StepN will be the first Blockchain Gaming app to integrate Apple Pay

Move-to-earn app StepN has become the first blockchain gaming app to integrate with Apple Pay, according to a May 22, 2023 announcement shared with nft now.

A product from the Web3 development studio Find Satoshi Lab (FSL), StepN was released in December 2020 and made a name for itself as the first move-to-earn app in the App Store. The app allows users to purchase virtual sneakers and collect rewards for physical activities such as walking or running, which are tracked via a user’s synced smartphone. At its peak in May 2022, StepN’s number of active monthly users reached over 705,000, according to Dune Analytics. A year later, the number is just under 30,000.

Despite this decline, StepN continues to innovate. This new fiat onramp partnership marks a remarkable step forward in the convergence of web2 and Web3 technologies and is expected to simplify access to StepN products and facilitate further user growth.

Lowering the barrier to Web3 entry

StepN’s Apple Pay integration eliminates the need for users to connect to a crypto wallet to make in-app transactions. Instead, users can add credit or debit card information to Apple Wallet on iPhone, reducing transaction complexity. This simplification is aimed at increasing convenience and payment security, as users’ card details are not stored in the app itself.

Co-founder of FSL, Rong yawnedexpressed optimism for the implications of this integration in the press release announcing the integration and expects the partnership to advance Web3 technology’s mainstream availability.

“This integration opens us up to a whole new audience, making Web3 more accessible to the masses, and it’s crucial to bridge the gap between web2 and Web3 technologies in a way that’s never been seen before,” Rong said in the release.

Rong’s co-founder, Jerry Huang, echoed this sentiment, highlighting how Apple Pay integration can improve the user journey and “ensure that the Web3 space reaches a level of maturity it requires to become mainstream.” Huang credits much of StepN’s success—from the release of notable products to user onboarding—to the community’s dedication.

The recent partnership with Apple Pay follows shortly after news of StepN’s New Horizon Initiative, a rewards program for StepN’s most loyal community members. Holders of the StepN Genesis Sneakers, the rarest NFT sneakers in the app, were treated to an estimated $80 million GMT airdrop, the official token of the FSL ecosystem, in February of this year. The Apple Pay collaboration represents one of several partnerships with high-profile brands in recent months, including a co-branded sneaker launch with Atlético Madrid and a limited-edition physical sneaker collection in partnership with ASICS and Solana Pay in 2022.

This move to integrate Apple Pay into the StepN platform underscores a growing trend of cross-industry partnerships as Web3 brands look for ways to build project sustainability and provide community rewards while gaining a foothold among a non-crypto-native consumer base.

Editor’s note: This article was written by an nft employee in collaboration with OpenAI’s GPT-4.