Rodeo’s Final Curtain Call

Well folks, it seems the virtual rodeo has officially thrown in the towel! Rodeo, the social NFT marketplace that promised to be a haven for creators, has just become the second NFT platform this week to announce its closure. I suppose the wild west of NFTs has become a little too wild for some!

From Riding High to Hitting the Dust

Launched in March last year through Apple’s iOS store, Rodeo was designed to mix social media with NFT collecting. It aimed to reward creators for their posts, rather than just focusing on the sales. It had all the bells and whistles for regular folks looking to dip their toes into the crypto waters.

Scaling the Mountain… or Not!

However, Kayvon Tehranian, the rodeo’s head honcho and co-founder, took to X (formerly Twitter) to announce that they simply couldn’t scale fast enough to stay afloat. “We thought collecting could be playful and communal—not just transactional,” he stated, reminiscing about their hopeful beginnings.

Moving On with a Plan

But don’t worry, Rodeo isn’t just ghosting its users! They’ve laid out a plan for asset migration. From January 27 to February 10, it’s business as usual, but after February 10, things are going to get a little quieter as the platform shifts to read-only mode. And come March 10, the doors will close for good.

Not the Only Change in Town

Tehranian had another surprise up his sleeve this week, revealing that the ownership of the NFT artist platform Foundation is being handed over to Blackdove, a digital art platform. Talk about shaking things up! Since its inception, Foundation has seen $230 million in primary sales. It’s not going down without a fight, just under new leadership.

The NFT Market: A Roller Coaster Ride

Let’s not kid ourselves—the NFT market has been on a wild roller coaster since the major crash of 2022. Once upon a time, in January 2022, Ethereum was riding high with almost $5 billion in NFT trading volume. Flash forward to January 2026, and it’s down to just $159.2 million. Yikes!

Nifty Gateway Joins the Farewell Parade

Meanwhile, Nifty Gateway, another big player from the early NFT boom, has also announced it’s winding down. They’ve heard the community’s feedback and are now extending the deadline for users to move their assets to a 90-day window, wrapping things up by April 23 instead of February 23. Thank goodness for second chances!

Tools for a Smooth Transition

Nifty Gateway is working on a bulk withdrawal tool for those with more than just one NFT—because who wants to spend hours transferring individual pieces, right? They’re rolling this out soon, so users have plenty of time to get everything sorted out before the deadline.

Remember to always check in with the latest updates, folks. The world of NFTs might be unpredictable, but we’ll be right here, ready to spill the juicy details! 🤠✨