On March 21, 2023, the leading NFT marketplace Magic Eden officially announced the integration of Bitcoin Ordinal inscription support, alongside strategic partnerships with wallets Hiro and Xverse to deliver a seamless trading experience. This move expands Magic Eden’s blockchain coverage to four chains—Solana, Polygon, Ethereum, and now Bitcoin—positioning it as a multi-chain NFT aggregator.
Bitcoin Ordinal Ecosystem Surges Past 560,000 Inscriptions
Magic Eden’s Bitcoin-centric section already features popular collections such as Bitcoin Boos, Bitcoin JPGs, BTC Machines, Ordinal Tortoises, Unordinals, Satoshi Punks, and Megapunks. According to Dune Analytics, the total number of Ordinal inscriptions on the Bitcoin blockchain reached 567,622 at the time of writing, having crossed the 500,000 milestone on March 17. The rapid growth underscores a strong and rising demand for Bitcoin-based digital collectibles.
Competitive Landscape and Royalty Decision: No Royalties for Now
With this launch, Magic Eden enters a competitive arena already occupied by Ordinal-focused marketplaces such as Gamma.io, Ordx.io, and Generative.xyz. Despite being relatively new to the Bitcoin NFT scene, Magic Eden’s established user base—bolstered by $2.08 billion in all-time sales (ranking fifth globally per DappRadar)—gives it significant leverage. In its blog post, Magic Eden stated: “After extensive deliberation on royalties, we have decided to launch on Bitcoin without royalty support for now.” The team also launched a dedicated Twitter handle, @meonbtc, to better engage the Bitcoin NFT community.
Embracing Bitcoin Culture and Looking Ahead
Magic Eden emphasized that supporting Bitcoin aligns with its mission to promote trust, security, and decentralization—core values of the Bitcoin blockchain. The marketplace also hinted at a “more concerted re-entry into Ethereum” in the future. As the Ordinal inscription market continues to heat up, Magic Eden’s partnerships with Hiro and Xverse wallets, combined with its cross-chain experience, could position it as a major player in Bitcoin NFTs—a space still in its infancy but rapidly evolving.