eBay acquires NFT marketplace KnownOrigin

eBay has announced the acquisition of KnownOrigin, a UK based NFT marketplace, for an undisclosed sum. With the acquisition, eBay moves to position itself as a main player in the digital collectibles world.

Last month, eBay released its debut NFT venture, a collection of Wayne Gretzky inspired NFTs. The project, titled Sports Illustrated x Wayne Gretzky, was released in collaboration with Polygon and NFT platform OneOf.

KnownOrigin was founded back in 2018 as an NFT marketplace geared towards artists creating one of a kind NFTs. David Moore, the co-founder and CEO of KnownOrigin, said in a statement: “We founded KnownOrigin to empower creators and collectors by giving them the ability to showcase, sell, and collect unique, authenticated digital items. As interest in NFTs continues to grow, we believe now is the perfect time for us to partner with a company that has the reach and experience of eBay. With more than twenty-five years building similar communities of passionate individuals, we are excited by the opportunity to bring a whole new audience on this journey. This is the start of a new chapter in the KnownOrigin story and we couldn’t choose a better time to focus on building and innovating with the team at eBay. This partnership will help us attract a new wave of NFT creators and collectors.”