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

The Sandbox launches a DAO

The Sandbox, a decentralized metaverse built on Ethereum, launched a DAO on Tuesday, June 28. In The Sandbox’s blog post, it states that each member of the DAO effectively becomes a virtual citizen of a new digital nation in the making and can help propose and vote on projects that will contribute to the growth of The Sandbox ecosystem. Users will reportedly be able to exercise influence on gameplay upgrades, events and other initiatives.

The launch will kick off in three distinct phases, with an ultimate goal of the DAO running solo in a truly decentralized fashion. The community will initially vote on Sandbox Improvement Proposals (SIPs) submitted by members via email. A council comprised of industry leaders will help facilitate the initial proposal process and slowly hand over more power to DAO members throughout the three phases.

Yuga Labs CEO does a 10 day check-in

Yuga Labs CEO Greg Solano, who announced his return to the company in February, checked in with X (formerly Twitter) this week to share reflections, updates and future plans for Yuga Labs.

Solano acknowledged he’s still catching up on the company’s products but is enthusiastic about a few specific innovations. Namely, he mentioned ODK, along with online game Project Dragon. He also teased Other brand expressions on Otherside and an upcoming Dookey Dash tournament.

In addition, Solano hinted that the much-anticipated 2024 ApeFest will take place in a historic monastery this year and mentioned Yuga Labs will be dropping some new physical goods and merch.

Nike and RTFKT to release limited edition Genesis VOID sneakers

Nike is teaming up with RTFKT, the Metaverse shoewear platform it acquired in December 2021, to drop the Genesis VOID Edition on SNKRS on June 13. The drop will feature 1,000 pairs priced at $222 each (plus tax) in the vibrant VOID colorway.

According to RTFKT, other Dunk colorways will hit SNKRS, so mark your calendars for this exclusive drop. 

FSL introduces STEPN GO

Find Satoshi Lab (FSL) announced STEPN GO, the company’s forthcoming innovation in its suite where users can now easily onboard friends by lending their Sneakers NFTs. 

The app features customizable avatars and outfits that users can showcase on an interactive map. To keep things balanced, the app requires users to burn Sneakers to gain and increase their energy levels.

The app’s upcoming Alpha Draw will allegedly offer a lucky raffle winner one of the first 6,000 STEPN GO Sneakers and entry to the testing phase. Join the STEPN GO Discord server to enter.

Cool Cats announces Clontest 2024

Cool Cats just announced Clontest 2024, the brand’s fourth annual art contest. Open to artists of all mediums, this year’s contest celebrates creativity and community engagement. Entries must reference at least four characters from “The Milk Chug” animated series.

To participate, artists should follow the rules and submit via the link provided on the Cool Cats X page. Cool Cats encourage using any characters in the artwork, including Cool Cats, Shadow Wolves and SideKX.

Power of Women debuts Paradise Collection

Leah Sams' clothing line, Paradise Collection, launched on May 21 with an exclusive pre-sale on HUG. There will be a party in London co-hosted by her NFT project Power of Women and World of Women.

The celebratory meetup is scheduled for May 30 in London’s Market Halls Canary Wharf. However, attendees at the NFC Summit in Lisbon got a sneak peek of the items during HUG founders Randi Zuckerberg and Debbie Soon’s Main Stage panel.

Interested collectors can now purchase Sams’ latest work on the PoW shop, sales are live, with some sizes already sold out. 

Results are in for LVCIDIA’s Phototool Contest

LVCIDIA, the recently launched digital fine art platform by 3D artist FVCKRENDER, revealed the winners of its Phototool Contest. 

Ten standout photos, along with a team favorite, will now be featured prominently on the site’s loading screen alongside the art of FVCKRENDER.

OpenSea deploys on Sei 

Sei, an open-source L1 blockchain, uses a proof-of-stake consensus system and other innovations to optimize for speed, security, and scalability. 

Check out Sei’s Spaces with OpenSea here.