In a notable departure from the typical crypto treasury playbook, GameSquare (GAME), an Ethereum holding company, has acquired a CryptoPunk NFT for $5.15 million. The firm announced it will hold the "iconic" digital collectible as a "strategic treasury asset," signaling a unique approach to managing its digital holdings.
The acquired token, Punk #5577, is one of only 24 coveted "Ape Punks" and is distinguished by its cowboy hat. GameSquare completed the purchase in an equity trade with its previous owner, DeFi pioneer Robert Leshner. Leshner, the founder of Superstate and Compound, initially bought Punk #5577 in February 2022 for 2,501 ETH, valued at approximately $7.7 million at the time. The transaction with GameSquare involved preferred stock convertible into common shares at $1.50 per share.
The 10,000-token CryptoPunks series, launched in 2017, stands as one of the earliest experiments in non-fungible tokens. While Yuga Labs acquired the CryptoPunks intellectual property from creator Larva Labs in March 2022, the project was recently sold to the nonprofit Infinite Node Foundation in May of this current year.
"This isn’t just our first grail NFT, it’s a signal of how we’re thinking differently and expanding our existing footprint in digital culture by building a next-generation media company with crypto in its DNA,” stated Justin Kenna, CEO of GameSquare.
GameSquare is among a growing number of emerging Ethereum treasury firms. Earlier this month, the company's board approved a $100 million ETH treasury authorization, which was subsequently expanded to $250 million. As of July 21, GameSquare has accumulated approximately 10,170.74 ETH, now worth $52 million.
Unlike many other ETH balance sheet strategies that typically stake holdings for yield, GameSquare intends to pursue higher returns through DeFi deployments, specifically leveraging Dialectic’s institutional Medici platform. The board has also greenlit an initial $10 million allocation to an NFT yield strategy, aiming for 6%–10% annualized returns.
In addition to the NFT acquisition, Robert Leshner has joined GameSquare as "the face" of the company. He will play a crucial role in tokenizing GameSquare's GAME shares on the Superstate platform. This move comes after Leshner's recent attempt at a hostile takeover of a "low market cap" liquor firm to establish a crypto treasury was thwarted by its executives.
July 2025, Cryptoniteuae