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

MoMA Acquires Refik Anadol’s ‘Machine Hallucinations’ and Debuts New 'Postcard' NFT Art Project

Two exciting stories came out of New York City’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) this week, demonstrating the storied institution’s continued affirmation of NFT technology.

First, MoMa introduced an interactive NFT-backed project called "MoMA Postcard” that aims to encourage artistic experimentation on the blockchain. Participants can send digital chain letters featuring 15 blank "stamps" across the blockchain to collaborators of their choice. These collective efforts will result in collaborative art pieces tailored to specific themes. MoMA invited 15 digital artists to kickstart the project, culminating in the "First 15" series of minted on-chain postcards. 

Meanwhile, the museum also acquired Refik Anadol's "Machine Hallucinations," marking the first inclusion of tokenized art into its permanent collection. Artists and art experts consider the purchase a historic milestone exemplifying the evolution of digital ownership and continuing to pave the way for the recognition of tokenized art within traditional art institutions. 

MoMA's embrace of blockchain technology reflects a broader trend among major art institutions, including Musée d’Orsay and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), which have both recently featured works of NFT art.

Immutable and Amazon Partner on Web3 Gaming

Immutable, a rising star in the NFT and blockchain gaming industry, has forged a strategic partnership with tech giant Amazon Web Services (AWS). The move was designed to expand support for game developers and leverage AWS’ startup accelerator programs by granting Immutable access to Amazon’s pipeline of game studio leads.

In practice, this means that developers seeking to build on Immutable’s blockchain network can do so through AWS while joining Amazon Activate, a program that provides technical training along with AWS cloud credits and other support.

This pairing is expected to result in a 10x increase in Immutable’s gaming partnerships, according to news sources. While some raise concerns about centralization in gaming, many industry professionals feel as though developers are actually most interested in the partnerships that best help them build entertaining and scalable games with broad consumer appeal.

Gutter Cat Gang Community Member, Noah, Purchases Gutter Labs

In a highly anticipated move, Noah — a Gutter Cat Gang community member known on Twitter as Mauloadream, or “GCG Kingpin” — has officially signed a deal to acquire the assets of Gutter Labs, thereby taking the helm of the NFT lifestyle brand as it embarks on its next chapter. 

Speculations about the acquisition began with a September 29 tweet thread in which Noah publicly declared his interest in acquiring the GCG brand.

He then underscored his commitment to revitalizing Gutter City and elevating the brand to new heights in an announcement on October 4.

Following the completion of the deal, Noah confirmed that he would assume full control of daily operations at Gutter Labs with a cheeky JPEG of a cat in a business suit to kick off his first day at the job.

RTFKT’s Dunk Genesis Forging Event Will Begin Oct 18th

Sneakerheads, mark your calendars for October 18! Nike and RTFKT are offering NFT owners the opportunity to redeem their digital tokens for up to five real-life versions of the Dunk Genesis sneakers. Spanning from October 18 to 30, RTFKT, a virtual sneaker company acquired by Nike in late 2021, is organizing a “forging event” in which holders of digital NFT sneakers will be able to purchase a total of five physical sneakers in three different color combinations.

Each owner will be able to acquire up to one Dunk Genesis "OG" and two pairs (respectively) of the Dunk Genesis "Void" and Dunk Genesis "Clone X." Notably, a holder’s token won’t be burned upon redemption, but rather will remain in the owner's wallet.

Once redeemed, the IRL sneakers will be made to order, with shipping expected to commence in June 2024. Specific designs haven't been revealed, but a prototype was released in August, featuring a reimagined Dunk Low with a bulky sole unit and futuristic, tech-inspired details.

The retail price for each pair of RTFKT x Nike Dunk Genesis is approximately $222 at the time of writing, plus gas fees. Once the forging event concludes, no further opportunities to acquire these sneakers will be available.

Web3 Restaurant Loyalty Platform, Blackbird, Raises $24M In Funding

Blackbird Labs, a hospitality tech company co-founded by the people behind Resy and Eater, has secured $24 million in a Series A funding round led by a16z. Additional investors included QED, Union Square Ventures, Shine, Variant and notable restaurant groups.

With a total of $35 million now raised, Blackbird plans to expand its operations. In a recent announcement, CEO Ben Leventhal expressed the need for innovation in the restaurant industry, emphasizing rising operational costs and intense competition. Utilizing web3 tooling, Blackbird aims to address these issues by having diners link their phones to a near-field communication (NFC) reader that creates a membership program with built-in, gamified rewards.

This substantial funding injection is expected to aid Blackbird in its mission to reshape the restaurant business model and, in the process, create new revenue streams that reward loyal clientele.

Web3 Game Studio, Mythical Games, Releases Nitro Nation World Tour Game

Mythical Games, the developer behind Blankos Block Party and NFL Rivals, has unveiled Nitro Nation World Tour (NNWT), a free-to-play mobile drag racing game. NNWT features licensed car NFTs from luxury brands such as McLaren, Aston Martin and Jaguar. Famed electronic artist Joel “Deadmau5” Zimmerman is partnering with the game and will introduce a themed, in-game Deadmau5 car.

During the game, players can engage in real-time races, or simply progress through campaign mode while upgrading their cars and garage. All in-game NFTs are minted on Mythical's Mythos blockchain, and players can also acquire NFT "Workshop" upgrades. 

The game, available on iOS and Android, has already had over 100,000 downloads on Google's Play Store during its soft launch.

Starbucks Now Offering Pumpkin Spice Latte NFTs

Starbucks commemorated the 20th anniversary of its iconic Pumpkin Spice latte with NFT collectibles available exclusively to Starbucks Odyssey members. Starbucks Odyssey is designed to reward loyal customers with special perks and benefits beyond the standard Rewards program, all powered by NFT marketplace Nifty Gateway. At the onset of the Odyssey program, Starbucks gave away free NFT stamps, some of which resold for up to $1,900, before venturing into premium NFT stamps that sold out quickly.

The coffee giant released a series of digital artwork representing various qualities of the beloved beverage, with collection titles such as Spiced, Whipped, Iced and Steamed. These open-edition NFTs were priced at $20 each, with no fixed limit on how many could be minted during the sale period that ran from October 5th to October 9th. Starbucks mints its NFTs on Polygon, an Ethereum scaling network.

Notably, each NFT purchase also awarded Starbucks Odyssey members — who were the only customers able to make Pumpkin Spice NFT purchases — with 250 points.

Parallel Now Listed on Steam

Parallel, a popular sci-fi trading card game (TCG) with a blockchain twist, has achieved a significant milestone by getting listed on digital distribution platform Steam. This recognition on one of the largest gaming platforms in the world signifies the growing influence of web3 gaming in the mainstream gaming industry. The game will soon be available in beta.