Pudgy Penguins has denied speculation that it acquired NFT marketplace OpenSea, pursuing a question of societal media chatter suggesting a woody whitethorn person closed arsenic aboriginal arsenic December 2024.
In a Saturday post connected X, Beau, caput of information astatine Pudgy Penguins, dismissed the acquisition talk. “Pudgy Penguins didn’t bargain OpenSea… chill,” helium wrote.
He claimed that the task has large plans, truthful there’s nary request to absorption connected conscionable 1 imaginable acquisition. “Talk astir partnering with Lufthansa and NASCAR, and spell find the adjacent large marque for america to proliferate with,” Beau wrote.
Pudgy Penguins is simply a postulation of 8,888 flightless vertebrate NFTs launched successful July 2021. The task has besides expanded into carnal products with a Pudgy Toys enactment successful concern with PMI Toys, allowing NFT holders to gain from commercialized usage done its OverpassIP platform.
Related: Blistering NFT ‘sweep’ underway arsenic CryptoPunks, Penguins surge
Rumors of Pudgy Penguins’ involvement successful OpenSea
The rumors of OpenSea's acquisition gained traction aft aggregate X users pointed to past comments by CEO Luca Netz, including a now-resurfaced October 2024 station wherever helium said helium wanted his institution to bargain OpenSea.
Other assemblage members speculated that a acquisition whitethorn person occurred quietly, citing coincidental timing with Pudgy’s December announcements and OpenSea’s aboriginal argumentation shifts astir token support.
However, Beau pushed backmost connected the narrative. “I don’t really deliberation acquiring OS rn would marque a batch of consciousness for us,” helium wrote successful an earlier reply, emphasizing the team’s penchant to absorption connected confirmed developments alternatively than speculation.
Pudgy Penguins has precocious leaned into marque partnerships, including tie-ups with Lufthansa and NASCAR. Last month, the task besides launched a skill-based Web3 crippled called Pengu Clash for The Open Network (TON) blockchain, joining the competitory mini-game space.
Related: Ozzy Osbourne’s decease sparks 400% surge successful CryptoBatz NFTs
NFT marketplace rebounds arsenic CryptoPunks pb $6.6B surge
The NFT marketplace is showing renewed momentum, with full marketplace capitalization hitting $6.6 cardinal successful July, a 94% leap from the erstwhile month, according to DappRadar. Weekly trading volumes besides climbed 51%, marking the strongest show since February.
Leading the comeback is the Ethereum-based postulation CryptoPunks, whose level prices jumped 53%. DappRadar analysts noted the collection’s enduring entreaty arsenic a Web3 presumption symbol. On July 22, CryptoPunks saw 83 caller purchases and a 15.9% level terms emergence wrong 24 hours, reaching astir $180,000 per Punk.