Nike teases upcoming ‘Airphoria’ NFT sneaker hunt on Fortnite

In a short promotional video, Nike’s logo for its web3 platform .SWOOSH features alongside the logos for Epic Games’ Unreal Engine and Fortnite game.

Footwear and apparel giant Nike has hinted that it may soon drop a collection of sneaker nonfungible tokens in Epic Games’ widely popular online game Fortnite.

The move would mark a potentially huge opportunity for Web3 adoption by traditional gamers, given that Fortnite has had more than 242.9 million active players over the past 30 days, according to Active Player.

Great catch with the @dotSWOOSH reference. @FortniteGame integration would be the biggest thing that's ever happened with NFTs
— Jalazo.eth (@nft4dummies) June 16, 2023

In a June 16 announcement across Nike’s social media channels, the firm stated that on June 20 the “ultimate Sneakerhunt begins.”

In a brief accompanying video, Fortnite’s logo and Nike’s Air Max logo are featured front and center amongst a backdrop of floating clouds in the sky.

The video then transitions to reveal the name of the sneaker hunt, “Airphoria” and concludes by showing Nike’s logo for its web3 platform .SWOOSH alongside the logo for Epic Games’ Unreal Engine.

On 6.20 the ultimate Sneakerhunt begins. ️️ pic.twitter.com/QgMyA1uXRT
— Nike (@Nike) June 16, 2023

Details are sparse at this stage, however, members of the NFT community speculated that Nike may have built an NFT-related game using Fornite Creative 2.0, which essentially enables users to create their virtual island game maps using Fortnite assets.

“I remember that Fortnite recently launched Fortnite Creative 2.0, which has a strong self-built map mode similar to creating games on ROBLOX. I guess Nike may have used this mode to create a game. Two years ago, Nike also created a game on ROBLOX, but it was not combined with NFT[s] at that time,” noted @clone_news_cn.

While it is not 100% confirmed if NFTs will be a part of Airphoria, .SWOOSH’s involvement would suggest that it is on the cards, while Epic Games also holds a friendly stance towards NFT gaming.

Nike’s NFT unit has been ramping up its efforts to edge its way into the traditional gaming space of late.

On June 1, .SWOOSH announced that its NFTs will be integrated into games developed by EA Sports, the company behind the hugely successful FIFA soccer game franchise, among others. However it has not been confirmed which EA Sports games will eventually have Nike NFTs in them.

EA SPORTS @dotSWOOSH https://t.co/hNxxdaMgRL pic.twitter.com/NH8vp0fWoQ
— EA SPORTS (@EASPORTS) June 1, 2023

Magazine: NFT Creator: ‘Holy shit, I’ve seen that!’ — Coldie’s Snoop Dogg, Vitalik and McAfee NFTs

Nifty News: NFT and Web3 gaming console to launch in 2024, Chinese firms to check ID for NFT buying, and more

Blockchain Game

The console's creators say it will be compatible with eight blockchains and have its own digital wallet, token, and marketplace, with a prototype coming in “a few months.”

Polium, a company that markets itself as “building the products and infrastructure for Web3 gaming,” has said it's launching a gaming console that will support multiple blockchains and nonfungible tokens (NFTs).

The “Polium One” console announced on July 3 is slated for an initial Q3 2024 release and will support the Ethereum (ETH), Solana (SOL), Polygon (MATIC), BNB Chain (BNB), ImmutableX, Harmony, EOS, and WAX blockchains.

We are introducing the Polium One, A multi-chain console for Web 3 Gaming. #Web3OnConsole pic.twitter.com/tkRaP2O13A
— Polium (@Polium__) July 2, 2022

Currently, the only specifications listed for the console are that it will support a 4K Ultra HD resolution at 120 frames per second. Polium says its community will help them build the console’s hardware and software and states it will have a functional prototype in “a few months.”

According to Polium, the console will feature its own multichain cryptocurrency wallet, and the controller will have a wallet button for users to make trades more efficiently. Security and verification of transactions from the console will be enabled via a fingerprint scanner on the controller.

The console's price is unknown, but Polium does plan to mint a “Polium Pass” NFT, which will allow holders to claim a console on the initial launch day. Pass holders will receive another NFT, which in the future can be staked for a “PLAY” token, the console's native token for transacting on its marketplace app.

Polium plans on releasing 10,000 consoles to Polium Pass holders and partners on the Q3 2024 initial launch, with more units manufactured for the public in Q3 2025. It has set a goal of selling over 1 million units.

The company has already received criticism for its logo looking similar to another popular console, the Nintendo GameCube. Polium said it didn’t copy the logo and is already creating a new logo “that is original.”

Man logo looks kinda familiar... pic.twitter.com/bruj4gX35D
— ben shambrook (@shambrookben) July 4, 2022

Chinese tech giants to check ID before NFT purchases

China’s NFT industry players and the country’s largest technology firms have signed an agreement to check the identity of users using digital collectible trading platforms, according to a report on July 4 from the South China Morning Post.

A so-called “self-discipline initiative” document was signed by companies with a stake in China’s NFT market, such as JD.com, Tencent Holdings, Baidu, and digital payments platform Ant Group, an affiliate of Alibaba Group.

The document was published on June 30 by the China Cultural Industry Association and, while not legally binding, calls on the firms to “require real-name authentication of those who issue, sell and buy” NFTs, and “only support legal tender as the denomination and settlement currency.”

The initiative also seeks for the companies to promise not to create secondary marketplaces for NFTs to combat trading speculation.

The popularity of NFTs in China is on the rise, and digital collectable platforms have grown 5X in just four months from February to mid-June 2022 despite multiple warnings from the government.

Nike looking to create video game NFTs

A patent filed by Nike Inc. on June 30 with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) shows the fitness clothier is interested in a “video game integration” of NFTs.

As per the filing, Nike seeks to patent a method where a “virtual object” will display in games, where that object is a “virtual shoe, article of apparel, headgear, avatar, or pet.” Other language in the filing suggests Nike plans to sell the physical shoes and clothes represented within the NFTs.

The reasoning presented in the filing suggests Nike is concerned with counterfeit digital collectibles and says there “exists a need for a retailer to more directly influence and control the nature and ultimate supply of digital objects within this virtual market.”

It also reasons an opportunity exists for it to capitalize and engage with video game players as most games feature customizable characters, which could make them “more engaged with a brand in the physical world.”

More Nifty News:

The second-largest sale of an Ethereum Name Service (ENS) domain not only in U.S. dollars but also in Ethereum happened on July 3 when the domain “000.eth” sold for 300 ETH, roughly $320,000. The highest sale of an ENS domain was for “paradigm.eth” in October 2021, which fetched 420 ETH, around $1.5 million at the time.

Social media platform Facebook will add support for NFTs, and a “digital collectibles” tab will appear on the pages of selected creators in the U.S., with a feature to cross-post between Instagram and Facebook rolling out eventually.

nike nfts