First large-scale NFT marketplace on the Tezos, Hic and Nunc blockchain has not been accessible for several days. There is no specific reason for the reasons for this closure.
This is a huge blow to NFT artists and publishers in the Tezos ecosystem. The blockchain had for several months now had a marketplace for NFTs, like OpenSea on Ethereum.
But for several days now, the Hic et Nunc showcase site has stopped responding. No reason has been put forward by its creators to explain this closure. Only one mention on the Twitter profile mentions the end of the marketplace.
Disagreement, disappointment or competition?
On Twitter, several Internet users react and put forward hypotheses to explain the disappearance of Hic and Nunc. For artist @MrRudeManners, this decision was a whim of the main developer.
The latter would not have supported “the negative messages he received”, reports Decrypt. The Cryptobriefing site advances other hypotheses. Among these, internal disagreements between the developers of the marketplace.
Another reason given: the creation of a competing marketplace objkt.com, whose creation of NFT has been active for a few days now. These explanations remain speculations in the absence of an official statement from Hic and Nun.
In any case, this is bad news for the Tezos ecosystem, which had made NFTs a major development axis. Since its debut in March, Hic et Nun has seen strong growth.
Alternatives on Ethereum and Solana
With 30,000 active wallets, the NFT marketplace largely supplanted Objkt. Admittedly, the results were still very far from that displayed by OpenSea, the reference on the Ethereum blockchain (250,000 wallets).
Nevertheless, the dynamic was there. We must therefore hope that Objkt will be able to take over and convert abandoned users in order to grow the NFT community on Tezos. The blockchain has arguments to develop in this sector.
Network based on a Proof-of-Stake type consensus, Tezos can promote lower energy consumption. Another advantage over Ethereum: the lower amount of transaction costs.
Failing to have a platform equivalent to those accessible on blockchains like Ethereum or Solana, artists and collectors of NFT could abandon Tezos. A loss for the Tezos ecosystem.