26/06/2023 How Gaming, Loyalty and Entertainment Are Bringing on Mass Adoption, Nike and Puma Digital Offerings

Nike Fortnite Airphoria

"Airphoria" (Nike/Epic Games)

This week, we spoke to experts from across the entertainment, loyalty and gaming sectors about mass adoption. The general consensus? We’re getting closer, though it’ll probably look way more subtle than you think.

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Also, global footwear giants Nike and Puma announced new partnerships and digital sneaker releases that offer meaningful utility and thoughtful designs.

Onboarding the next billion users:Experts from across the entertainment, loyalty and gaming sectors made their cases for why their industries are poised to bring about mass adoption of Web3. While the broader crypto market is down and experiencing numerous challenges, the sentiment around Web3 and a decentralized, creator-focused digital future remains positive.

  • Entertainment as a “stealthy” tool:Visual media like TV and movies have the potential to onboard mass consumers in a gradual and fluid way, according to executives in the entertainment industry. “Mainstream adoption will probably look less like a conscious choice and will just happen to be powered by this technology,” Chris Jacquemin, says head of digital strategy at global talent agency WME.
  • NFT memberships and supercharging fandom:Thanks to NFTs, artists are able control how their tickets are distributed and reward their fans for engagement, experts in the ticketing and loyalty field say. “Any artist who is minting their own NFTs can explore token-gated sales, which can be used to help match token holders with premier seats, pre-show experiences or to simply give first access to all tickets on an upcoming tour,” said David Marcus, EVP of music at Ticketmaster.
  • Gaming that provides “true ownership” of assets:Gamers around the world are spending billions of dollars each year on in-game assets – without actually owning those assets, according to gaming industry leaders. NFTs allow players to buy, sell and trade those assets, giving them value inside and outside of the game. “It's about just getting something back for what you put into it, in terms of possessing some sort of interoperable utility,” said Spencer Tucker, chief gaming officer at Yuga Labs.

Fancy footwork:Major sneaker companies have continued to team up with both Web2 and Web3 brands to bring digital collectibles to their millions of fans. Their collaborations offer meaningful utility and thoughtfully designed digital items that prove Web3 doesn’t have to feel forced or clunky for global brands.

  • Battle Royale:Nike continued itsdigital expansionwith anew partnership, bringing its .SWOOSH experience to Fortnite’s 240 million users. "Airphoria," a collaboration between Nike, Fortnite creator Epic Games and branded game builder Beyond Creative, will enable players to opt-in to connecting their digital items across the Fortnite and .SWOOSH ecosystems. “This is all part of a larger effort to bring Nike's Air Max brand into the world of Fortnite with cosmetics, Fortnite islands, and account linking between Nike and Epic,” an Epic Games spokesperson told CoinDesk.
  • Cat’s meow:Global sneaker brand Puma released a new pair of sneakers called the “GutterMelo MB.03” that link real-world kicks to NFTs. The colorful drop is a collaboration between Puma, Web3 streetwear brand Gutter Cat Gang and NBA player LaMelo Ball.
CoinDesk - UnknownMfer NFT collection. (OpenSea)

Who:Pseudonymous NFT collector and artist Sartoshi

What:Mfers, an NFT collection of hand drawings released in 2021, received a boost in both sales and volume this week,according to OpenSea. It’s not entirely clear why the collection was trending, though arecent product releaseby home improvement giant Lowe’s that featured two characters from the open-source collection gained some buzz. The collection offers no utility and no roadmap and was inspired by the “Are ya winning, son?” meme.

How:The project operates under aCC0 license, which means that the project is in the public domain and can be used in any way by anyone. In June 2022, Sartoshitransferredthe project’s smart contract and ownership to the community. The simplistic collection has gained a major following online, and individual NFTsoften sellfor over $1,000 – far higher than their original mint price of 0.069 ETH, or about $320. So far, the collection has done 66,510 ETH in sales, or nearly $125 million. Mfers can be purchased on secondary marketplaces like OpenSea.

Mint Into a SlimJim:The jerky company invited fans to join theirnew “Meataverse” and is giving away 10,000 “GigaJims" NFTs.

Magical Elixir:Web3 gaming distribution company Elixir Gamesannounceda strategic partnership with game retailer GameStop to power the infrastructure for GameStop’s newPlayr platform.

The Legend of Zora:The NFT creation platform popular with brands and creativeshas launchedits own layer 2 blockchain network.

Hund hunt:Germany’s intelligence agency released adog-themed NFTcollection to recruit new talent that included a hidden string of blockchain characters.

Non-fungible Faroe Islands:The autonomous territory has issued new physical stampslinked to NFTs.

