What Does Whale.io’s Migration to Solana Mean for the Future of Scalable, Interactive NFTs?

Image source: GetGems

NFTs have come a long way from being static images on the blockchain. Today, they’re expected to offer much more: from play-to-earn games to exclusive community access and rewards.

The real key to meeting these demands lies in the blockchain. However, some platforms are simply not built to support the speed, scalability, and complexity that today’s NFT holders increasingly require.

After a record-breaking year on the TON blockchain, Whale.io has decided to move to Solana to deliver even more for its growing community. Here’s why this transition is a critical step forward.

TON helped Whale.io take off—but couldn’t support deeper functionality

Whale.io’s early success came from doing a lot of things right. They offered a free mint on Getgems.io, TON’s top NFT marketplace. With Telegram wallet support and zero gas fees, users jumped in quickly. The NFTs became Telegram avatars. Social buzz took over. In a few hours, all 20,000 free NFTS were claimed.

Screenshot from getgems

The mint worked smoothly. TON’s blockchain processed transactions with little delay. Wallet setup through Telegram felt native and accessible. It pulled in a user base that may not have touched NFTs otherwise.

But early traction quickly turned into questions from users. When could they stake their NFTs? Would traits evolve with time or gameplay? What rewards came from long-term holding? The answers depended on what TON could support—and that’s where the friction started.

At the time, TON lacked the kind of off-the-shelf tooling many NFT teams rely on. There were no ready-made staking modules or dynamic metadata systems. Anything advanced required custom smart contract work. This meant delays and uncertainty. Even small upgrades took more time than expected.

For Whale.io, it became clear that sticking with TON meant either scaling back their plans or rebuilding their stack manually. Neither option fit what they wanted to offer holders.

Solana opened the door to fast feature delivery

Solana’s open-source ecosystem enabled Whale.io to rapidly implement features with pre-built templates and detailed guides. Templates and boilerplate contracts help projects get started without rebuilding standard logic. Repositories like SolDev and the Anchor Book offer step-by-step guides tailored to NFT-specific use cases.

Screenshot from solana.com

For example, projects can tap into pre-configured staking frameworks where time-based rewards and metadata changes are already tested across multiple launches. This reduces the learning curve and dramatically improves time-to-market.

When the team moved to Solana, the difference became obvious fast. Solana had tools that made advanced NFT features much easier to launch. With Metaplex, the collection could support evolving traits that update automatically. With Anchor, smart contracts could be built and tested quickly with built-in safety checks.

Beyond development, the visibility was better too. Platforms like Magic Eden and Solanart brought active traders, liquidity, and dashboard tools. This helped the collection reach more collectors and keep them engaged.

The collector experience improved—and became more interactive

On Solana, NFTs didn’t just sit in a wallet. They did something. Holders could lock them for staking rewards. They could earn trait upgrades through gameplay. They saw real-time changes in metadata depending on their level of engagement.

These features created more reasons to hold and interact. Whale.io could track wallet activity, issue unique rewards, and gamify holding behavior. Users could see how their NFTs changed over time—not just in price, but in capability.

That level of interactivity wasn’t theoretical. It was happening in real apps. Telegram games responded to NFT traits. Rarity levels influenced the value of rewards. This made NFTs feel alive—like assets you could use, not just show. It bridged the gap between ownership and experience, adding depth to the digital collectible.

Infrastructure shaped project speed and feature scope

One of the biggest takeaways came from behind the scenes. Solana’s dev tools meant Whale.io didn’t need to start from scratch. They could plug into systems that already worked. Instead of building staking logic from the ground up, they adapted existing contracts. That saved time, reduced bugs, and let the team focus on features instead of plumbing.

Shipping became faster. Updates reached users without long delays. If something broke, documentation and community support helped solve it. This made it easier to meet user expectations—and build new ones.

Comparing TON and Solana

The differences between TON and Solana reveal why Whale.io’s transition was key to supporting the evolving needs of its NFT ecosystem.

Other top NFT projects are making similar moves

Whale.io isn’t alone in thinking infrastructure first. Other big-name projects like DeGods and y00ts have changed chains too. Sometimes it’s about community alignment. Other times it’s about which tools make the roadmap possible.

Solana has become a go-to for teams that want composability—meaning smart contracts and apps that can interact out of the box. Projects use Tensor for analytics, Jupiter for liquidity routing, and tools like Backpack to integrate user identity across apps.

This makes it easier to build full ecosystems, not just individual features, ensuring long-term growth and adaptability in the NFT space.

Why builders now choose platforms by utility, not popularity

Every blockchain makes tradeoffs. TON delivered on accessibility, but lacked third-party integrations. Ethereum remains a liquidity hub, but gas costs and complexity slow feature deployment. Solana has carved out a middle ground: low fees, high throughput, and tooling that fits early-stage and mature projects alike.

For many developers, especially those working in small teams, Solana offers a predictable environment. Features like transaction simulation, devnet mirroring, and token metadata libraries help validate logic before pushing to production. That reliability builds trust—not only among developers, but with users expecting smooth performance.

In 2025, choosing a chain is like choosing a development platform. A gaming NFT project might go to Solana for speed and low fees. A DAO-focused collection might stick with Ethereum for its governance tools. These aren’t hype-driven decisions. They’re based on what the team needs to deliver.

Whale.io’s case shows that switching platforms isn’t a failure—it’s a response to changing needs. Staying on the wrong infrastructure too long means slowing down growth. Moving when the time is right can unlock what the project was meant to do in the first place.

What a developer gains on Solana

Suppose you’re building an RPG game where characters are NFTs. You want stats to change after each quest, based on player performance or loot acquired. On a blockchain without dynamic metadata support, you’d need to rebuild or remint the NFT every time, which is both clunky and expensive. Each stat change would require a new transaction, increasing costs and adding friction for the players.

On Solana, you can use Metaplex to store evolving traits, allowing the metadata to dynamically change based on in-game events. Using Anchor, the game can trigger stat changes securely, with all updates occurring directly within the NFT’s structure. This means that as players progress through the game, their NFTs evolve without requiring new minting or complex workarounds. Updates are automatic, making the entire process seamless and efficient.

The same logic applies to staking, governance, and rewards. Solana’s infrastructure supports these features natively, enabling a smoother, more efficient flow. When developers don’t need to build complex, foundational tools from scratch, they can focus on refining the user experience, introducing new features, and scaling the product. This infrastructure not only improves game development but also significantly enhances user engagement.

Ecosystem maturity turns NFTs into platforms, not just products

Whale.io didn’t just switch chains. It redefined what the NFT could be. Instead of a static JPEG, the asset became a dynamic key—one that unlocks games, perks, and evolving rewards.

Solana’s ecosystem made that possible. The apps already existed. The standards were in place. The builders could focus on delivering what users asked for: functionality, updates, and new ways to interact.

This shift—from static to dynamic, from isolated to integrated—is what defines the next wave of NFT projects. Infrastructure isn’t the backdrop. It’s the engine.

What collectors and creators can take away from this

For collectors, the takeaway is simple: pay attention to the platform. The chain behind your NFT matters more than ever. It shapes what that token can do, how fast it evolves, and where it connects.

For creators, the lesson is sharper. Don’t assume your roadmap can run on every chain. Match your ambitions to the infrastructure that can support them. Look at what’s already live. Talk to other builders. Choose a path that lets you grow, not just launch.

Whale.io made its decision based on what it wanted to give users: faster features, deeper utility, and a living product. That mindset might be the best blueprint for any NFT project looking to last beyond the hype cycle.