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

Niceaunties brings hyperreal art to L’Oréal Paris for longevity and beauty event

Singapore-based artist and Auntieverse creator Niceaunties made her debut at L’Oréal Groupe’s headquarters in Paris as part of a private event focused on longevity and beauty.

The signature Auntie characters appeared in a new installation featuring both recent work and earlier pieces, all centered around themes of transformation, beauty, and everyday humor.

One of the pieces made just for the event was a realistic sculpture developed with prosthetic artists Valter Adam Casotto and his partner Martine. The duo is known for their life-like makeup work. The sculpture included playful details, such as green spinach in the teeth, that added lifelike relatability to the show.

Pudgy Penguins partners with NASCAR as Pengu Clash launch nears and Walgreens expansion grows

Pudgy Penguins announced a new partnership with NASCAR on June 11, which will introduce their Pengu character to racing fans around the world.

The brand’s momentum will continue with the June 18 launch of its much-anticipated mobile game, Pengu Clash. The upcoming release marks a fun and defining step in the brand’s push to interactive entertainment and follows another recent retail milestone: Pudgy Penguin toys are now stocked in 2,000 Walgreens locations across the U.S.

Owned by Igloo Inc, the brand continues to build on its success as one of the most commercially successful physical product lines in web3. 

Stripe acquires crypto identity startup Privy

Stripe, the global payments company, has acquired Privy, a privacy-focused crypto wallet startup that helps developers onboard users to blockchain applications.

Known for building secure login and wallet-linking tools, Privy says the company will continue supporting developers who build on crypto rails, now with added resources and infrastructure from Stripe.

Both companies share a vision of connecting crypto and traditional finance to improve how value moves online.

Yuga Labs proposes replacing ApeCoin DAO with new management entity ApeCo

Yuga Labs, the company behind Bored Ape Yacht Club, has proposed shutting down the ApeCoin DAO and replacing it with a new, professionally run entity called ApeCo.

CEO Greg Solano said the current decentralized governance model, run by community voting via tokenholders, has slowed progress and funded too many “vanity proposals and low-impact initiatives.”

ApeCo, which would be controlled by Yuga Labs, aims to support the company’s flagship projects, including ApeChain and Otherside, with a faster, more focused strategy.

Most community members reportedly back the move, though some remain concerned about how the transition is being handled.

'Flappy Bird' plans web3 reboot with on-chain rewards

The Flappy Bird Foundation has confirmed that the viral 2014 mobile game is making a return to crypto, this time with on-chain infrastructure. 

While its previous Telegram version ended, the foundation now says it will continue building in web3, hinting at a global gaming brand that connects intellectual property (IP) licensing with competitive gameplay and blockchain rewards.

Fans can still play a non-crypto version of the game via the Epic Games Store, as the team says its upcoming web3 launch will remain optional.

NFT.NYC returns June 24-26 with two days of talks, panels, and digital art in Times Square

The 8th annual edition of NFT.NYC, the premier event for the NFT community, returns to New York City in less than two weeks. Festivities kick off on Tuesday, June 24 with a VIP & Speaker Reception, followed by the iconic Times Square Billboard Takeover at 9 PM EDT, where NFTs will light up the Big Apple in a powerful display of digital creativity. 

The NFT.NYC conference runs June 25 to 26 at the Marriott Marquis, Times Square, featuring two full days of talks, panels, and showcases from the most influential Industry Leaders and NFT Founders. This year’s agenda includes deep dives into digital identity, fandom, entertainment, policy, and AI. (View the full program here.)

Don't miss your chance to hear from the people shaping the future of digital ownership. 

Register now to attend. Ticket prices increase from $349 to $599 on Friday, June 20 at 11:59 PM EDT — grab yours now.

Coindesk and Proof of Talk name top 50 women in web3 and AI

CoinDesk has released its inaugural Top Women in Web3 & AI list in partnership with Paris-based networking summit, Proof of Talk. The list spotlights 50 influential women leading the charge in crypto and artificial intelligence, selected from over 300 nominations by a diverse panel of experts.

The honorees were chosen for their demonstrated innovation, impact, and leadership across technology, policy, business, and ethics. Profiles include leaders like Anthropic co-founder Daniela Amodei, Coinbase president and former LinkedIn VP Emilie Choi, Trust Wallet CEO Eowyn Chen, and Stanford AI researcher Fei-Fei Li. 

View the full list and methodology here.

Sony launches Soneium gaming incubator

Sony Block Solutions Lab, the team behind Sony’s layer-two (L2) blockchain Soneium, has announced a new developer incubator focused on gaming and consumer apps.

Called Soneium For All, the program is backed by the early-stage investor Sony Innovation Fund and built in collaboration with Japan-based smart contract platform Astar Network and cloud infrastructure provider Startale Cloud Services. 

The initiative uses the Optimism OP Stack, an Ethereum-compatible toolkit, to help creators build applications for Soneium’s 7 million-user blockchain.

The incubator is scheduled to open in Q3 and will focus on helping web2 developers move into blockchain.

Developers can apply for the program here.