Animoca Brands Acquires Somo as NFT Market Rebounds in Early 2026

• Animoca Brands has acquired Somo, a digital collectibles and gaming studio known for its 3D “collect-and-battle” mobile titles like Somo Battleground and Somo Codex.
• The deal coincides with a sharp 20% rebound in the NFT market cap during the first two weeks of 2026, though total valuations remain 59% lower than the same period last year.
• Animoca plans to integrate Somo’s playable, deflationary assets into its global Web3 network to drive cross-platform growth and community engagement across its partner ecosystem.

Animoca Brands has acquired gaming and digital collectibles company Somo, adding Somo’s playable, tradable collectibles to its portfolio as NFT prices and activity show early signs of a rebound. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Animoca said Wednesday it will integrate Somo into its existing ecosystem, using shared infrastructure and partner relationships. Co-founder and executive chairman Yat Siu said Somo “complements” Animoca’s collectibles and gaming holdings and will be connected to Animoca’s network of games, communities and partners.

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A Short-Term Boost For NFTs

The acquisition lands during a short-term lift in the NFT market. CoinGecko data shows total NFT market cap rose about 20% in the first two weeks of 2026, climbing from roughly US$2.5 billion (AU$3.8 billion) on Jan. 1 to over US$3 billion (AU$4.59 billion) by Wednesday.

Much of that gain came in a single 24-hour move. CoinGecko data shows the market cap rose from just under US$2.7 billion (AU$4.1 billion) to US$3 billion (AU$4.5 billion), an increase of about US$300 million (AU$459 million), alongside an 18.7% rise in 24-hour trading volume. 

A community member, MintKing X, tied the jump to higher-value sales in established collections and token airdrops, but it remains unclear whether demand will persist.

Despite the bounce, NFTs remain far below last year’s levels. CoinGecko data shows the market cap was about US$7.3 billion (AU$11.1 billion) on Jan. 14, 2025, leaving the sector down about 59% year-on-year.

There is one specific NFT collection that had a surge in floor price recently, Clone-X NFTs. As Crypto News Australia reported, Nike sold RTFKT, the NFT studio behind the collection, prompting a boost in Clone-X prices after months of low trading volumes.

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