According to Decrypt, ApeCoin, the token of Yuga Labs' Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) ecosystem, experienced a 10% increase on Wednesday following the announcement of a new free-to-play edition of the BAYC-themed game Dookey Dash. CoinGecko data shows that ApeCoin is currently trading at $1.58, up 10.1% in the past day and 17.9% on the week. The endless runner title Dookey Dash will launch a new 'Unclogged' edition with public access, previously limited to holders of Bored Ape Yacht Club's Sewer Pass NFTs.

A trailer for the game's new edition features ApeCoin logos, but a Yuga Labs spokesperson did not confirm whether in-game rewards would be paid out in the cryptocurrency. The original game had players competing for a 1-of-1 NFT key, which the winner 'Mongraal' sold to billionaire Adam Weitsman for $1.63 million. Yuga Labs announced on Twitter that holders of NFT collections, including Bored Apes and Mutant Apes, will receive 'token benefits' in Dookey Dash: Unclogged. The new game is set to be released for iOS, Android, Mac desktop, and Windows desktop users, with reports suggesting a February launch.

ApeCoin, an Ethereum-based token, serves as the official token of the Bored Ape Yacht Club ecosystem, which began with the 10,000-strong BAYC profile picture (PFP) NFT collection and later expanded to include spin-offs like the Mutant Ape Yacht Club. Although the BAYC collection was created by NFT firm Yuga Labs, ApeCoin was developed by the ApeCoin DAO, a decentralized autonomous organization established to govern the token and its roadmap. Tokens were initially allocated to BAYC and MAYC holders, with the token used to vote on community-led governance proposals for the DAO.