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

Moonbirds launches BIRB token 

Moonbirds, the NFT collectibles project owned by Orange Cap Games, says 65 percent of its BIRB tokens will go to the community, according to a Jan. 27 X post from the team.

BIRB is the project’s token, launched on the Solana blockchain on Jan. 28.

The largest token share funds holder rewards, which will reportedly pay active collectors, plus incentives for partners and contributors who help run real-world operations. 

The remaining supply supports liquidity, which is a reserve that helps buying and selling happen smoothly, along with funding for future development, the core team, and early investors.

Wolf Game lays out 2026 roadmap after relaunch momentum

Wolf Game, a long-running crypto game built around player competition, announced more than 5,000 people have joined since its relaunch in the second half of 2025 and outlined a series of gameplay updates planned across 2026, according to a Jan. 26 post by the backer known as Seedphrase.

The update explains how Valley, Caves, and Peak, the game’s three connected modes, will change to make play easier to learn and more socially interconnected over time. 

WOOL, the game’s in-game currency, is described as the unit players use for actions like voting, building, and participating in gameplay, with future updates tying it more closely to how decisions and progress work inside the game. 

The post serves as a progress check and a roadmap, showing how Wolf Game plans to expand its world and refine how players interact with it next year.

Rekt Drinks sells out X Games flavor and shows up at the New York Stock Exchange 

Rekt Drinks, a crypto-native beverage company, says its GRXPEFRUIT sparkling water collaboration with X Games sold out in about one minute, according to a post from the brand.

The company also shared that it recently visited the New York Stock Exchange as it works to expand institutional adoption of REKT, its branded token used to track participation and brand activity. 

Avalanche gets first U.S. spot ETF as VanEck launches AVAX fund

Global fund manager VanEck launched the first U.S. spot exchange-traded fund tied to Avalanche on Jan. 26. The product reportedly began trading on the Nasdaq on Monday.

Avalanche is a blockchain network used for NFTs, games, and digital applications, and AVAX is its native token, the unit tracked by the fund. 

The ETF, called VAVX, allows AVAX price movement to be accessed inside a standard brokerage account and temporarily waives management fees during its early phase. 

The launch places Avalanche alongside other crypto networks such as Ethereum, the largest smart contract blockchain, and Solana, a high-speed blockchain used widely for NFTs and consumer apps, that now have U.S.-listed ETFs trading in traditional markets.

Forgotten Runiverse takes game offline, says work will continue

Forgotten Runiverse, a fantasy-themed multiplayer game, took its servers offline Jan. 27, citing financial and operational challenges, according to a statement shared by the Forgotten Runiverse team. 

The developers said the game will remain inaccessible while they evaluate next steps, though player accounts and progress will be preserved, and emphasized they are not abandoning the project. 

The team pointed to more than 250,000 players and peaks of over 7,000 concurrent users during its beta and launch period as proof of demand, and thanked the Pixels team for its collaboration. 

Updates will be shared if and when the team has substantial news to report, the statement said.

Nifty Gateway to shut down NFT marketplace in February

Nifty Gateway, one of the early consumer-facing NFT marketplaces, will shut down operations on Feb. 23 and has entered withdrawal-only mode, according to a Jan. 25 announcement cited by Cointelegraph.

The platform is owned by Gemini, the U.S.-based crypto exchange founded by Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, which said the closure allows it to focus its broader product strategy. 

Launched in 2020, Nifty Gateway became known for curated NFT releases from digital artists during the 2021 NFT boom before activity slowed. 

According to the announcement, users have until the Apr. 23 deadline to withdraw NFTs and funds to external wallets or linked bank accounts.

Foundation transitions ownership to Blackdove

Foundation, the NFT marketplace known for its curated roster of digital artists, announced it is transitioning ownership to Blackdove, a company specializing in presenting and preserving digital artwork, according to a Jan. 27 statement from Foundation co-founder Kayvon Tehranian.

Under the transition, Foundation’s smart contracts, token metadata, and royalty mechanics will remain unchanged, meaning ownership, provenance, and artist royalties are not affected. Blackdove will assume responsibility for operating the platform, moderating content, and supporting future development, while also pinning Foundation media to support long-term preservation.

Users will be asked to explicitly opt in over the next 30 days if they wish to continue receiving platform communications under Blackdove’s ownership. After that period, Foundation will be fully owned and operated by Blackdove, with the platform continuing to function as it does today.

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