OpenSea’s SEA Token Airdrop: Investors Divided Over Who Deserves Rewards

Nearly three months after OpenSea teased its SEA token and OS2 beta launch, anticipation around the airdrop mechanics has reignited.

Investors and creators are now debating what criteria the leading NFT marketplace should use to distribute the long-awaited SEA tokens. Many are also calling for clarity from the platform’s leadership.

Investors Debate OpenSea’s SEA Token Airdrop Criteria

On February 20, OpenSea announced the launch of OS2 open beta. As BeInCrypto reported, they described it as a fully reimagined product built entirely from the ground up, for collectors and pros.

Now, as OpenSea climbs back to the second position on Kaito’s Mindshare rankings, some believe an official update is imminent.

“Suddenly, OpenSea is #2 on Kaito’s Mindshare. OpenSea’s Dfinzer [co-founder and CEO] is probably going to make an announcement soon… It’s been almost 3 months since SEA was announced,” wrote Brandzo, a user on X.

Brandzo also called for transparency on the drop’s structure, urging OpenSea to issue an update.

Meanwhile, one of the central debates revolves around whether OpenSea should reward historical users based on past trading fees.

While some advocate for this, others want the popular NFT marketplace to prioritize newer engagement metrics like experience points (XP) earned on OS2.

“The only metric that OpenSea should use for the SEA airdrop criteria is historical fees paid to OS. That is it. Doing mindless tasks on V2 to gain XP adds zero value to their business and should get peanuts accordingly. Dfinzer, please don’t overcomplicate it,” wrote Cyphr, founder of gmDAO.

This perspective resonated with other longtime OpenSea participants, who agreed in subsequent posts on X (Twitter).

“As someone who actively participated and paid fees on OpenSea back in the early days, I’ve seen how true support is shown—not through mindless XP farming, but through real transactions that fueled the platform’s growth. Rewarding those who contributed real value is the only fair approach. Keep it simple, OpenSea,” another user added.

Yet, not everyone agrees. Moodz, co-founder of Mood Labs, countered, challenging that historical fees paid also add zero value to their current business.

“Historical fees paid also add zero value to their current business lol. Past users will claim to airdrop, insta dump, and never look back at the platform. They want to incentivize people to use their platform now,” Moodz remarked.

Cyphr challenged that logic, however, refuting the claim that people using the platform now are less likely to dump than historical users.

Nevertheless, amid this debate, OpenSea’s weekly trading volume has plummeted 90% from its peak despite XP rewards.

“The XP crates do not drive volume, just meaningless activity,” Cyphr chimed.

OpenSea weekly volume. Source: Cyphr on X

A recent regulatory development adds to the narrative. As BeInCrypto reported, the US SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) ended its investigation into OpenSea without recommending any enforcement action. The commission announced that it would not take legal action, asserting that NFTs are securities. 

This closure may help remove one of the final barriers to the SEA token launch.