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Stepn Partners With Adidas to Issue Genesis Sneakers NFTs

Stepn Partners With Adidas to Issue Genesis Sneakers NFTsStepn, a lifestyle and move-to-earn application, partnered with Germany-based apparel company Adidas to issue the Genesis Sneakers NFT collection. The collection, which marks the start of a one-year collaboration between these organizations, comprises 1,000 NFTs inspired by Adidas’ “most iconic” running silhouettes and cobranded by the two companies. Stepn Teams With Adidas to Issue Co-Branded […]

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Individual creators will ultimately shape the metaverse: Sandbox founders

As the firm moves to open up The Sandbox Map, co-founder Sebastian Borget said he believes individual creators and brands will ultimately drive what the metaverse of the future will offer.

Individual creators and brands will ultimately determine the future of the metaverse as opposed to any centralized entity, according to the co-founders of The Sandbox.

On Nov. 3, the team behind the Ethereum-based metaverse announced on X it had made The Sandbox Map accessible to everyone, where “LAND” owners can publish their own experiences without needing to partake in an application process (which was previously required).

“Now [anyone] can open their experience to the public [and] make it accessible, which will increase the amount of experience and content that people can play and discover on the platform,” Sandbox co-founder Sebastien Borget told Cointelegraph in an earlier Nov. 2 interview during Hong Kong FinTech Week.

The notion that users can create and own content and property in Web3 is at the forefront of Sandbox’s strategy, Borget iterated.

“They discover blockchain not because of the value of the asset, but because they can create content.”

Updates to Game Maker and a new fund

Sandbox said it will also update its Game Maker tool before 2024, its experience-building and testing tool that is set to introduce new gameplay mechanics, templates and social interactions to make content production even easier.

The firm will also “reignite” its new 100 million SAND Game Maker Fund (currently worth $36 million) next year to build on those updates.

Borget said this will drive engagement across a range of industries:

“[It will] drive more engagement, more replayability, more fun and new social interaction as we define the future of music, the future of fashion, sport, entertainment, art and culture on the platform.”

Borget said Game Maker’s tools have simplified the process for new creators to get started:

“Game Maker has been a gateway to bring a new breed of creators that then design new experiences and then over time monetize it by selling on marketplace and introducing their own.”

Meanwhile, Sandbox co-founder and CEO, Arthur Madrid, said the firm has helped connect brands to fans of late by running contests to rebuild New York’s Times Square and architectures in The Walking Dead, among other things.

The firm is working to incorporate multiplayer capabilities which will drive this audience engagement. But Madrid acknowledged the difficulty with integrating multiplayer capabilities in metaverses at scale, particularly on blockchains.

Related: Metaverse ‘explosion’ will be driven by B2B, not retail consumers: KPMG partner

Over 400 partners have signed up to The Sandbox, including Warner Music Group, Ubisoft, Gucci Vault, Snoop Dogg, Invincible and Adidas.

Looking ahead however, Borget acknowledged that metaverse adoption won’t take off until more defined use cases are established in virtual worlds, as incoming users are ultimately looking for memorable experiences to gravitate towards.

Magazine: Web3 Gamer: Apple to fix gaming? SEC hates Metaverse, Logan Paul trolled on Steam

Solana-to-Bitcoin cross-chain bridge aims for Q3 2024 launch

Nifty News: Adidas unveils resident Web3 artists, Mutant Ape sells for 500 ETH and more…

Yuga Labs is gearing up to launch a new game in the Otherside metaverse, but its not 3D, while NFT trading volume for NFL All Day pumped 570% over the past seven days.

The Adidas /// Studio, also known as the Triple Stripes Studio, has launched a Web3-based digital artist in residency program to showcase and support budding creators in the NFT space.

The program was announced on Aug. 31, and it will officially launch on Sept. 4 via a series of online and in-person events that will run until Sept. 11.

According to the program’s website, the aim is to collaborate with up-and-coming artists and provide a “creative pathway for digital artists to further connect with the brand and their passionate community of collectors and connoisseurs.”

