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

Revolving Games collaborating with Animoca Brands to develop new node network

Web3 game publisher Revolving Games has teamed up with venture studio Animoca Brands to expand its decentralized gaming ecosystem through the creation of new blockchain infrastructure. The project will be comprised of three core features: the RCADE Chain, a new node network and the $RCADE token.

Backed by $37 million in venture funding, Revolving Games has generated over $3 billion in mobile gaming revenue and plans to launch at least four internal games and ten AAA titles in the next three years on RCADE Chain, including an upcoming mobile game, Phoenix Flight. 

Node sales will begin this month. Select communities can purchase nodes in an exclusive pre-sale before the public sale. Learn more here.

Note: The mention of the $RCADE token is for informational purposes only nor is it intended as financial or investment advice.

Fini World to release ‘F is For Fini’ with behind-the-scenes sketches

Fini World, an NFT oracle project that brings to life animated characters based on real-world data, is gearing up to release “F is For Fini,” a new installment in the “Fini Sketches” series created by artist Ed Fornieles.

The new project reveals how Finis are created, with their moods connected to various data sources like stocks, crypto prices or gross domestic product (GDP).

As part of the release, Fornieles and digital art marketplace Ensemble will drop 25 concept sketches and storyboards from the process of drawing the cute Fini creatures, offering a never-before-seen look behind the scenes.

Axie Infinity launches Avatar Mode

Blockchain battle game Axie Infinity launched its much-anticipated Avatar Mode on July 31, opening access to Axie Infinity: Homeland for all Axie owners, a privilege previously reserved only for land NFT holders.

Avatar Mode lets players explore Lunacia with in-game characters resembling their favorite Axie creatures. Players can access the feature through the Mavis Hub, where they select their Axie, choose a name and start exploring. New town portals also enable easy navigation by letting players enter coordinates to visit plots.

The Avatar Mode announcement came with a special live stream featuring Sky Mavis co-founder Jeff Zirlin, aka “Jihoz,” on July 31. A new YouTube video walkthrough explains how to use Avatar Mode.

BAYC introduces MBA Sessions

This week Bored Ape Yacht Club launched MBA Sessions, a new educational series featuring global business experts. The one-hour sessions will run every other Wednesday at 9 am PT in the members-only Discord channel and present insights on topics related to building and scaling brands, products and services. 

The first session, led by Andy Albertson of startup law firm Fenwick & West, took place on August 7. 

White Walls public beta is now live

White Walls, a company developing apps to display NFT artwork on smart TVs and mobile devices, has officially concluded its alpha phase and launched its public beta. Over the past year, the company has grown from a side project to full-scale startup with a strong community of over 350 supporters and roughly 150 testers.

According to the company’s announcement, its upcoming beta features are expected to include cross-chain compatibility on Tezos, Bitcoin and Solana, better app availability and new social features. 

As part of the beta launch, Dallas-based digital artist Delta Sauce donated a piece from his Views collection, which is known for its AI-generated surrealist window scenes.

Blackbird introduces crypto payments for restaurants

Blackbird, a dining rewards app built on Coinbase’s Ethereum layer-two (L2) blockchain Base, has launched a new payment system allowing diners to settle bills with cryptocurrency. The system debuted at Semma, a Michelin star-rated South Indian restaurant in New York City’s West Village, known for its exclusivity and hard-to-get reservations. 

Now, crypto-savvy patrons can pay for their meals in-app via on-chain payments. Restaurants will pay an estimated 2% transaction fee, which is reportedly lower than industry standard fees for credit cards.

Doodles collaborates with adidas Originals

Doodles just teased a new collaboration with adidas Originals. A hyper-limited collection of Doodles-themed tracksuits, Superstar shoes and digital wearables will arrive on August 9 — and you won’t find them in stores.

That’s not all: On August 1, Doodles launched a limited-edition collaboration with Arizona Iced Tea. The partnership gives fans the chance to win a VIP trip to the “Dullsville and the Doodleverse” preview event in Toronto on September 7, 2024. 

The artwork features Doodles fruit characters on the classic Arizona iced tea with lemon flavor. These cans are now available at select bodegas in New York City, Southern California and Miami, while supplies last. Each bottle includes a QR code that unlocks Arizona-themed digital wearables for Doodles avatars and enters you into the giveaway.