What to know:
- Nearly five years after predicting NFTs would become part of mainstream culture, DJ and producer Steve Aoki is liquidating most of his crypto holdings and moving funds to Gemini.
- Aoki’s remaining seven Bored Ape Yacht Club NFTs, purchased for more than $800,000 during the 2021 boom, are now worth about $97,000 in total, reflecting an 88% decline in value.
- His NFT-backed TV project “Dominion X” briefly sold out but failed to reach broadcast, mirroring a broader NFT market slump in which Bored Ape prices have collapsed and recent crypto bull markets have largely bypassed NFTs.
In August 2021, Steve Aoki predicted NFTs would become a mainstream part of culture within five years. Now, almost exactly five years later, he’s selling off the remaining assets from his cryptocurrency investments.
According to Arkham Intelligence, Steve Aoki’s digital wallet recently made several large cryptocurrency transactions. On Monday, it sold 1.785 billion SHIB tokens for about $10,300 and exchanged 7.25 ETH for approximately $15,900, also sending $29,650 in USDT to Gemini. Two weeks prior, the wallet had sold 4.155 billion PEPE tokens for $14,700 using the 1inch exchange. Smaller transactions, ranging from $600 to $1,700 in stablecoins and conducted through MetaMask, occurred between these larger sales.
These sales are pocket change but the losses are not.
In 2021, when NFTs were becoming incredibly popular, Aoki spent more than $800,000 on seven Bored Ape Yacht Club NFTs and was a well-known celebrity supporter of the technology.
The seven digital artworks, known as Apes, are now each worth around $13,800, totaling approximately $97,000. This is a significant drop of 88% from the original purchase price. Although the owner hasn’t sold them, current market values suggest it would be difficult to recoup much of the initial investment.
When NFTs were extremely popular, Steve Aoki got funding for “Dominion X,” a TV show made with help from Seth Green’s Stoopid Buddy Stoodios.
The show quickly sold 500 NFTs on Nifty Gateway – within just 30 seconds. While the sale only just covered the costs of making the show, according to the manager, it proved there’s interest in owning original content as NFTs on the blockchain.
The show never reached broadcast.
The overall NFT market shows a similar trend. The lowest price you could buy a Bored Ape for has dropped dramatically, from over $400,000 in early 2022 to less than $14,000 now. While Bitcoin reached new peaks above $126,000 between 2023 and 2025, NFTs didn’t experience the same growth. Investors are now prioritizing projects that offer real-world use and lasting value, rather than those based solely on hype or speculation, a shift from previous market trends.
Aoki still holds the seven Apes. Everything else is going to Gemini.
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2026-04-14 09:43