The well-known NFT project under Nike's umbrella actually pulled a Rug Pull

By: blockbeats|2024/12/03 12:15:01
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Over the past 7 days, the NFT blue-chip collective has seen a resurgence. Whether it's former top PFP projects like CryptoPunks, BAYC, MAYC, Azuki, Doodles, or leading generative art NFTs like Chromie Squiggle, Fidenza, there has been a significant rebound.

The well-known NFT project under Nike's umbrella actually pulled a Rug Pull

One of the most relevant tokens to NFT infrastructure, $BLUR, has quietly surged nearly 90% in the past month. Following Andrew Kang's call for $BLUR at the end of last month, $BLUR has continued to rise, with an increase of almost 20%.

In a harmonious atmosphere of recovery, Clone X, a venerable blue-chip project with Nike roots, announced its cessation of operations at this time, shocking all NFT players as if declaring at a New Year's dinner to never eat again.

In this statement, the project behind Clone X, RTFKT Studio, acquired by Nike, announced the termination of RTFKT's operations. As a transition before closing, they will do the final act within the community in December—embracing the "BLADE DROP" of MNLTH X. MNLTH was introduced in 2022, probably mutating virtual shoes through NFTs.

As for the "BLADE DROP," after a quick search on Twitter, it seems that this "last dance" will not even allow holders to get the final pair of physical Nike shoes but rather 3D-printed shoes produced by Zellerfeld...

Impacted by the significant bearish news of the operational shutdown, CloneX's floor price plummeted by 50% instantly and currently sits at 0.3 ETH. Just 2 days ago, the collection's floor price had even rebounded to nearly 0.9 ETH.

NFT players have accused the RTFKT team of not just being a "Soft Rug" but a "Hard Rug" and have brought up past unkind remarks from RTFKT's co-founder @benitopagotto when the Pudgy Penguins CEO paid tribute to them last year.

Luca tweeted a tribute to RTFKT on September 17 last year

And 10 days later, @benitopagotto mocked the entry of Pudgy Penguins toys into Walmart, saying, "From Sotheby's to Walmart, the future of Web3 is truly bright!"

From the CloneX launch to RTFKT's acquisition by Nike, three years have passed in the blink of an eye. We finally welcomed a new bull market, but this Nike-backed NFT blue-chip suddenly collapsed at dawn.

Due to the sudden chaos, the $10 million acquisition offer from @JoeyMoose has caught the attention of many NFT players.

But most likely, he was joking, as just yesterday he said he was going to spend $5 million to buy MoonBirds from Kevin Rose. But buddy, MoonBirds have long been acquired by Yuga Labs...

So what will happen next with CloneX? For example, in this era where memes have become mainstream, will the community create meme tokens from the "CTO Nike" perspective?

I don't know, really don't know. After all, this world is always full of surprises.

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DDC Enterprise Limited Announces 2025 Unaudited Preliminary Financial Performance: Record Revenue Achieved, Bitcoin Treasury Grows to 2183 Coins

On March 4, 2026, DDC Enterprise Limited (NYSE American: DDC) today announced preliminary, unaudited full-year financial performance for the year ended December 31, 2025. The company expects to achieve record revenue and record positive adjusted EBITDA, primarily driven by continued growth in its core consumer food business and overall margin improvement. The final audited financial report is expected to be released in mid-April 2026.


2025 Full-Year Financial Highlights


Revenue: Expected to be between $39 million and $41 million, reaching a new company high.


Organic Growth: Excluding the impact of the company's strategic contraction of its U.S. operations, core revenue is expected to grow 11% to 17% year over year.


Gross Profit Margin: Expected to be between 28% and 30%, reflecting continued operational efficiency improvements.


Adjusted EBITDA: The company expects to achieve a positive full-year result in 2025, a significant improvement from a $3.5 million loss in 2024, mainly due to rigorous cost controls and a higher-margin sales mix.


Core Consumer Food Business Performance


In 2025, DDC's core consumer food business maintained strong operational performance.


The company also disclosed Core Consumer Food Business Adjusted EBITDA, a metric that further excludes costs related to its Bitcoin reserve strategy and non-cash fair value adjustments related to its Bitcoin holdings from adjusted EBITDA to more accurately reflect the core business performance.


In 2025, Core Consumer Food Business Adjusted EBITDA is expected to be between $5.5 million and $6 million.


Bitcoin Reserve Update


In the first half of 2025, DDC initiated a long-term Bitcoin accumulation strategy, holding Bitcoin as its primary reserve asset.


As of December 31, 2025: The company holds 1,183 BTC.


As of February 28, 2026: Holdings increased to 2,118 BTC


Today's additional purchase of 65 BTC brings the company's total holdings to 2,183 BTC


DDC Founder, Chairman, and CEO Norma Chu stated, "We are proud to have closed 2025 with record revenue and positive adjusted EBITDA, demonstrating the steady growth of the company's consumer food business and the ongoing improvement in profitability. We are building a disciplined, growth-oriented food platform and strategically allocating capital to Bitcoin assets with a long-term view, aligning with our core beliefs. We believe that this dual-track model of 'Steady Consumer Business + Strategic Bitcoin Reserve' will help DDC create lasting long-term value for shareholders."


Adjusted EBITDA Definition
For the full year 2025, the company defines "Adjusted EBITDA" (a non-GAAP financial measure) as: Net income / (loss) excluding the following items:· Interest expense· Taxes· Foreign exchange gains/losses· Long-lived asset impairment· Depreciation and amortization· Non-cash fair value changes related to financial instruments (including Bitcoin holdings)· Stock-based compensation


About DDC Enterprise Limited


DDC Enterprise Limited (NYSE: DDC) is actively implementing its corporate Bitcoin Treasury strategy while continuing to strengthen its position as a leading global Asian food platform.


The company has established Bitcoin as a core reserve asset and is executing a prudent, long-oriented accumulation strategy. While expanding its portfolio of food brands, DDC is gradually becoming one of the public company pioneers in integrating Bitcoin into its corporate financial architecture.


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