Web3 Round Up 10-16-23

A roundup of activity in NFT, Metaverse, Gaming and AI

Brand Web3 Activity

Monopoly Partners with World Of Women

• NFT collection World of Women and popular board game Monopoly are collaborating on a crypto/NFT themed version of the popular board game

• The board game will see the Ethereum symbol used for money and include World of Women characters among other web3 references

• World of Women holders will not receive exclusive access or discounts

• The collaboration notably does not have a digital extension either

• World Of Women have said that there will be special rewards for holders but there is no clarity as of now

• Article links:

  • https://nftnow.com/news/exclusive-interview-world-of-women-unveils-monopoly-collaboration/

Vee Friends Collaborate with Crocs

• Vee Friends continues its recent run of collaborations, this time partnering with Crocs to design Halloween themed jibbitz that can be displayed on Crocs

• The collaboration will include 5 Vee Friend characters such as “Well Connected Werewolf” and “Jolly Jack O Lantern”

• Aside from the jibbitz the collaboration will also see a Vee Friends and Crocs designed float at the 50th Annual Village Halloween Parade in NYC

• The collection goes live on Oct 19th and will be priced at $19.99

• Article links:

  • https://nftnow.com/collectibles/veefriends-crocs-brew-special-halloween-monster-squad-charms/

.swoosh Debuts First IRL sneaker

• Nike’s web3 counterpart .swoosh has just shown off what will be its first physical sneaker

• The sneaker “TINAJ” will be available for people who have unveiled an OF1 Box NFT before the cut off date of October 16

• All eligible holders will be able to purchase a TINAJ for $120 exclusively on the SNKRS app

• Article links:

  • https://nftnow.com/runway/nike-dot-swoosh-debuts-air-force-one-tinaj/

Adidas and Moncler Collaboration Includes AI and NFTs

• Adidas and Moncler have teamed up for a web3 friendly collaboration that involves a variety of emerging technologies

• The collaboration is titled “The Art of Explorers” and the video promotion sees the inclusion of AI generated “explorers” alongside mixed media sculptures

• There is also an immersive digital experience that can be accessed from desktop

• Users can purchase the collection directly from the digital experience by interacting with billboards

• Finally there is also an NFT element with 3,000 digital boots being up for grabs

  • Certain Adidas NFT holders can claim for free with the rest going out for sale

  • The boots are just an art piece for now but “will evolve through the Adidas web3 ecosystem” according to their website

• Article links:

  • https://decrypt.co/199800/adidas-moncler-fashion-collab-features-ai-adventurers-nfts

X Launches Creator Streaming Service

• X has ventured into the creator streaming world with its newest live stream feature

• The newest feature puts the social media app as a direct competitor to sites such as Twitch and Rumble though adoption of this feature is still in its infancy

• In an effort to encourage streamers on the platform Elon Musk has been streaming himself play his favorite video game Diablo 4

• Article links:

  • https://decrypt.co/199798/elon-musk-livestream-diablo-iv-twitter-twitch

Starbucks Odyssey Activates Around Pumpkin Spice Season

• The loyalty program continues to engage consumers with activations and sell NFTs tied to cultural moments on the brand calendar

• The latest ‘Journey’ includes a metaverse activation that has the player collect ingredients used in Pumpkin Spice lattes

• The associated stamp sale is five versions of its popular fall drink: the pumpkin spice latte

• The stamps were sold for $20 each and roughly 9,000 pumpkin spice NFT’s were minted

• The stamps provide users 250 points towards their account score and can be combined through an NFT burn mechanism to create

• Article links:

  • https://decrypt.co/200163/starbucks-selling-pumpkin-spice-latte-nfts-no-really

Louis Vuitton Launches Discord

• Louis Vuitton is no stranger to web3 having released several NFT projects over the years, though now they are giving their digital communities a place to connect in the form of a discord server

• There will be a separate channel for Via Trunk holders

  • Via is a Louis Vuitton NFT collection that minted over the summer with each soulbound NFT costing $41,000

• Article links:

  • https://nftnow.com/news/louis-vuitton-debuts-on-discord/

Sotheby's and Ledger Release a Limited Line of Wallets

• Sotheby’s and Ledger have teamed up to release a limited line, though it will not be hitting the masses anytime soon

• These limited edition hardware wallets will be presented to “purchasers of top digital art” through a Sotheby’s auction

• There is also an educational element to this collaboration with Ledger Academy producing content that will be published to the Sotheby’s Metaverse

  • The goal being to introduce art buyers to digital art and self custody safety

• Article links:

  • https://nftnow.com/news/sothebys-and-ledger-partner-for-limited-edition-hardware/

Native Web3

Gutter Cat Gang Acquired

• Gutter Cat Gang has been acquired by a prominent community member “Noah”

• The deal saw the original Gutter Labs LLC dissolved and a new LLC Gutter Entertainment created

• Details are sparse but many are reporting that the original founders did not receive any monetary compensation for the company

• Noah will be injecting the company with $500k of his own funds

• The news was generally received well with the Gutter Cat collection raising over 50% in price after the announcement

• Article links:

  • https://nftnow.com/news/gutter-labs-acquired-by-community-member/

OpenSea Announces Creator Studio

• OpenSea has added one of their biggest features yet; the ability for artists to mint NFT’s directly on the platform through the OpenSea website

