Leading NFT marketplace OpenSea has been full of surprises in 2022, from unveiling a new interface to raising millions on a $13.3 billion valuation. Now, it has set its sights on a multi-chain experience, announcing the introduction of the Solana launchpad.
According to an official blog post from OpenSea, the launchpad will allow Solana NFT creators to host an NFT mint from start to finish — from the pre-mint process to actual minting, with post-mint and secondary sales included.
The launchpad will also give creators and holders of Solana NFTs more control over their Solana assets. While some Solana marketplaces take Solana NFTs out of wallets during the selling process, OpenSea makes clear it will never do that, writing that it will never “‘hold’ or escrow your NFTs” while the holder lists the NFT for sale. New Solana collections will automatically appear on OpenSea now as well.
The debut of the launchpad begins with two Solana NFT collections — the 8,888 NFT collection of Zoonies and the narrative-driven Monkai NFT project. The Zoonies NFT set will be available on July 20th, while Monkai NFTs are set to appear on OpenSea on July 26th.
The launchpad comes just months after OpenSea integrated Solana onto its NFT platform, with the popularity of Solana NFTs a likely reason for the integration. Today, OpenSea contains many top Solana NFTs on its platform, including Okay Bears, DeGods, and more. While it still has a ways to go before competing head to head with marketplace Magic Eden, some see OpenSea’s moves as a good start.
Solana Active in 2022
Although the crypto market has been in a downturn for months, the blockchain Solana and its related entities have remained active. Here are three stories about Solana that Rarity Sniper has covered in the last few months.
About a month ago, in an event that corresponded to NFT.NYC, Solana made a big announcement: It was manufacturing a Web3 smartphone set to debut in Q1 of 2023. The phone called “Saga” would have 512 GB of storage, a marketplace for decentralized apps, and a place to store a seed phrase safely.
Also a month ago, Solana Labs revealed it was making a $100 million investment in South Korea’s Web3 economy. While South Korea is up to a great deal in Web3, Solana Labs wanted to invest directly in Web3 and metaverse gaming.
Then there was some Solana news on the sports front. Three months ago, Rarity Sniper reported that Solana NFT collection DeGods had purchased a basketball team in Ice Cube’s 3×3 league. The team behind DeGods had bought “25 Fire NFTs,” which equaled majority ownership and unique perks like championship rings.
OpenSea’s Solana launchpad is a big deal and shows that more mainstream NFT companies are taking the blockchain seriously. Here at Rarity Sniper, we’ll pay close attention to any developments involving the Solana blockchain.