bayc

From competitive fencer to executive, Spencer Gordon-Sand's journey into Web3 is anything but ordinary. As a seasoned trader and early NFT collector, Spencer leveraged his investment talents to establish Orange Cap Games - a studio that merges intellectual property, gaming, and trading card culture.
After making a stunning debut with the Vibes TCG for Pudgy Penguins, Spencer and the team recently acquired one of the most famous NFT series, Moonbirds, causing a stir.
We interviewed Spencer to gain further insights into his views on community-driven IP, the long-term vision for Moonbirds, and how physical collectibles can bridge the gap with digital.

The NFT market is showing real signs of recovery.
After months of sideways consolidation, we finally see signs of warming: floor prices are rising, market value is rebounding, and some familiar names are overtaking old blue-chip NFTs, from Pudgy Penguins surpassing BAYC to Art Blocks making an unexpected return. The market atmosphere is changing.
This article will analyze the latest data, focusing on the best-performing categories and series, and discussing whether this is merely a temporary fluctuation or the beginning of a larger trend.
Key points:
In July, the NFT market value surged by 94%, reaching nearly $7 billion, marking the highest level since early 2025.

Welcome to the OpenSea Digest, where we review the biggest NFT and web3 news of the week.
Jack Butcher Debuts Opepen-themed “Oviators” Sunglasses
In the latest fusion of fashion and digital art, Florentine eyewear designer Salvino Armati and Checks founder Jack Butcher have teamed up to launch a collection of Oviators eyewear that pays homage to Butcher’s famous Openen line.
The eyewear collection debuted during Art Basel Miami in an exhibition space in Miami’s iconic Wynwood neighborhood.

Each pair of Oviators — black rimless lenses designed in the now-famous Opepepen silhouette shape — can be redeemed by purchasing a special-edition NFT.

The full text is relatively long and is divided into three parts. This article is the first part.
Chapter 1 NFT Ecology
NFT Overview

As we move into 2024, the NFT space will continue to grow, and we can see most of the application layers surrounding NFTs converging on the following points.
Metaverse Interoperability - In 2023, many brands and creators launched proprietary virtual worlds and NFTs, but they remained decentralized. By 2024, cross-platform ecosystems can enable unified digital identities and assets across different A metaverse that will drive virtual experiences that are transferable between worlds.

When Yuga Labs announced the acquisition of PROOF, the development team of Moonbirds, there was almost no doubt about Yuga Labs’ “LVMH of NFT” label.
Now, Yuga Labs owns top NFT IP/projects such as CryptoPunks, BAYC, MAYC, BAKC, "Monkeyland" Otherdeed, Meebits, Moonbirds, etc. These projects occupy 8 of the top 15 projects with the largest transaction volume in OpenSea history.

But at the same time, Yuga Labs also encountered the most powerful challenger in history. On February 17, the floor price of Pudgy Penguins surpassed BAYC for the first time. Contrary to Yuga Labs’ continuous progress in acquisitions in recent years, “Boring” The charm of "ape" is constantly fading.

Welcome to the OpenSea Digest, let’s recap the biggest NFT and web3 news of the week.
Amber Vittoria launches 'Auras'
On December 12, abstract artist Amber Vittoria released her latest series 'Auras' on Coinbase Layer 2 (L2) Base, consisting of colorful, dreamlike NFTs. After a three-phase sale for VIPs and the public, this collection of 550 abstract pixelated artworks sold out before noon.
As described in the series, each Aura represents an emotional snapshot of the human experience. Vittoria avoids coding rarity into the artwork or adding utility to reinforce the idea that each piece is a celebration of complex emotions, unique in its own right.

Welcome to the OpenSea Digest, where we review the biggest NFT and web3 news of the week.
Azuki announces anime series
Chiru Labs, creators of hit PFP projects Azuki and Beanz, are teaming up with famed Japanese animation director Goro Taniguchi to create an anthology series.
Taniguchi, known for his iconic projects Code Geass and One Piece: The Movie: Red, reportedly sees the collaboration as an opportunity to bring animation to new audiences and open doors for Japanese creators.​
Azuki has also partnered with advertising giant Dentsu and plans to release three stories under the partnership, each with a unique director and character artist. The series is part of Azuki's strategy to deliver diverse content to bring Azuki's universe to life. Integrated with innovative web3-driven storytelling.​

NFT hype peaked in 2021, with record sales and celebrity promotion, however, market and global attention declined throughout 2022 as trading volumes and floor prices fell, a downturn that led some to question the applicability of NFT technology itself.
However, NFTs are far from dead, and their development continues, albeit in a less speculative direction than provocative digital art. Now, more functional types of NFTs are emerging, with some industries using them for gaming, virtual real estate, tokenization of physical assets, and more. In this article, we’ll look at some of the applications of NFTs and why they are far from dead.

From a cat to a house, how is NFT driving the world crazy?
Do you remember the 'CryptoKitties' that sold for millions of dollars in 2017? Yes, it's that pixelated cat that looks like it was drawn with Windows 95. At the time, everyone thought the world was crazy - a virtual cat was actually more expensive than a real cat! But who would have thought this was just the beginning of the magical realism of NFTs (non-fungible tokens).
Now, NFTs have evolved from 'CryptoKitties' to 'crypto art', 'crypto real estate', and even 'crypto socks'. Yes, you heard it right, socks can also be NFT-ed, and the price might be more expensive than all the socks in your wardrobe combined. Today, let's talk about this NFT world that has driven countless people crazy and puzzled many others.