” community and continue to improve the OpenSea experience, we are excited to share that we have acquired @gemxyz!
Read more on the official announcement blog and here https://t.co/IBn38f2d3U
— OpenSea (@opensea) April 25, 2022
Virtual influencer Rae celebrates girls in STEM
Rae is one of the Asian CGI (Computer Generated Image) influencers, many of whom have huge followings on Instagram and Weibo. Known as “here.is.rae” on social media, her Instagram bio calls her a virtual presence, digital artist and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) advocate.
Rae announced her second upcoming NFT collection ahead of the UN-recognized International Day for Women in ICT (Information and Communication Technology) on April 28. Virtual influencers intend to use the collection to advocate for better STEM education for young girls. 8% of total sales and royalties will be donated to a non-profit organization called United Women Singapore.
The series titled “Tako’s Adventures” features Rae’s virtual pet, Tako. NFT holders of the first of the three series will receive an audio message from Rae and will receive priority access to the launch of the second series of the series.
Tako can’t stop dreaming about space! Especially all the exciting adventures that are about to be shared with you. #nfts #nft #nftart #nftcommunity #nftcollector #nftartist #crypto #digitalart #cryptoart #art #ethereum #opensea #nftcollectors #blockchain #nftdrop pic.twitter.com/Dr2PMDfq5y
— here.is.rae (@hereisrae) April 26, 2022
Chess.com will launch NFT marketplace
Wyre, a fiat-to-crypto and payments infrastructure company, has partnered with online chess community Chess.com to launch a new NFT marketplace called Treasure Chess. The platform allows users to turn a game of chess played on Treasure.chess.com into a Treasure NFT. Users can then buy, sell, mint and collect their “treasures” on the Layer 2 blockchain Polygon.
Treasure Chess generates an Ethereum address for users logged in with a Chess.com account. Wyre allows players to use a debit card to purchase the stablecoin USD Coin (USDC) to buy NFTs without having to own a separate wallet. Flagged as an experiment, Chess.com’s mission is to enrich users’ chess experience and support chess streamers and content creators to celebrate their favorite games.
We are excited to announce our integration and the official launch of @treasurechess_, a groundbreaking #NFT marketplace built in partnership with @chesscom!
Every chess game is unique. Our partnership makes you a collectible! ♟️ pic.twitter.com/XM7nhuVFab
— Wyre (@sendwyre) April 21, 2022
other good news
According to Cointelegraph market analyst Alyssa Exposito, the recently launched Moonbirds NFT series with owl avatars is bringing new liquidity to the NFT market. So much so that The Sandbox metaverse bought MoonBird #2642 for 350 Ether (ETH), or about $1 million, originally purchased with 100 ETH. At launch, Moonbirds generated 117,115 ETH or just over $332 million in sales on OpenSea in its 10-day run.
Before Yuga Labs’ land sale in The Otherside metaverse, another NFT series with a soaring market cap was the Bored Ape Yacht Club or BAYC. On April 25, BAYC was hit by a phishing attack, coinciding with its one-year anniversary. Hackers compromised BAYC’s official Instagram page and shared links to fake airdrops.
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