PANews reported on January 28 that OpenSea officially launched its new platform OpenSea 2.0 (OS2), introducing a new user interface and experience points (XP) system. The platform is currently in the private beta stage, Gemesis NFT holders can have free priority access, and other users need to join the waiting list.
It is reported that Gemesis NFT is distributed by OpenSea to users of Gem (now renamed OpenSea Pro), an NFT platform it acquired, through airdrops in 2023. OpenSea recently took a blockchain snapshot of 49,785 wallets holding Gemesis NFTs, confirming that they are early access users of the OS2 platform. There are rumors that accumulating XP may bring token rewards, but OpenSea has not yet clarified its purpose, only saying that this move is to promote platform activity.
It is worth noting that OpenSea's strategy is similar to the previous user incentive model of its main competitor Blur. However, OpenSea's market share has dropped from 90% in 2022 to 33% at present. In January 2025, Blur's transaction volume on Ethereum exceeded US$317 million, while OpenSea's was only US$152 million.
In addition, OpenSea laid off half of its employees in November 2024, and the CEO said at the time that the company would strategically shift to the OS2 platform.