Adra Kandil, also known as Dearnostalgia and Moto (Monkeemoto) have been unveiled as the first two resident artists of the program, and things will kick off with the sale of two open edition and two limited edition NFT art sales on Sept. 6.

Dearnostalgia utilizes a blend of photography, typography and digital montages to create their work, while Moto’s work revolves around digital illustrations, fashion, landscapes and gaming.

Dearnostalgia and Moto's NFT art. Source: Adidas

The open edition NFTs will be sold for 0.03 Ether (ETH) a pop, or $49 at current prices, while the limited editions will go for 0.15 ETH, or $245.

The Triple Stripes Studio is affiliated with Adidas’ Web3 unit ALTS by Adidas and was launched in January to support the German sportswear giant’s Web3 initiatives.

Yuga Labs gears up to launch new game in Otherside

Bored Ape Yacht Club creator Yuga Labs announced on Aug. 31 that it will be rolling out the open beta for its upcoming Otherside metaverse-based Legends of the Mara (LoTM) later this month.

LoTM will expand on the lore behind Otherside by introducing a new foe to the metaverse dubbed “The Shattered,” while also providing more background on the existing NFT Koda characters.

Despite Otherside being a 3D virtual world, Yuga has described LoTM as a collection-based 2D strategy game, which offers users a chance to utilize their virtual land plots to earn rewards and new NFTs.

The firm also stated the game will evolve over the coming months as it works towards a full launch.

Mutant Ape fetches 500 ETH despite downtrend

In other Yuga-related news, a Mutant Ape Yacht Club (MAYC) NFT sold for a whopping 500 ETH ($817,000) on Sept.1.

Related: Coinbase CEO reveals top 10 crypto ideas he’s urging devs to work on

The NFT in question is MAYC NFT #30002, which is the only token in the collection to have the Mega Zombie trait. It was snapped up by NFT whale and Taiwanese music celebrity Jeffrey Huang, also known as MachiBigBrother.

Despite its rarity, it certainly marks an eye-watering sale given that Yuga Labs’ NFTprojects have been facing significant downturns in 2023, with the MAYC floor price currently sitting at around 5.2 ETH ($8,500).

MAYC NFT #30002

NFL All Day NFT trading surges 570%

According to data from CryptoSlam, the NFT trading volume for Dapper Labs’ NFL All Day project has surged 570% over the past seven days.

That 570% increase marks the biggest trading volume increase out of any of the top 20 highest-selling NFT projects over the past week, with roughly $976,000 worth of NFL ALL Day NFTs changing hands.

While it is hard to pinpoint a specific reason for that significant uptick in interest, the next NFL season is about to kick off on Sept. 7, while NFL All Day also recently introduced a novel new feature for its tokenized player highlight NFTs.

On Aug. 26, the project unveiled “dynamic” NFTs that gradually update or evolve to showcase the player’s best highlights of the new season, adding an extra layer or interactivity with the tokens.

Other Nifty News

Lufthansa, one of the largest airline groups in Europe, has launched its NFT loyalty program on the Polygon Network. The program will allow passengers to turn their trips into NFTs that can unlock rewards, such as miles and business lounge vouchers.

TinyTap, an ed-tech subsidiary of Web3 developer Animoca Brands, announced on Aug. 30 the integration of new artificial intelligence NFT tools aimed at educators and parents.

Magazine: NFT Collector: Giant Swan’s gothic VR dreamscapes… royalty nightmare on OpenSea

Solana-to-Bitcoin cross-chain bridge aims for Q3 2024 launch

Nifty News: BTC miners cash $5M on Ordinals, Reddit NFTs get botting backlash and more

Bitcoin transaction fees from Ordinals inscriptions have exploded by 240% over the last month.

Bitcoin (BTC) miners have pocketed over $5 million from creating nonfungible token (NFT)-like inscriptions using the Ordinals protocol.

Transaction fees for Ordinals transactions exploded 240% from $1.5 million on March 10 to 5.2 million by April 12, according to Dune Analytics data.

