Welcome to the OpenSea digest. Let’s look back through the biggest NFT and web3 news of the week.

Illuvium’s mainnet launches

Illuvium, a role player game (RPG) featuring blockchain collectibles, officially launched its mainnet on July 25. Players can now download the game from the Epic Games Store before embarking on a cinematic quest through alien worlds.

The game’s lore begins when players’ avatars awake from cryosleep, only to quickly realize they are aboard a stranded spaceship on a hostile, foreign planet. The first task is repairing the ship. Soon after, they move through various outposts and undertake missions to unlock new technologies and discoveries.

Illuvium’s launch comes on the heels of another recent web3 gaming milestone: On July 24, game developer Immutable announced that 2 million players have signed for the Immutable Passport that launched in March 2024. Immutable’s news could demonstrate a continued interest in enhanced cross-chain experiences.

Ledger Flex is now available to buy

A leading web3 wallet, Ledger, released the Ledger Flex on July 26, coinciding with the company’s 10th anniversary. The new product features improved design and user experience, including a touchscreen and a passwordless security key app. 

Ledger Flex is available for purchase now on the Ledger store. Remember: for security reasons, it’s recommended to purchase crypto wallets directly from the maker rather than through third-party sellers.

Otherside hosts first Project Dragon playtest

Bored Ape Yacht Club’s Otherside metaverse opened virtual doors to its first playtest for Project Dragon, a new series of monthly events developed in collaboration with metaverse venture studio Improbable. 

According to Yuga Labs co-founder Greg Solano, the kickoff event on July 27 attracted over 1,000 virtual attendees and was, despite a few technical glitches, positively received. 

Currently, holders of Meebits, Voyagers, Bored Ape Yacht Club, Mutant Ape Yacht Club, Bored Ape Kennel Club, Otherside Koda, Kodamara, Grailed, Moonbirds and HV-MTL NFTs can all participate in Project Dragon. 

The next Project Dragon event, a virtual poker night, will be held on August 14 on Metropolis, an island inside Otherside.

Acclaimed artist batz buys a Skull of Luci

The artist known as batz has acquired “Garhi’s Inversion,” a piece from the “Skulls of Luci” collection by visionary artist Sam Spratt, known for creating The Monument Game.

The artwork, depicting a weathered blue skull held by shadowy hands against a mustard yellow backdrop, sold for 85 ETH, or $270,220 at the time of sale. 

With this purchase, batz joins the exclusive Council of Luci, a group of 50 Skull of Luci holders brought together by Spratt to foster a deeper bond among his collectors. Council members participate in a practice known as “deliberations” in which they evaluate the observations submitted by viewers of Spratt’s art. Spratt welcomed batz on X, expressing excitement about adding the artist to the group of 50 holders and Council members in time for The Monument Game’s next iteration. 

‘What the Punk’ documentary on CryptoPunks now streaming

A journalist and senior editor at ELLE Décor France just gave CryptoPunks a nod of recognition, elevating an indie documentary about the NFT project into web3 headlines.

“What The Punk” is an 80-minute independent documentary that follows the story of Canadian programmers Matt Hall and John Watkinson, who created the 10,000-character pixelated profile picture (PFP) collection in 2017. 

The film features interviews with key figures in the crypto art world and aims to provide a “snapshot of our time,” as producer Marc Lustigman recently said to DeCrypt. Viewers can catch it on VIMEO OTT during its three-month exclusive airing period which kicked off June 1, or on ARTE in France and Germany.

Doodles announces Doodles Records

Doodles just introduced Doodles Records, its new music production studio. The brand is kicking things off with a soundtrack for its highly anticipated animated show, “Dullsville and the Doodleverse.” Produced by songwriter, rapper and producer Pharrell Williams, the soundtrack features musical stars like Lil Wayne, Swae Lee, Lil Yachty, Coi Leray and Kyle Richh.

This Doodles Records announcement comes in tandem with the debut of Doodlesᵗᵛ Super Pass Season 1, which mints exclusively on Coinbase Wallet. With the Super Pass, holders enjoy early access to Doodles digital entertainment, including cinematic music videos, animated stories and rare on-chain artwork.

The Sandbox launches ‘Rise of the Memecoins’ event and creative contests

The Sandbox metaverse is giving memecoin enthusiasts the stage to celebrate their fandom and flex their creativity through interactive experiences.

Running from July to September 2024, the ongoing Rise of the Memecoins event challenges creatives with two contests. First up, contestants are invited to design memecoin-inspired animations using The Sandbox’s VoxEdit software. There’s also a high-energy “Game Jam'' creative sprint in which participants rapidly design a game or experience based on memecoins. The winning Game Jam will go live to become a real-time virtual experience where digital attendees can show off their innovative creations.

Editor’s note: This is for informational purposes only and does not constitute any advice.

California DMV digitizes 42M titles on Avalanche

The California Department of Motor Vehicles is digitizing 42 million car titles and bringing the DMV into the digital age.

The project, built on the Avalanche blockchain, first piloted on a private Tezos chain in 2023. California vehicle owners can now reportedly claim their digital car titles from any location using a secure mobile app. The process is said to take just minutes, which signals a potentially major improvement over the traditional two-week-long wait for paper titles.