Pudgy Penguins has denied hypothesis that it acquired NFT market OpenSea, following a wave of social media chatter suggesting a deal could have closed as early as December 2024.
In a Saturday publish on X, Beau, head of safety at Pudgy Penguins, dismissed the acquisition discuss. “Pudgy Penguins didn’t purchase OpenSea… chill,” he wrote.
He claimed that the undertaking has large plans, so there’s no must give attention to only one potential acquisition. “Discuss partnering with Lufthansa and NASCAR, and go discover the following nice model for us to proliferate with,” Beau wrote.
Pudgy Penguins is a set of 8,888 flightless hen NFTs launched in July 2021. The undertaking has additionally expanded into bodily merchandise with a Pudgy Toys line in partnership with PMI Toys, permitting NFT holders to earn from business use by way of its OverpassIP platform.
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Rumors of Pudgy Penguins’ curiosity in OpenSea
The rumors of OpenSea’s acquisition gained traction after a number of X customers pointed to previous feedback by CEO Luca Netz, together with a now-resurfaced October 2024 publish the place he stated he wished his firm to purchase OpenSea.
Different group members speculated that a purchase order could have occurred quietly, citing coincidental timing with Pudgy’s December bulletins and OpenSea’s later coverage shifts round token help.
Nevertheless, Beau pushed again on the narrative. “I don’t really assume buying OS rn would make a whole lot of sense for us,” he wrote in an earlier reply, emphasizing the workforce’s choice to give attention to confirmed developments somewhat than hypothesis.
Pudgy Penguins has just lately leaned into model partnerships, together with tie-ups with Lufthansa and NASCAR. Final month, the undertaking additionally launched a skill-based Web3 sport known as Pengu Conflict for The Open Community (TON) blockchain, becoming a member of the aggressive mini-game area.
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NFT market rebounds as CryptoPunks lead $6.6B surge
The NFT market is exhibiting renewed momentum, with complete market capitalization hitting $6.6 billion in July, a 94% soar from the earlier month, in response to DappRadar. Weekly buying and selling volumes additionally climbed 51%, marking the strongest efficiency since February.
Main the comeback is the Ethereum-based assortment CryptoPunks, whose flooring costs jumped 53%. DappRadar analysts famous the gathering’s enduring attraction as a Web3 standing image. On July 22, CryptoPunks noticed 83 new purchases and a 15.9% flooring value rise inside 24 hours, reaching almost $180,000 per Punk.
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