The rise came on the back of a rather slow period between Feb. 16 and March 10, which from $1 million to $1.5 million. Prior to thatfees hit the $1 million mark within the first four weeks of the Ordinals protocol launching on Jan 21.

Transaction fees paid for Ordinals inscriptions hit the $5 million mark on April 11. Source: Dune Analytics

Nearly 1.1 million Ordinals have been inscribed on the Bitcoin network, mostly comprising JPEG images and text but also consisting of PDFs, video and audio formats.

Roughly 100 to 500 inscriptions are processed in each Bitcoin block, which usually contains between 2,000 to 3,000 transactions. Block 783,758 on April 3 saw a record 3,785 inscriptions, representing nearly 87% of the entire block.

Reddit’s Gen3 NFTs plagued by botting claims

Online community platform Reddit launched its third batch (Gen 3) of NFTs on April 12 — a “Futures Realities Collection” of Collectible Avatars created by over 100 artists.

Reddit explained in its announcement that the artists behind each limited edition Avatar will receive royalties upon each sale and no cryptocurrency was needed to purchase them.

However, the release didn't come without issues. Many Reddit users claimed they missed out on the sale because spam bots swooped in almost instantly.

Man also believe the bots were the reason behind Reddit's NFT shop crashing shortly after launch.

"They didn't incorporate any type of spam or bot prevention, like a simple captcha. Of course the site got overloaded," one user wrote with another remarking there was "no way you guys didn’t even think of stopping bots during this drop."

Twitter user "Pastel Alpha" tweeted they managed to get "a good amount" of the NFTs "even though the site completely died" and thanked its "bot partners" for helping with its haul.

Reddit previously released a batch of Halloween-themed avatars in October, which was followed by and Super Bowl avatars in February.

Adidas releases first in series of dynamic NFTs

Shoe brand Adidas has released the first leg of its latest dynamic NFT collection “ALTs by Adidas” the latest move by the company on its quest to expand its NFT ecosystem.

The dynamic NFTs will evolve based on the decisions and engagement of the owner, according to an announcement on April 11 which described the collection as the “first step” towards owning an “ALTS by Adidas” identity.

The floor price of each Adidas NFT is 0.666 Ether (ETH) ($1,275) and has raked in 351 ETH ($672,000) in trading volume so far. There are now 8,989 owners, 56% of them unique.

Related: NFT warranties can help mass adoption of the technology, says Web3 exec

There are 16,000 items in total and the creators taking a 10% cut of each sale.

The ALTS by adidas” NFTs are selling for a minimum of around 0.66 ETH. Source: OpenSea

Collectors must buy and burn Phase 1 and 2 of Adidas' "Into the Metaverse" tokens in order to receive the ALTS by Adidas NFT.

Be nonfungible, my friend: Bruce Lee enters Web3

A NFT collection commemorating the late Kung-Fu fighter and movie star, Bruce “Little Dragon” Lee, has been released by the Bruce Lee Estate in partnership with Shibuya, an NFT-driven video platform.

Plans for the release were revealed on April 11 when Lee's Twitter account, managed by his family, shared an old video clip of Lee, which then transformed him into an animated version of himself.

The NFTs sold at a starting price of 0.008 ETH, or $15, and 13,907 were minted in the first 24 hours, totaling over $205,000 according to its smart contract address on Etherscan.

The NFTs were drawn by artist Emily “pplpleasr” Yang and were designed by Shannon Lee — Bruce Lee’s daughter.

Cover album of “House of Lee: Genesis” NFT. Source: Manifold

Despite it being an “open edition” collection, collectors can only mint a maximum of 100 of the NFTs.

Other Nifty News

NFT marketplace OpenSea launched “OpenSea Pro” last week, a new, specialized NFT marketplace aggregator aimed at serving the needs of professional NFT traders. The service was made possible by OpenSea’s acquisition of fellow NFT aggregator, Gem, in April 2022.

