Web3 Weekly Radar: The Biggest Moves in Web3 for Mid-May 2025

The middle of May 2025 saw a wave of major activity across the Web3 space: from a meme token explosion, to the return of iconic NFT brands, to bold moves by traditional gaming giants. Here are the highlights worth paying attention to:

1. CryptoPunks Opens a New Chapter — Heading to Museums and Cultural Spaces

Yuga Labs has announced the transfer of intellectual property (IP) for the legendary CryptoPunks NFT collection to the NODE Foundation — a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing digital culture. Alongside this, a $25 million cultural development fund has been established to support artistic initiatives and exhibitions.

This move marks a major turning point: CryptoPunks, once the original icon of NFT art, is now expected to appear in museums and mainstream cultural spaces, bringing Web3 closer to the general public.

2. The Believe Ecosystem Explodes — Meme-Driven but Anything But a Joke

In just one week, the community-driven Believe ecosystem became a full-blown phenomenon. Leading the charge was $LAUNCHCOIN, which surged over 100x, sparking a token-creation frenzy with more than 12,000 tokens launched on the platform.

Total trading volume hit $1.6 billion, with token creators alone collecting over $16 million in creation fees. What started as a meme project has grown into a surprisingly powerful trend-setting model, opening new directions for SocialFi and community-driven tokenomics.

3. MapleStory Enters the Blockchain World with $NXPC

NEXON, the South Korean gaming giant behind MapleStory, officially launched its $NXPC token on the blockchain. The token was distributed through Binance's Launchpool, with 3% of the allocation reserved for BNB holders.

Shortly after listing, $NXPC reached a high of $3.98, pushing its market cap to $4 billion. This is a decisive move bringing one of gaming's most iconic franchises into the Web3 world, with the promise of a large-scale game model integrated with decentralized finance.

4. Berachain Officially Kicks Off Alpha — The Yield Game Begins

The Berachain Alpha phase has launched, with Infrared point farming and $BERA staking delivering yields of over 200%. This is one of the next-generation Layer 1 blockchains, distinguished by its "Proof-of-Liquidity" model and a highly creative ecosystem.

The community is piling in to chase airdrops, liquidity rewards, and especially the chance to capitalize on this high-potential "alpha farming" window.

5. Sui Unveils a Handheld Gaming Device & Ecosystem Airdrop

The Sui project has revealed a dedicated gaming handheld, the SuiPlay0X1, bridging Web3 and traditional console gaming. Holders of the SuiPlay Mythic NFT have already received over 50 token airdrops along with G-Dollar, a stablecoin purpose-built for games within this ecosystem.

This is seen as a major step toward connecting traditional gaming experiences with open finance, unlocking significant potential for the next generation of GameFi.

6. Aztec Launches a Privacy Layer 2 — Laying the Groundwork for Anonymous Ethereum

After years of development, Aztec — the Layer 2 project built on zk-SNARK technology — has officially introduced its new network capable of programmable private transactions on Ethereum.

The project has successfully raised $1.2 billion, making it one of the most well-backed Layer 2s in existence today. As privacy increasingly becomes an essential need on public blockchains, Aztec could prove to be a key player in helping Ethereum scale while preserving anonymity.

Wrapping Up

Web3 is undergoing a powerful transformation: NFTs are entering mainstream art spaces, meme tokens are becoming community creative tools, legacy gaming brands are pivoting to Web3, and infrastructure players like Berachain and Aztec are hitting their stride in the early stages.

If you're an investor or builder in this space, now is the time to pay close attention: Web3 is no longer the future — it's happening right now.