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

Cozomo de’ Medici acquires Beeple’s first ‘Everydays in Motion’ piece

Michael Winkelmann — the digital artist more famously known as Beeple — just announced the first acquisition of his new series, “Everydays in Motion.” The collector is none other than art influencer Cozomo de’ Medici, who curates an online collection described as “the defining works of the digital renaissance.” 

On September 17, the Medici Collection acquired “MARCH INTO THE FUCKING LIGHT,” which portrays a man walking through a futuristic landscape and encountering a turquoise light beam. Without hesitation, the avatar advances through the portal and reemerges into a grayscale grid on the other side.

Beeple made headlines in 2021 when Christie’s auctioned his piece, “Everydays: The First 5,000 Days,” for $69.3 million. The digital artist has continued creating images every day, racking up an impressive 6,350 consecutive artworks.

The new “Everydays in Motion” series explores more deeply the everyday worlds from Beeple’s images through animation. A total of 67 animated artworks currently exist, representing just 1% of the artist’s full body of work. 

Pixelmon participates in Token2049 by establishing MON Hub

Pixelmon, the monster-collecting web3 game that crowdsourced $70 million in 2022, made a splash at Token2049 this week by launching MON Hub, a free open house where visitors played games and kicked off a night of networking. 

In addition to showcasing the Pixelmon intellectual property (IP), the MON Hub activation invited attendees to try out related gaming titles such as mobile RPG Warden Ascent, the rogue-like action-adventure Warrior of Nova Thera (where gamers play as Pixelmon avatars), and the multiplayer online battle arena Eternal League.

Azuki creator Chiru Labs buys anime.com

Chiru Labs, creator of the Azuki brand, surprised the internet with its recent purchase of the anime.com domain name. The X announcement stated the brand is providing “a new way to anime,” ostensibly teasing more to come. Currently, you can visit the new website and join the waitlist to collect limited-edition stickers. 

CCP Games reveals new EVE Frontier space survival game

Icelandic game developer CCP Games just announced a new blockchain-based survival game. Titled EVE Frontier, the game is set in a harsh hypothetical future swarming with feral drones. From the looks of the teaser trailer, players can expect some visually stunning (if a little macabre) graphics, intriguing subplots, and strategic collaboration among fellow gamers.

Those interested in applying for the closed playtest can visit www.evefrontier.com or read through the game’s FAQ.

Claynosaurz goes mobile with new Gameloft partnership

The popular Solana NFT collection Claynosaurz and French game publisher Gameloft are joining forces to bring their clay-style prehistoric world to your mobile phone. Web3 news outlet Decrypt described the forthcoming game as a choose-your-own-adventure experience with hints of Pokémon Go, though full details haven’t been released yet.

Gameloft Chief Sales Officer Guilherme Lachaut wrote in a statement that the partnership represents an exciting moment for the company. He described Claynosaurz as “a brand that has rapidly built an engaged and passionate community,” acknowledging a shift in how traditional gaming IP can be built.

Coinbase launches a Wrapped Bitcoin product

On September 12, the crypto exchange platform Coinbase launched Wrapped Bitcoin (cbBTC), an ERC-20 token backed by a 1:1 ratio of Bitcoin held by Coinbase. This development gives Bitcoin holders a new way to interact with popular decentralized finance (DeFi) platforms. A number of popular DeFi apps — including decentralized exchanges, lending apps, and oracles — have already launched live support for cbBTC.

MoviePass unveils plans to integrate USDC

MoviePass, a subscription-based ticketing service for cinema lovers, has partnered with the Sui Foundation to integrate stablecoin payments on the Sui blockchain. Previously, MoviePass offered an “all-you-can-binge” movie theater subscription plan for $9.99 per month. However, it reportedly overhauled its model to a credit-based system, which will soon be available for purchase via Circle’s USDC stablecoin.

According to web3 outlet Decrypt, the Sui Foundation is an equity investor in MoviePass. 

Dookey Dash: Unclogged available on iOS and Android this Thursday

Bored Ape’s viral runner Dookey Dash: Unclogged dropped (no pun intended) on iOS and Android this Thursday. The team at BAYC celebrated with a live Download Party on X Spaces at 2 p.m. ET, where co-founder Greg Solano and chief product officer Spencer Tucker made an appearance.

Phantom rolls out new username capabilities

Phantom Wallet, the leading digital wallet compatible with the Solana blockchain, has introduced optional usernames to simplify digital identity for users. The new functionality is expected to boost usability and allow users to more easily send crypto to others with Phantom wallets.

In addition to usernames, Phantom Wallet has added an easy-swap function that streamlines the process of bridging ethereum (ETH) to over 30 tokens on Solana. 

September 20 is International NFT Day

Friday marks the second annual International NFT Day, which honors the day the ERC-721 non-fungible token standard was first developed. 

Web3 enthusiasts first celebrated International NFT Day in 2022 to commemorate the day developer Dieter Shirley — part of the Dapper Labs team who created the early NFT game CryptoKitties — coined the term to describe the concept of indelible crypto tokens. Shirley first published the ERC-721 token standard on September 20, 2017.

You can read more about how to get involved in International NFT Day on our blog.