An NFT trader fat-fingered a bid for a free NFT buying it at 100 Ether ($191,000). The token was part of NFT marketplace OpenSea’s Gemesis NFT collection to commemorate the launch of OpenSea Pro on April 4. Some believe the trader meant to bid the token for $100 instead.

NFT Creator, Emily Xie: Creating ‘organic’ generative art from robotic algorithms

Solana-to-Bitcoin cross-chain bridge aims for Q3 2024 launch

Nifty News: Celebs lose big on BAYC, Meghan and Harry building a metaverse, and more.

Celebrities are facing huge losses on their Bored Apes bought during the NFT peak, but big names like Sony and Adidas are pushing further into the industry.

Celebrities facing huge losses from BAYC NFTs

The hype behind the Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) over the last year resulted in many celebrities investing in the Ethereum-based nonfungible token (NFT) collection with many, such as singer Justin Bieber, paying top dollar.

Bieber paid 500 Ether (ETH) for BAYC #3001 on Jan. 29, which at the time was valued at around $1.28 million, while the current top offer on the NFT cracks just over $69,500.

According to data from NFT Price Floor, the floor price for the collection has fallen considerably since it peaked at 144.9 ETH on May. 1 this year, which at the time was worth around $396,760, to a current low of 48 ETH, valued at $58,589 at the time of writing.

Many other celebs also rode the wave of hype that saw the Yuga Labs made NFTs become a “blue chip” collection, such as entrepreneur Gary Vee who still has a number of Bored Apes in his 2,400-strong NFT collection, and television host Jimmy Fallon, who bought BAYC #599 for $224,191 on Nov. 8 which has a current top offer of $70,264.

It's not all bad news for Bored Apes though, with BAYC #8633 having been bought from digital art collector Pransky for nearly $747,500 on Nov. 17 showing that there is still a huge demand for Bored Apes with some rare attributes.

The Sussexes in talks for a ‘virtual world’

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are “in advanced talks” with pax.world — a platform allowing users to create their own metaverse, according to a Nov. 15 Mirror article.

Sources allege that Markle is the driving force behind the plan, as a result, the Metaverse has cleverly been dubbed the “Meg-averse.”

The former working royals are thought to be looking for new ways to connect with their fans and see their purported Metaverse as a way “to take their brand fully global.”.

According to pax.world founder Frank Fitzgerald, the Metaverse is perfect for the “progressive, tech-savvy” audience the pair are looking to connect with as they build upon their brand, saying the platform is offering the couple “a plot of prime pax.world land.”

Adidas Originals unveil ‘virtual gear’ collection

Adidas released an Ethereum based NFT collection called the “Genesis collection,” on Nov. 16 featuring a set of wearables designed to be worn by virtual avatars.

Calling the new product “Virtual Gear,” the sportswear giant has labeled the collection as a “new, interoperable product category,” adding:

“[It] accelerates our collective drive towards strengthening web3, and the adidas community-based, member-first, open metaverse pledge”

Building on Adidas’ partnership with BAYC, Mutant Ape Yacht Club and Inhabitants, the 16-piece collection will also allow users who own a wearable Adidas NFT and a participating partner's NFT to “dress up” that NFT with their Adidas virtual wearable.

Owners of the Adidas Originals: Capsule NFT Collection, which launched in May will be able to burn their capsule NFT and have it replaced with a random NFT from the new collection.

Commenting on the collection, the Senior VP of Creative Direction for Adidas Originals Nic Galway said Web3 offers new opportunities for its designers and collaborators and adds a “level of utility that can be explored and even discovered as worlds and avatars take new forms.”

Sony’s NFT gaming patent

In a patent applied for in May 2021 and made public on Nov. 10, technology conglomerate Sony has revealed its intent to incorporate blockchain technology into its games.

The patent shows the company aims to track in-game assets using blockchain technology and NFTs,  including a series of diagrams showing how it would do this.

One of the diagrams showing how Sony envisages its tracking system to work. Image: WIPO

While the filing is just a patent at this time, it may indicate the entertainment behemoth is interested in joining the growing NFT gaming market.