• This allows artists from all walks of life to join the platform, as minting a collection is now as simple as clicking a couple of buttons and requires no coding knowledge

• This feature allows creators to mint NFTs on a variety of blockchains as well as in a variety of ways, it also allows customers to use a credit card opposed to a crypto wallet when purchasing

• Article links:

  • https://opensea.io/blog/articles/introducing-opensea-studio

Yuga Labs Announces Lay Offs

• Web3 behemoth Yuga Labs has announced lays offs and a refocusing of the company

• The restructure saw the Metaverse Otherside absorbing many of the business units within Yuga such as 10KTF and MEEBITS

• This news comes during a tough time for the company, with many of their most die hard fans upset over the lack of rewards and and disappointing game releases

• Forge as well as their most recent game Legends of the Mara are still not being fully operational despite its release two weeks ago

• The Yuga Labs CEO stated that going forward “Every ongoing digital connection will be part of and reinforce the Otherside evolution. This encompasses gaming, entertainment experiences, interactive social connections, and a range of unique initiatives”.

• Article links:

  • https://nftnow.com/news/yuga-labs-restructuring-with-us-layoffs/

Pudgy Penguins Plushies Available in all Smyth Stores

• Hot off the heels of their impressive Walmart deal, Pudgy Penguins have now jumped the pond and have invaded Smyths, the largest toy retailer in the UK and Ireland

• The toys themselves are the same, sold at Walmart as well as Amazon and include the web3 applications as seen in the USA

• Article links:

  • https://x.com/pudgypenguins/status/1710022381563945391?s=46&t=_7pDgE5H9aTXqeaCBEEtYw

AI News

Adobe Showcases Next Gen Fashion

• Adobe has just given the world a taste of what may be the future of fashion

• During the Adobe Max 2023 event they unveiled “Primrose” an interactive dress that can change shape and design seamlessly in a matter of seconds

• The dress can not only change designs but also incorporate animated moving patterns

• The dress truly must be seen to be believed and the full demo can be found below

• Article links:

  • https://www.ndtv.com/lifestyle/viral-adobes-high-tech-fashion-project-primrose-is-an-interactive-dress-that-changes-shapes-and-designs-in-seconds-4480550

Deepfakes Are Becoming More Prevalent

• Deepfakes are getting harder to distinguish and are beginning to see the nefarious uses that many predicted

• Recently there has been a slew of deepfake videos of celebrities endorsing products or asking customers to click on scam links

  • Mr. Beast recently tweeted to his 24 million followers alerting them to a deepfake video of him that promises users $2 iPhones if they click the link attached to the video

  • Tom Hanks alerted his social media audience to a similar scheme involving a fake dental plan using an AI generated version of himself

• Scams links aren’t the only dangers of deepfakes

  • There are also many videos of deepfake celebrities offering false endorsements of products and even Robin Williams voice has been used to narrate a commercial

• Article links:

  • https://decrypt.co/200012/celebrity-deepfakes-mr-beast-tom-hanks-robin-williams

Metaverse / Gaming

Mythical Games Launches New Web3 Mobile Game: Nitro Nation

• Mythical Games has been on a mobile gaming tear as of late

• They recently shifted their flagship game Blankos Bloc Party to mobile, released the popular NFL Rivals which has now done over $2M in secondary volume on their marketplace

• And now they have released a racing mobile game titled “Nitro Nation World Tour”

• The game itself is a drag racing game where the cars themselves are NFTs

• These cars have all been licensed from major brands such as Mclaren, Aston Martin and Jaguar

• The game is also collaborating with popular electronic musician DeadMau5

  • A DeadMau5 car can be unlocked by completing the DeadMau5 in-game racing event

  • DeadMau5 will also be using the game as tour visuals on his upcoming tour

• Article links:

  • https://decrypt.co/200314/deadmau5-backed-nitro-nation-nft-racing-game-ios-android

Amazon is Giving Away Gaming NFTs

• Amazon is doubling down when it comes to blockchain gaming

• All Amazon Prime subscribers can currently claim several free NFTs as well as a number of non NFT items that can be used in Amazon supported web3 games

• The games include, Mojo Melee, Blankos Bloc Party and My Pet Hooligan, which recently announced a 12 month collaboration with Prime Gaming

• Article links:

  • https://decrypt.co/151872/amazon-giving-away-free-gaming-nfts-how-claim

Yuga Labs Invests in Spatial Computing Startup

• Yuga Labs has made an investment into “Hadean”, a startup focused on spatial computing

• Specifically, Hadean is creating technology that allows thousands of players to be on the same digital map concurrently

• With this funding Hadean will create a US based team dedicated to working solely on Yuga Labs upcoming Metaverse Otherside

• Article links:

  • https://decrypt.co/200313/bored-ape-maker-invests-spatial-computing-startup-power-otherside

Crypto

Coinbase to Launch in Singapore

• Coinbase has launched its services in Singapore after a lengthy governmental approval process

• Coinbase can now be accessed by individuals and intuitions within Singapore

• Coinbase has also already integrated with Singapore’s digital identity application “SingPass”

• Article links:

  • https://decrypt.co/199727/coinbase-lands-full-operating-license-singapore