Moonbirds Announces Solana Token Launch
Moonbirds, the Ethereum NFT project that’s been making a comeback recently, has revealed plans to launch its ecosystem token called BIRB on the Solana blockchain. The announcement came during a special Moonbirds Birbhalla event held alongside Token 2049 in Singapore, where both longtime supporters and new collectors gathered to hear the news.
From what I can tell, the project posted a teaser on social media suggesting the token will launch “soon(ish)” – that’s the actual wording they used. It’s interesting timing, really. The pixelated owl collection has had quite the journey since it first launched back in 2022.
A Project’s Rocky Journey
Originally created by Kevin Rose’s Proof Collective, Moonbirds had this incredible start – they generated something like $280 million in trading volume within just two days of launching. But then things went south pretty quickly. The broader NFT market cooled off, and there was significant community backlash that really hurt the project.
The ownership changed hands multiple times over the years. Yuga Labs, the company behind Bored Ape Yacht Club, acquired Proof and the Moonbirds brand in February 2024, but honestly, they didn’t do much with it. The IP just sort of sat there, which was disappointing for people who had invested in the project.
Things started looking up this past May when Orange Cap Games took over. That’s a gaming and IP development studio led by Spencer Gordon-Sand. The acquisition seems to have brought some fresh energy to the project.
Following the Culture Coin Trend
This move to launch a token on Solana appears to be part of a larger trend we’re seeing across the NFT space. What people are calling “culture coins” – tokens issued by major NFT communities – have become pretty popular over the last several months.
It’s not just Moonbirds doing this. We’ve seen PENGU from Pudgy Penguins, ANIME from Azuki, DOOD from Doodles, and various meme-related tokens like MOG and MILADY. These tokens seem to serve two purposes: they gamify community participation and create tradable assets that extend the brand’s identity.
Market Response and Future Plans
The market reaction to the Moonbirds announcement has been positive so far. After the news broke, secondary market NFT sales spiked, pushing the collection’s floor price up to around 4 ETH at one point. It’s currently sitting at about 3.45 ETH, which is roughly $15,450.
That’s a significant improvement from earlier this year when the NFTs were trading for less than $1,000 worth of ETH. It’s still a far cry from the peak back in 2022 when the floor price reached almost $86,000 worth of ETH after the initial mint.
Traders seem to be betting that if BIRB has clear utility, it could help cement Moonbirds’ relevance following this recent resurgence. As for what exactly the token will do or how it will work, the team hasn’t shared many details yet.
Gordon-Sand did write cryptically on social media that “Timing is everything,” which suggests they’re being strategic about the launch. In a previous interview, he mentioned they have “a lot of cool stuff” in the works but purposefully haven’t made specific public commitments about it.
One thing’s for sure – they’re not planning a surprise token drop. The official Moonbirds account noted there will be “ample time given in the lead up to the launch with more details communicated ahead of time.” That’s probably a good approach, giving people time to understand what they’re getting into rather than rushing into something.