Sony has already dipped its foot into NFTs, after partnering with Theta Labs in May to launch a collection of 3D NFTs viewable on its Spatial Reality Display, that allows visualization of 3D models.

More Nifty News:

Crypto has been front and center at Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with Red Bull Racing featuring NFTs on both the cars of the Red Bull Racing’s driving team following a deal struck with crypto exchange Bybit.

The creator of the BAYC, Yuga Labs, acquired Beeple’s browser-based NFT game on Nov. 15. The game allows players to outfit heroes with crafted loadouts and items to complete missions, and Yuga Labs have hinted that it could be merged into their Otherside metaverse ecosystem.

Solana-to-Bitcoin cross-chain bridge aims for Q3 2024 launch

Nifty News: Nike unveils NFT platform, Steve Jobs’ sandals sell for $200K and more

A one-of-a-kind NFT of the Birkenstocks sandals worn by Apple co-founder Steve Jobs at various times during his life has sold for over $200,000.

Nike’s Dot Swoosh platform lands

Footwear and apparel giant Nike has unveiled its latest foray into the nonfungible token (NFT) and metaverse space with the launch of an NFT marketplace named .Swoosh.

While .Swoosh is still in the beta phase, Nike announced that its “first digital collection” is set to launch on the Web3 platform in 2023, with the rest of 2022 devoted to growing the platform and user base.

Among the “virtual creations” to become available next year are digital sneakers, apparel, accessories and other collectibles. In addition, some will unlock benefits such as access to real-life products and events.

Following the first collection drop, members can enter a community challenge to win the opportunity to co-create a virtual product with Nike.

According to Nike, the winners of the challenge can earn an undisclosed amount of royalties on the virtual product they help co-create.

Ron Faris, general manager of Nike Virtual Studios, said .Swoosh offers a “gateway into a new digital arena,” while the Twitter post from Nike said the platform would help “onboard the next millions” into the “wonderful world of web3 and digital assets.”

“We are shaping a marketplace of the future with an accessible platform for the web3-curious,” he added.

In 2021, Nike entered the metaverse game through the acquisition of virtual sneakers and collectibles brand RTFKT. It also launched the virtual world Nikeland.

.SWOOSH uses similar tools and technologies but all three are different projects for the company.

Steve Jobs NFT sandals go under the hammer

A one-of-a-kind NFT of the Birkenstocks sandals worn by Apple co-founder Steve Jobs at various times during his life has sold for $218,750 at an auction.

Steve Jobs sandals, complete with imprints of his feet. Source: Julien's Auctions

Julien’s Auctions ran the auction from Nov. 11 to Nov. 13, with 19 people overall trying to claim the footwear with offers ranging from $15,000 to $175,000.

Included in the deal was an NFT featuring a 360° digital representation of Steve Jobs sandals, which was minted on the Polygon blockchain.

The NFT is a 1-of-1 edition and included the physical sandals, with the “imprint of Steve Jobs’ feet.” It also came with a hard case for storage and transport and a Jean Pigozzi book titled The 213 Most Important Men in My Life.

Initially, the sandals and NFT were projected to fetch between $60,000 and $80,000, but after 19 bids, the sandals ended up going for $218,750. The new owner of the sandal NFT has not been publically disclosed.

Jobs and Steve Wozniak co-founded Apple in 1976. Jobs died of pancreatic cancer in 2011.

First airport metaverse takes flight in India 

Bangalore International Airport has launched Metaport, a metaverse airport built on the Polygon blockchain. 

Inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Nov. 11, the metaverse features a virtual reproduction of Terminal 2 at Bangalore International Airport and allows users to network with other travelers, access entertainment and go shopping in the digital space.

Arpit Sharma, vice president of enterprises at Polygon, posted a Nov. 12 video of Metaport in action.

In the video, a user logs into the Metaverse airport, customizes their avatar’s appearance and clothing and then wanders around the virtual space.

The avatar interacts with several other users through a text-based chat, goes on an art tour and gets the chance to purchase digital items before a boarding call prompts the user to leave the metaverse. 

