The collaboration between Nike and Fortnite could supercharge the integration of Web3 in gaming circles.
Nike, the globally recognized apparel powerhouse, dropped a cryptic hint about its upcoming non-fungible token (NFT) sneaker collection drop on Fortnite, the popular online game by Epic Games.
Considering Fortnite's active player count in the past 30 days surpassing a staggering 242.9 million, this venture could lead to a monumental breakthrough for Web3 adoption.
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On June 16th, Nike took to various social media channels to announce that on June 20th, the "ultimate Sneakerhunt begins."
It prominently displayed the Air Max logo from Nike and Fortnite against a dreamy skyline filled with cotton candy-like clouds. The narrative took a thrilling turn as the video revealed the name "Airphoria," signaling the commencement of the much-anticipated sneaker hunt.
At the end of the video, Nike’s logo for its Web3 platform, .Swoosh was shown alongside Epic Games’ Unreal Engine logo. Despite the lack of specific details at this stage, these visual cues fuelled speculation within the NFT community.
Several avid NFT enthusiasts speculate that Nike might have leveraged the Fortnite Creative 2.0 platform to develop an NFT-centric game. A tweet from a user recalled:
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.
While there was no information confirming the integration of NFTs into "Airphoria," the involvement of .Swoosh, Nike's Web3 platform, offers a hint. Given that Epic Games is known for its positive outlook toward NFT gaming, it's plausible that NFTs could play a significant role in this endeavor.
Nike's NFT division has been persistently amplifying its presence in the traditional gaming ecosystem. As part of this initiative, .Swoosh announced on June 1st that its NFTs would be incorporated into games developed by EA Sports.
The stage is set for an exciting evolution in the gaming landscape as tech-savvy sneakers meet NFTs in Fortnite's virtual battleground. The world will be watching eagerly as June 20th may mark the dawn of a new era, the era of "Airphoria."
