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

Transient Labs Launches ERC-7160

Introducing the 7160 standard — a new Ethereum token standard developed by web3 innovator Transient Labs that allows for the addition of multi-metadata functionality. 

This new ERC-7160 allows each NFT to link to numerous metadata identifiers, known as Uniform Resource Identifiers (URIs). That means multiple file types like JPG, PNG, and MP4, with each file having a maximum size of 300 MB, can be supported within the NFT’s metadata. 

Why does this matter? Interchangeable and interactive file types could make NFTs more fun and customizable for collectors. For instance, one key feature is “pinning.” Pinning lets collectors choose their favorite URI as the main display. Another new feature is something called “event-driven architecture,” which lets artists add new files to an NFT after selling it, while still ensuring they can't remove any original artwork. 

Importantly, the ERC-7160 standard maintains compatibility with existing ERC-721 contracts, facilitating easy adoption within current NFT platforms. Overall, the 7160 standard represents a significant step forward in enhancing the NFT ecosystem, offering more dynamic interaction for collectors, greater creative flexibility for artists, and potential for collaborative works within a single NFT.

You may have seen that All Seeing Seneca, the artist responsible for creating Bored Ape Yacht Club’s artwork, will be leveraging the ERC-7160 standard in her new collection, "Perils of Sēsē,” dropping this week. Read our exclusive interview with Seneca here on the OpenSea blog.

Jack Butcher Debuts New ‘Trademark’ Collection

Jack Butcher has once again made a splash with his new Trademark collection. Released the week before Thanksgiving in the U.S., Trademark boasts 10,000 items and operates on the Ethereum blockchain like Butcher’s previous collections, Checks and Opepen.

The collection was designed in collaboration with digital art collective AOI and Oracle Red Bull Racing. Its themes explore the balance between competition and collaboration in elite auto racing. The collection's minting process is unique: The timed mint mirrors the cumulative fastest lap times of Oracle Red Bull Racing in the 2023 season. 

Butcher's latest project continues to solidify his status as a pioneering figure in web3.  The collection has a total volume of 3,099 ETH and a floor price of 0.217 ETH at the time of writing.

Trademark also underscores, like all of Butcher’s work, the growing influence NFTs have in bridging art, technology, and commerce in innovative ways. 

Cool Cats’ Balloon in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Is a First for NFTs

Cool Cats recently captured public attention with a historic debut at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. On November 23, oversized Blue Cat and Chugs character balloons soared majestically over New York City's skyline — marking the first time an NFT-inspired float participated in the parade.

And what a parade to start with: With its record-breaking viewership of over 28.5 million television viewers and more than 3 million attendees in person, this Macy’s Parade stands as the most-watched edition in history. Such phenomenal reach thrust Cool Cats, and NFTs more broadly, into the limelight of mainstream recognition.

Amidst the excitement, social media buzzed with reactions from the NFT community. X (formerly Twitter) users shared their experiences and admiration for Clon, the creator behind Cool Cats.

Complementing its parade debut, Cool Cats also recently launched "The Milk Chug," a cartoon YouTube series in partnership with the Los Angeles-based animation studio Titmouse. 

Azuki DAO Rebrands to ‘Bean’

Azuki DAO, a community-based decentralized autonomous organization linked to the Azuki NFT collection, is undergoing a significant transformation. The group has announced its rebranding to "Bean," shifting focus to a project within the Ethereum layer-2 Blast ecosystem.

Azuki’s rebranding and strategic pivot come on the heels of the collection's Elementals series expansion.

The NFT community is looking forward to hearing more information on Bean’s future roadmap, which is expected to be released soon.

Snowfro and Avant Arte Collab on Limited Edition Print

Avant Arte, a leader in limited-edition high-quality prints, has joined forces with generative art giant Erick Calderon, aka Snowfro. This collaboration gave birth to the first-ever fine art print release from Snowfro's famed Chromie Squiggle series, featuring the standout Chromie Squiggle #8107. This piece, personally selected by Snowfro, is said to encapsulate the depth and complexity of the Chromie series. Its colors and design also translate well to silkscreen print techniques — an important consideration for this particular collab.

Remarkably, this print is offered at just $380 USD, a steal compared to the current Chromie Squiggle market rate of around 9.4 ETH ($18,800 USD) at the time of writing. This accessible pricing, a part of Avant Arte's mission to democratize art, is further supported by Calderon's decision to waive his profit share.

A milestone in GenArt, this launch gives collectors the opportunity to acquire a signed 40x40cm Chromie Squiggle #8107. The sale starts on December 7 and will last a week on Avant Arte's website.

New Ordinals Project, Sparks, Launches

Applications officially closed on Wednesday, November 29 for Sparks, a new Ordinals project created to provide an exclusive network for founders, content creators, investors, and community members. 

The announcement of Sparks’ launch generated significant buzz on X (formerly Twitter), with followers expressing enthusiasm for the project. 

Despite a few glitches, Sparks reported receiving an “overwhelming” number of responses. The application process, extended by an additional 24 hours due to the high volume of responses, finally concluded on the 29th with the team expressing excitement about the forthcoming results.

Sparks, part of the Bitcoin Ordinals ecosystem, aims to “revolutionize NFT minting experiences and offer a seamless and secure platform to create tokenized items on the Bitcoin blockchain.” With over 5,000 users participating in Neo Yauto, Sparks’ first Ordinals cyberpunk pixels with unique artwork, Sparks sets a new precedent in the evolving world of web3 and NFTs.

Pudgy Penguins Partners with Walmart and Hot Topic

Pudgy Penguins has once again expanded its retail footprint — this time through deals with major U.S. retailers. 

First up is the Pudgy clip-on plushies, available now in select Hot Topic stores. Selling its merch in Hot Topic no doubt cinches Pudgy Penguins’ pop culture appeal. 

The brand also forged a recent partnership with retail giant Walmart, selling an exclusive influencer box on Walmart's website for Cyber Monday.

There seems to be a growing buzz about the Pudgy Penguin characters and their stories, both online and in the real world. 

Shrapnel Shows First Look Gameplay

Last week, OpenseaGG streamed one of web3's most anticipated games, Shrapnel, on X, who used the platform to showcase their eye-popping extraction shooter. 

Shrapnel is a first-person extraction shooter with a creator ecosystem that empowers players to own their creations and shape the future of the game. The game is set in a post-cataclysmic, dystopian world where nations and factions battle to control a ravaged area called the Sacrifice Zone, and Sigma, the powerful material it contains.

Shrapnel will launch an early access version of Shrapnel within weeks to paid users before it evolves into a free-to-play game launching in 2024. Creators will be able to customize every aspect of the game, from its characters and weapons to its environments and sounds. Powered by blockchain, players are empowered to market and trade their creations for real rewards and can track the usage and history of all assets they’ve interact with. 

During the stream, viewers watched the team play through games and showcase the power of Sigma, the vibrant and robust graphics, and the main web3 elements of the Avalanche-based game.

‍Watch the stream here.