The project is the result of a joint venture between Bangalore International Airport, Polygon, Intel and Amazon Web Services and is being called the first metaverse airport in the world by its creators.

2022 FIFA World Cup NFTs kicking off 

The 2022 FIFA World Cup is rapidly approaching its Nov. 20 kickoff in Qatar and in the leadup, several companies have been releasing NFT collections and announcing Web3 games for the event. 

Sportswear manufacturer Adidas posted a Nov. 14 promotional trailer for the World Cup featuring its Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) character Indigo Herz alongside Lionel Messi and other players. 

Herz was on a cereal box of “Indigoooooals.”

The footwear giant purchased Indigo Herz, or BAYC #8774, on Sept. 17, 2021, for 46 Ether (ETH) — worth approximately $58,500 at the time.

Yuga Labs grants holders full intellectual property rights to use the characters for commercial endeavors.

Related: Wuhan omits NFTs from metaverse plan amid regulatory uncertainty in China

Earlier this month, major credit card company Visa released five soccer-themed NFTs for auction on Nov. 1 featuring World Cup goals of famous players. The auction lasted until Nov. 8, with all proceeds donated to a United Kingdom-based charity.

The payments company is also giving fans a chance to create their own NFTs on a digital pitch at the FIFA Fan Festival, which will launch during the World Cup.

On Oct. 14, Budweiser partnered with FIFA to release a live scoreboard NFT collection called Budverse X World Cup.

According to the OpenSea description, once users mint their world cup team, the NFT will follow and track the progress throughout the FIFA World Cup.

Meanwhile, FIFA announced on Nov. 9 they will have at least four Web3 games that fans can play while at the World Cup.

More Nifty News:

NFT marketplace OpenSea announced it will continue to enforce royalties across all collections going forward, following an outcry from creators for considering otherwise.

Web3 technology has opened a whole new frontier for musicians, but the head of IP at Animal Concerts metaverse platform says onboarding someone like Snoop who is active in the space is very different from “artists who don’t typically keep up with the Web3 ecosystem.”

Solana-to-Bitcoin cross-chain bridge aims for Q3 2024 launch

Bitpay Reveals Prepaid Cardholders Can Get up to 15% Cash Back Rewards via Select Retailers

Bitpay Reveals Prepaid Cardholders Can Get up to 15% Cash Back Rewards via Select RetailersThe Atlanta-based crypto payment services company Bitpay has announced that Bitpay’s prepaid cardholders are eligible for cash back rewards if they use their card with participating retailers. The rewards feature stems from Bitpay’s partnership with Cardlytics and cardholders can get up to 15% in cash back rewards on purchases from the service from thousands of […]

Solana-to-Bitcoin cross-chain bridge aims for Q3 2024 launch

Funko Plans to Launch Jay and Silent Bob NFT Collection via the Digital Collectibles Platform Droppp

Funko Plans to Launch Jay and Silent Bob NFT Collection via the Digital Collectibles Platform DropppThree months ago, Funko Inc., disclosed that it was entering the non-fungible token (NFT) industry when it announced it acquired a majority ownership stake in the NFT startup Tokenwave. At the time, Funko’s CEO Brian Mariotti explained that “Funko Pop digital NFTs” have the potential to be a “game-changer.” On Friday, Funko announced the company […]

Solana-to-Bitcoin cross-chain bridge aims for Q3 2024 launch

Sneaker Giant Adidas and Ready Player Me Partner to Launch AI-Generated Avatar Creation Platform

Sneaker Giant Adidas and Ready Player Me Partner to Launch AI-Generated Avatar Creation PlatformThe German multinational corporation that crafts athletic shoes, sportswear, and accessories, Adidas announced on Tuesday the company is collaborating with Ready Player Me, a cross-game avatar platform for the metaverse. Adidas and Ready Player Me will launch a personality based AI generated avatar creation platform featuring the Adidas Originals’ Ozworld shoe collection. Adidas Collaborates With […]

Solana-to-Bitcoin cross-chain bridge aims for Q3 2024 launch