Moonbirds to Launch BIRD Token on Solana Amid NFT Revival

The Moonbirds project has navigated a turbulent journey since its 2022 launch by Kevin Rose’s Proof Collective, which generated an astonishing $280 million in trading volume within just two days before crashing amid community backlash and the broader NFT market collapse. The collection changed hands multiple times, including a February 2024 acquisition by Yuga Labs, parent company of Bored Ape Yacht Club, which left the intellectual property largely dormant until Orange Cap Games acquired the collection this May.

The announcement of BIRB token represents a significant strategic shift, moving the Ethereum-native project onto Solana’s blockchain ecosystem. Revealed at the Moonbirds Birbhalla side event during Token 2049 in Singapore, the token launch plans have already generated substantial market excitement, with a teaser post on X indicating the token will launch ‘soon(ish)’ while promising ample lead time and detailed communication before the official release.

Moonbirds’ BIRB token joins a growing trend of ‘culture coins’ where major NFT communities issue tokens to deepen engagement and create liquid, tradable extensions of their brand identity. This movement includes tokens like PENGU from Pudgy Penguins, ANIME from Azuki, DOOD from Doodles, and tokens tied to internet-native meme movements like MOG and MILADY. These tokens have become instrumental in helping established NFT projects maintain relevance and gamify community participation.

The market reaction to Moonbirds’ announcement has been immediately positive, with secondary market NFT sales spiking and the collection’s floor price jumping to 4 ETH ($15,450) before settling at 3.45 ETH. This represents a remarkable recovery from earlier this year when the NFTs were trading for less than $1,000 worth of ETH, though still far from the project’s peak floor price of nearly $86,000 in ETH during the 2022 NFT bull market.

Traders appear to be betting that BIRB, if designed with clear utility, could cement Moonbirds’ relevance following its recent resurgence. The timing aligns with broader market trends where NFT projects that peaked during the 2021-22 bull run are finding new life through strategic token launches that create additional utility and trading opportunities for their communities.

Orange Cap Games, led by Spencer Gordon-Sand, has taken a deliberately measured approach to the project’s revival. While specific utility details for BIRB haven’t been publicly disclosed, Gordon-Sand cryptically noted on X that ‘Timing is everything,’ suggesting strategic consideration behind the token launch. In previous interviews with Decrypt, he emphasized that while the team is working on ‘a lot of cool stuff,’ they’ve intentionally avoided making specific public commitments about future developments.

The acquisition and subsequent token announcement appear designed to inject new life into Moonbirds by tying it into Solana’s popular meme coin ecosystem while maintaining the project’s established brand identity. This strategy reflects how established NFT projects are adapting to the evolving digital asset landscape, leveraging token launches to create additional value streams and community engagement mechanisms beyond the original NFT collections.

As the NFT market continues to evolve, the success of BIRB could signal whether projects from the previous bull cycle can successfully transition into the current market environment through strategic tokenomics and cross-chain expansion. The careful planning and communication strategy surrounding BIRB’s launch suggests Orange Cap Games is positioning Moonbirds for sustainable growth rather than short-term speculation, potentially setting a new standard for how legacy NFT projects can reinvent themselves in the current crypto landscape.