Yuga and OpenSea Rekindle Alliance to Champion Creator Rights

Yuga Labs, the digital asset company behind the iconic Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) NFT collection, has reestablished its partnership with OpenSea, naming the platform as its official NFT marketplace for its flagship collections. The move marks a strategic realignment between the two entities, which had previously parted ways in 2023 over disputes regarding royalty enforcement, according to InsideBitcoins. OpenSea's recent rebranding to OS2—a multi-chain, token-agnostic platform—has positioned it as a compelling choice for Yuga Labs, offering enhanced liquidity, cross-chain functionality, and a broader user base in its OS2 announcement.

The collaboration was announced via Yuga Labs' BAYC X account on October 14, 2025, with a statement emphasizing their shared vision of digital ownership. "In the early days, OpenSea and Yuga Labs helped define what digital ownership could mean for communities and collectors. Today, that shared vision brings us back together as the exclusive marketplace partner for BAYC, Otherside, and Yuga's other collections," the post read. The decision follows OpenSea's transformation into a comprehensive digital asset platform, which now supports 19 blockchains and integrates fungible token trading alongside NFTs.

The partnership's timing is significant, as both companies have navigated turbulent waters in recent years. OpenSea faced criticism in 2023 after discontinuing its Operator Filter—a tool enabling creators to enforce royalty payments on secondary sales—which led Yuga Labs to threaten delisting its NFTs, a CryptoNews report noted. At that time, Yuga had shifted its allegiance to Magic Eden. However, OpenSea's 2025 relaunch under OS2 addressed many of these concerns by introducing a 0.5% reduced marketplace fee (down from 2.5%), cross-chain purchasing capabilities, and a streamlined user interface, according to NFTNewsToday. These updates, coupled with OpenSea's emphasis on creator royalties in its new reward system, appear to have reconciled the rift, an Ecoinimist analysis suggested.

The BAYC community has largely welcomed the news, with many viewing it as a validation of OpenSea's renewed commitment to creator rights. "The creators have enough power in aggregate to move to royalty-paying marketplaces. Yuga leading the charge is the spark that was needed," tweeted Dotta, co-founder of the Forgotten Runes NFT project, as reported by Cointelegraph. The sentiment is echoed by other NFT stakeholders, including Pudgy Penguins' Luca Netz, who hinted at following Yuga's lead in prioritizing platforms that enforce royalties.

OpenSea's market position has also strengthened amid broader industry shifts. The platform now holds a 33% share of the NFT market, recovering from a low in early 2025 after intense competition from zero-fee platforms like Blur. Its OS2 beta, which granted early access to 49,785 Gemesis NFT holders, has been instrumental in rebuilding user trust and testing new features such as XP rewards and aggregated liquidity.

For Yuga Labs, the partnership aligns with its ongoing efforts to solidify its presence in the Web3 ecosystem. The company, which faced regulatory scrutiny in a three-year SEC investigation, recently announced the probe's closure with no charges filed—a victory it framed as proof that "NFTs are not securities," according to CoinCentral. Despite a 90% decline in BAYC floor prices since 2022, Yuga remains a pivotal player, with its ApeCoin (APE) ecosystem and Otherside metaverse project driving engagement.

The rekindled alliance between Yuga Labs and OpenSea underscores the evolving dynamics of the NFT market, where platform innovation and creator rights are increasingly intertwined. As OpenSea expands its cross-chain capabilities and introduces its $SEA token, the partnership could signal a broader trend of NFT projects consolidating on platforms that prioritize both liquidity and fair compensation for creators.