The biggest non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace OpenSea announced on Monday that it has acquired the NFT Aggregator Gem. The acquisition is for serving more experienced, “pro” users, and also to add more flexibility and choice for people at every level of experience.
The terms of the deal remain undisclosed.
Gem offers a suite of NFT-centric services, including analytics tools, rarity rankings and bundled purchasing to keep a check on Ethereum gas fees.
The blog informed that Gem will continue to operate independently from OpenSea as a stand-alone product and brand. OpenSea says it will integrate ‘the best of Gem’s features’ hinting at what is called a “pro experience”.
Note that in April, one of Gem’s pseudonymous core developers “Neso” was expelled from the team for a controversial records of sexual assault allegations. A media outlet later disclosed Neso’s true identity to be British Twitch streamer Josh Thompson.
OpenSea clarified that upon further investigation it was found that Neso was exited prior to the close of this deal. OpenSea, thus, stressed that this individual “has never and will never be affiliated with OpenSea”.
OpenSea seems to be in competitive mode of late. As recently, the marketplace also filed for two new trademark applications to register OpenSea and its “sailboat” logo. Many saw this move as a manoeuvre to prep its trademark and brand for more active participation in the virtual economy.
