The NFT marketplace OpenSea has halted the awarding of experience points (XP) for listings and trades following criticism from users. The new mechanic, launched as part of the updated OS2 platform, raised questions about the fairness of reward distribution and the encouragement of speculation.
What Users Are Displeased With
The XP system was meant to determine eligibility for a future SEA token airdrop. However, users quickly noticed that the mechanism incentivizes high-frequency trading and price manipulation rather than genuine content creation.
According to NFT collector Wale, some users began repeatedly cycling the same tokens — reselling them within the system without incurring actual losses. He compared it to a similar mechanism on Blur but noted that OpenSea lacks a delay between sales, making manipulation even easier.
Furthermore, OpenSea completely removed royalties for NFT creators, unlike Blur, which maintains a minimum fee for content creators. As a result, users were earning XP almost risk-free simply by transferring assets between themselves.
OpenSea's Response
Amid widespread criticism, OpenSea CEO Devin Finzer announced the suspension of the XP system for listings and bids. Going forward, rewards will be based on the purchase and holding of NFTs rather than the frequency of transactions.
Some users remain disappointed that the new system did not consider the interests of content creators and artists. However, others believe that OpenSea deserves praise for its swift response to negative feedback.
It remains unclear how OpenSea's rewards program will evolve and whether it will impact the upcoming SEA airdrop.
See also:
- OpenSea Launches v2.0 (OS2): New Interface, XP Points, and Official Token Hints
- Doodles Expands Beyond NFTs and Announces DODO Token on Solana, 30% to Be Airdropped to the Community
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