The highly anticipated sale of Bitcoin Ordinals NFTs by Taproot Wizards encountered major technical issues on Monday, much to the frustration of users. The sale, which featured around 3,000 digital cats, was scheduled to begin with a two-hour “whitelist” window at 17:00 UTC (noon ET) on Monday. However, due to unforeseen technical difficulties, the sale had to be postponed until Tuesday.
According to Taproot Wizards’ official Twitter account, the overwhelming demand for the NFT cats caused their servers to crash. Despite the setback, approximately 30% of the cats were minted on Monday, resulting in a significant raise of nearly 100 BTC ($4.3 million). This debut sale had garnered considerable attention, especially after the project had successfully raised $7.5 million in a seed funding round in November.
Understanding the disappointment and frustration expressed by users on social media, co-founder Udi Wertheimer took to Twitter Spaces to offer his sincere apologies for the technical glitches. He acknowledged that the experience fell short of people’s expectations and assured them that measures would be taken to rectify the situation. Wertheimer also admitted to some glitches during the whitelist window and apologized for any inconvenience caused.
The plan initially involved making the remaining cats available for general sale after a one-hour pause subsequent to the whitelist window. However, despite the team’s efforts to address the technical issues, complaints continued to flood Taproot Wizards’ Discord channel throughout Monday. Users were dismayed by the delay and expressed their frustration over not being able to purchase the highly sought-after Quantum Cats.
The success of the “Quantum Cats” sale highlights the increasing potential of NFTs on the Bitcoin network. While most NFTs are currently based on the Ethereum blockchain, projects like Taproot Wizards are focused on leveraging the Ordinals protocol to bring NFTs to Bitcoin. This represents a significant development for Bitcoin, which has primarily been regarded as a store of value and not known for its support of smart contracts and unique digital assets.
With projects like Taproot Wizards emerging, Bitcoin’s potential as a platform for NFTs is gaining attention. Despite the initial setbacks encountered during its debut sale, Taproot Wizards has a promising future. Backed by high-profile investors and successful sales like the auction of the “Genesis Cat” for $254,000 at Sotheby’s earlier this month, the project is well-positioned to continue making strides in the world of NFTs on Bitcoin.
Although the debut sale of “Quantum Cats” Bitcoin NFTs faced technical challenges and resulted in a delayed sale, it is important to note that this setback does not diminish the potential and promise of projects like Taproot Wizards in bringing NFTs to the Bitcoin network. The remaining cats from the collection are expected to be released for general sale in the near future, and given the hype and demand already witnessed, it is highly likely that they will sell out quickly.
The Taproot Wizards’ debut sale of “Quantum Cats” Bitcoin NFTs encountered technical issues on Monday, causing frustration among users. However, these technical glitches should be viewed as a temporary setback rather than an indication of failure. Projects like Taproot Wizards are pioneering the integration of NFTs on the Bitcoin network, and despite the initial challenges, they are poised to contribute significantly to the advancement of NFTs in the Bitcoin ecosystem.