The number of NFT platforms and marketplaces grows daily, as NFTs look set to build on their epic growth in 2021. As a result, we are certain to see some services launch this year that will end up being major players in the NFT space.
The platforms and marketplaces in this list are some of the most exciting ones set to take off in 2022. Let’s take a look at what they’re all about.
The launch of the Coinbase NFT platform and marketplace is one of the most anticipated events of the year in the NFT space. Credit: Coinbase
Will OpenSea Keep Its Spot As The Top NFT Marketplace?
In 2021, OpenSea proved itself as the number one marketplace for NFTs. Of course, it did have its share of hiccups along the way. In any case, no other NFT platform has come close when it comes to user count and sales volume. What’s more, OpenSea has started the new year with a bang.
For example, the NFT marketplace hit an all-time high for one-day sales volume on January 2nd. On that day it saw $240 million in sales. Not to mention its most recent bombshell news. To sum up, the platform raised a whopping $300 million in Series C funding. The investment raised them to a $13.3 billion valuation.
To be sure, OpenSea has had quite the head start on its competition. Even so, a few NFT marketplaces and platforms are launching in 2022 that will be hoping to loosen OpenSea’s grip on the market. Or at least match its relevance in the NFT space. Let’s take a look at some of them.
Will we see a true competitor to OpenSea in 2022? Credit: OpenSea
The Hottest Upcoming NFT Platforms
1. Coinbase NFT Platform
Coinbase shook the NFT world back in October 2021 when it announced that it would release an NFT platform. Indeed, as the largest US-based cryptocurrency exchange, Coinbase has a large userbase and crypto presence.
To illustrate, Coinbase has around 73 million verified users. Compared to OpenSea, which has somewhere between 1 and 2 million users, this is a huge potential consumer base.
At the time of the announcement, Coinbase opened up a waitlist for people to sign up for the platform. At this point, there are well over 1 million people on the waitlist. Although the launch – initially slated for Q4 2021 – has been delayed, Coinbase NFT is sure to make an impact when it comes out.
GameStop is actively looking for creators to occupy its NFT marketplace. Credit: GameStop
2. GameStop NFT Marketplace
GameStop has been prepping the way for its NFT marketplace since as early as June 2021. In fact, it hosted multiple job postings for developers and designers throughout the rest of the year.
While it hasn’t announced a launch date or many other details about the marketplace, it is gearing up for a launch this year. In light of this, the major game retailer recently put out a call for creators to apply to get on its marketplace.
Samsung’s new NFT platform might be further proof that NFTs have truly arrived. Credit: Samsung
3. Samsung – New NFT Platform For Smart TVs
Samsung recently became the latest established company to join the NFT space. Specifically, the tech giant announced that it would add an NFT platform to its future Smart TVs. The NFT platform will allow Samsung users to view, buy and even learn about NFTs.
Besides being yet another sign that NFTs are taking hold, this will come as great news to NFT owners looking for ways to display their NFTs. Not to mention that it will likely expose a whole group of newcomers to the space.
4. Ubisoft Quartz – Video Game NFT Marketplace
After months of showing interest in NFTs, the large video game producer, Ubisoft, announced its very own NFT marketplace on December 7th. Ubisoft Quartz offers players special NFTs called “Digits”. Players will be able to claim Digits in Quartz and use them in Ubisoft games.
However, Ubisoft’s entry into NFTs has not been smooth. Ubisoft faced such strong backlash from fans when it released a trailer for Quartz, it ended up taking the trailer down.
Regardless, given its investment into the Quartz NFT platform, and its stated interest in play-to-earn blockchain games, Ubisoft is likely to push ahead with its NFT plans in 2022 and beyond.
Ubisoft learned the hard way that not everyone loves NFTs, with fans hating its trailer for Ubisoft Quartz. Credit: Ubisoft
5. Metalink – NFT Super App
Metalink is an all-in-one platform that offers NFT-gated chatrooms, a portfolio manager, and a social feed. At first, Metalink was simply a chat app that was only open to a select few NFT communities. Though the company did just launch a public version of its app at the end of 2021.
While Metalink is still in its early phases, it has enjoyed faithful support from members of major NFT communities like Bored Apes and CyberKongz. If the app can deliver on its vision and attract users, it could end up being a major part of the NFT landscape.
6. Fractal – NFT Game Marketplace On Solana
In light of its rapid growth on Discord, Fractal seems set to become one of the biggest NFT platforms on Solana. To clarify, Fractal amassed over 110,000 members in its Discord in just two weeks.
Fractal is a marketplace for blockchain games, selling game NFTs both at launch and on the secondary market. The platform is led by Twitch co-founder, Justin Kan and has already partnered with some big NFT games like The Sandbox.
Not to mention that, although it is built on Solana, Fractal plans to expand to sell game NFTs for all blockchains. In other words, it may yet become the leading marketplace for Ethereum blockchain games as well. All things considered, Fractal is a solid bet for huge growth in 2022.
Even though ETH NFTs get most of the headlines, you better not sleep on the growing Solana ecosystem in 2022! Credit: Solanart
7. Solanart – The First Solana NFT Marketplace
Despite still being in its beta phase, Solanart was the leading platform for buying and selling Solana NFTs for a while. However, unlike its ETH counterpart, OpenSea, Solanart didn’t build a massive lead on some of its competitors (more below).
At any rate, it’s a good place to start exploring Solana NFTs. Especially if you believe that the benefits of Solana over Ethereum could come into play as NFTs become more mainstream in 2022.
8. Magic Eden – The Biggest Marketplace For Solana NFTs
Magic Eden launched after Solanart but has since grown to become the biggest Solana NFT marketplace. As a matter of fact, DappRadar has it ranked as the second-largest NFT marketplace by 30-day volume, trailing only OpenSea.
Magic Eden boasts tremendous growth since hitting the market and might be the closest thing to Solana’s version of OpenSea at the moment. Solana’s ecosystem is still in its early stages but Magic Eden has leapfrogged Solanart to become the best secondary Solana marketplace and will look to continue its momentum into 2022.
9. Digital Eyes – A Fast Growing NFT Platform On Solana
Digital Eyes has become a major Solana NFT marketplace, even though it only launched in September 2021. It’s not quite as big as Solanart at this instant, though it shares many of the same NFT collections.
Will Magic Eden hold its spot as the top Solana NFT marketplace through 2022? Credit: Magic Eden
What Happens The Year After “The Year Of NFTs”?
All in all, there’s no telling just how the NFT space will change in 2022. The space has always been unpredictable. In addition, while many people in the space are confident, it’s important to note that the growth of NFTs has never been a straight line.
With that said, NFT mania hasn’t shown signs of going away just yet. New “Blue Chip” projects will launch, new ways of earning will take hold and many things will come into play that very few of us can even imagine.
No matter what happens in 2022, one thing the NFT space will likely have plenty of is excitement!