Arts

https://www.coindesk.com/web3/2023/06/23/how-gaming-loyalty-and-entertainment-are-adapting-to-the-rise-of-nfts-and-web3/

Interesting NFTs
Tactical Cats
Tactical Cats Practical cats, dramatical cats.. Experience the lighthearted inner smile when you are purrfectly purrrple. The cat's meow of pick-me-up paints with swirling tails of joy as vivid as the swirling magentas, blues and purple. I was able to with this work quietly paint a tribute to memories of meeting fans and revisiting "old friends" within the paint itself. All while pretending to paint a version of catwoman for the audience. More on that in bonus material. This is an alternate animation made specifically for crypto art collectors. This NFT depicts the rare, unused in media: verified image. Mixed Media: Bio/Digital. Glycerin on 5'9" human skin 10-14 hours Performance art. Shot on Canon EOS RP. 16 + hours Photoshop and DaVinci Resolve. All Works are SFW. Art has been Seen on the front page of Reddit, Featured in the New York Times, Galileo.tv, and multiple other promotions including Twitch.tv, Disney Interactive, RIOT games, WB games, AMD and more! More on how this art is unique and potentially explosive in the NFT world: https://youtu.be/CXbNF2Y6srs ------------------------- The purchase of this NFT Grants the buyer unique bonus material. Physical mail Bonus Package: A Physical Art Print. Autographed from the Artist in 12x16. Please allow a few weeks for Delivery. Digital Bonus Package: This image in .mp4. An "About the Art" Video and an "From the Artist" introduction. A README.txt about the artwork with some personal notes and Links relevant to the artwork.
CryptoPunk #9373
The CryptoPunks are 10,000 uniquely generated characters. No two are exactly alike, and each one of them can be officially owned by a single person on the Ethereum blockchain. Originally, they could be claimed for free by anybody with an Ethereum wallet, but all 10,000 were quickly claimed. Now they must be purchased from someone via the marketplace that's also embedded in the blockchain.
Alex in Wonderland
A figure, Alex, stands mostly naked in the midst of a physical and psychological maelstrom. He is clad only in nostalgic 80’s era socks, on a tenuous island between active waters and a variety of shark denizens. Sharks on the right side of the image are all beached, including a shark with a quartz crystal snout, an orange shark wrapped in a life buoy, and a shark further in the distance wearing an 80’s style shirt with the number “88”. On the left side is the largest shark, wearing bright glossy red lipstick and brandishing prominent teeth with braces. She is cordoned off from the figure by a roped float divider, and within her thought bubble is a warning symbol. Behind the figure, hovering in the air, are Grey aliens emerging from the distance, out of a series of elliptical UFO shaped interdimensional membranes. The Greys take on the visual form of spermazoa ostensibly impregnating the interdimensional thresholds. As is typical, these Greys inhabit a zone just behind the unconscious topology of Alex’s dissociative mind. Though Alex’s bottom half is representative, his top half mutates into a psychological cornucopia. In a manner akin to “Auto-Erotic Sphinx”, a predecessor work, the figure has self suctioned—an act of sensual infatuation, enjoyment, and exploration. Upward exists the figure’s primary conscious eye, adorned with a revolutionary beret emblazoned with a Bitcoin badge. The figure’s summit features the nose of a fighter jet facing off against video game Bullet Bills, one of whom is marked by a communist North Korean star. A cropped section of a UFO observes the contest. Alex’s mind branches both left and right. To the left is more singular embodied consciousness, manifesting two eyes and a Ganesh trunk grasping crayons. The right branch dissociates upward diagonally, emerging into an array of eyes, faces, teeth, tail, a unicorn horn, and much more—all of which participate in expressing his unconscious being; a democracy of psychic factions representing thought impressions and associations. All illumination and darkness– fernal, infernal, high consciousness and corporeal underbelly–reside in this realm. In the distance are relatively languid, light clouds, and against the firmament hovers a colossal distant eye peering over the scene and far beyond. This painting possesses underlying genetic traits with previous works such as “Auto-Erotic Sphinx with Toys”, “Dionysus”, and “Fuku-Shiva”. The work serves also as a nod to an earlier period of art inspiration during late teens and early twenties— born out of the nakedness, vulnerability, curiosity, and wonder inherent to coming of age and all subsequent psychedelic revelation.
CryptoKitties
Yo! I'm Kitty #451109. My friends describe me as fabulous and prickly. I'm convinced that the world is flat. One day I'll prove it. In time you'll learn how purrfect I am.
LADY MAGDALA’S LOVER
Mystery lover like no other.