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

by · November 15, 2022

Nike’s Dot Swoosh Platform Lands

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

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

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

After the first collection, members can enter a community challenge to win the chance to create a virtual product with Nike.

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

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

“We are shaping a future marketplace 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 rare NFT of Birkenstocks sandals worn by Apple founder Steve Jobs at various times during his life has sold for $218,750 at auction.

Steve Jobs’ sandals, complete with prints of his feet. Source: Julien’s Auctions

Julien’s Auctions ran the auction from November 11 to November 13, with a total of 19 people trying to claim the footwear with bids ranging from $15,000 to $175,000.

Included in the deal was an NFT with 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 with the title The 213 most important men in my life.

Initially, the sandals and NFT were estimated 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 announced.

Jobs and Steve Wozniak 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 November 11, Metaverse features a virtual reproduction of Terminal 2 at Bangalore International Airport and allows users to network with other travelers, access entertainment and shop in the digital space.

Arpit Sharma, vice president of enterprise 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 buy 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.

The 2022 FIFA World Cup NFTs kick off

The 2022 FIFA World Cup is fast approaching its kickoff on November 20 in Qatar, and ahead of it, several companies have released NFT collections and announced Web3 games for the event.

Sportswear manufacturer Adidas released a World Cup campaign trailer on November 14 featuring its Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) character Indigo Herz alongside Lionel Messi and other players.

Herz was on a cereal box with “Indigooooals.”

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

Yuga Labs grants its 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 from famous players. The auction ran until November 8, and all proceeds were donated to a UK-based charity.

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

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

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

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

More good news:

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

Web3 technology has opened up a whole new frontier for musicians, but the head of IP at Animal Concert’s metaverse platform says that tapping into someone like Snoop who’s active in the space is very different from “artists who don’t usually follow Web3- the ecosystem. ”