New Era for Pixel Owl IPs As Orange Cap Games Acquires Moonbirds NFT Collection.

Orange Cap Games (OCG), a rising star in blockchain gaming, has acquired the intellectual property rights to the Moonbirds NFT collection, along with its associated Mythics and Oddities series, from Yuga Labs. The deal, announced on May 30, 2025, marks a significant shift for the iconic pixel owl NFT project and underscores OCG’s ambition to expand its footprint in the Web3 gaming and NFT space. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Moonbirds, launched in April 2022 by Proof Collective, gained prominence for its distinctive pixel-art owl designs and utility-focused membership model, generating over $280 million in trading volume within weeks of its debut. The collection, consisting of 10,000 NFTs, became a cultural touchstone in the NFT ecosystem, bolstered by high-profile investors like Alexis Ohanian and Beeple. However, after a market downturn and leadership changes, the project faced challenges, culminating in its acquisition by Yuga Labs in February 2024.

Yuga Labs, known for Bored Ape Yacht Club, integrated Moonbirds into its ecosystem with plans to feature the owls in its Otherside metaverse. However, the company has since shifted focus to its core projects, divesting multiple NFT IPs, including CryptoPunks and Meebits, in 2025. The sale of Moonbirds to OCG is Yuga’s third major divestiture this year, reflecting a broader trend of consolidation in the NFT market.

Orange Cap Games, led by entrepreneur-investor Spencer, is known for its hybrid physical-digital trading card game based on Pudgy Penguins. The acquisition of Moonbirds, Mythics (20,000 non-pixelated owl NFTs), and Oddities (10,000 pixelated owl pellet NFTs) positions OCG to leverage these IPs in its expanding “OCG universe.” The company plans to integrate Moonbirds into its gaming ecosystem, potentially developing new products to revitalize the brand.

The market response was swift, with Moonbirds’ floor price surging 36% to 0.54 ETH on 181 ETH trading volume shortly after the announcement, reflecting investor optimism. Posts on X echoed this enthusiasm, with users like @Crypto_Dealflow and @BigFloppaEth noting the price jump and praising OCG’s vision for the project. Yuga Labs’ Greg Solano lauded OCG as “smart, detail-oriented builders,” expressing confidence in their ability to steward Moonbirds forward.