Sports Giant Nike Expands into Video Games, but Unclear if NFTs Will Be Involved
Nike’s blockchain and digital wearables division, .Swoosh, announced its plans to further enter the video game space in the upcoming year. However, it remains unclear whether their future gaming activations will include NFTs or not. According to a blog post by Nike’s .Swoosh, the value of virtual products should be based on the enjoyment they provide and the ability to express oneself rather than just being a transaction. The company plans to launch a new line of virtual products called Nike In-Game Wearables that can be directly purchased and worn in favorite video games.
In-Game Wearables: Not Necessarily NFTs
It is stated that collectors of these in-game wearables will not require crypto wallets. Instead, linking their game accounts will be sufficient. However, it is still unclear whether these upcoming wearables will be NFTs or not. Nike has been cautious about the phrasing of its digital items in the past and has not always released them on the blockchain. While they previously released digital sneaker NFTs on Polygon and hinted at collaborations with EA Sports and Fortnite, the Fortnite tie-in turned out to be a non-blockchain digital collectibles push.
Distinction Between Digital Collectibles and In-Game Wearables
Nike’s blog post emphasizes that there is a distinction between their “digital collectibles” or NFTs and “in-game wearables.” This suggests that the latter may not be related to crypto but more similar to their Fortnite collaboration. However, owners of Nike digital collectibles (NFTs) will have the option to move those items to personal crypto wallets later this year. Nike also mentioned that they won’t be creating their own NFT marketplace, as it could distract from their product creation and storytelling.
Uncertainty Surrounding NFT Involvement
It is currently unclear how many of Nike’s upcoming video game integrations will involve NFTs. Nike has not responded to requests for comment regarding this matter. Therefore, not every Nike .Swoosh release will necessarily mean an NFT drop is imminent.
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