Web3 Round Up 6-26-2023

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

Brand Activity

Nike x Fortnite: Airphoria

• Nike and Fortnite launched the Airphoria limited experience leveraging the newly available Unreal Editor for Fortnite in order to feature Nike’s Air Max shoe

• Players participate in the ultimate ‘sneaker hunt’ to find Air Max Grails and earn an in-game reward in the process, the Air Max 1 '86 Back Bling

• The Nike experience is only available for a week

• Players with a .Swoosh account can link it to their Epic accounts to receive a soul bound token that promises future utility

• Users who purchase the Nike items in the Fortnite store are also given a separate soul bound token on their .swoosh profile

• Article links:

  • https://www.epicgames.com/site/en-US/news/nike-debuts-airphoria-in-fortnite

  • https://twitter.com/carl_m101/status/1671247917905231873?s=46&t=_7pDgE5H9aTXqeaCBEEtYw

  • https://twitter.com/nike/status/1669736937085861888?s=46&t=_7pDgE5H9aTXqeaCBEEtYw

Gucci X Koda Claim is live

• Collectors can now claim their IRL Gucci Koda pendent through July 6, 2023

• Gucci’s Chief of Metaverse Experiences has hinted their will be more collaborations between the brand and Yuga Labs projects, including 10KTF, Bored Apes and Otherside

• While the collection sold impressively, it was Yuga’s first drop that did not sell out

• Article Links:

  • https://nftevening.com/act-fast-gucci-kodapendant-holders-can-now-claim-their-physical-treasures/

LVMH partners with Epic

• LVMH will direct all the brands under its umbrella to use the digital suite offered by Epic Games such as Unreal Engine 5

• The partnership is focused on new customer experiences rather than collaborations with Epic’s portfolio of games (though that is a distinct possibility as well)

• LVMH group managing director Toni Belloni said to Glossy that the Epic tools will help the company “engage more effectively with younger generations who are very much at ease with these codes and uses.”

• Its worth noting that Black Station is brought up in this article as an example of brands utilizing unreal engine

• Article links:

  • https://www.forbes.com/sites/walterloeb/2023/06/19/lvmh-is-growing-through-partnership-with-epic-games/?sh=780f26a87849

NFTs

Azuki to Launch Incremental ‘Elemental’s Collection

• The collection will launch tomorrow via Dutch Auction and was announced at a Las Vegas event for holders

• The collection is 20,000 PFPs with 10,000 already airdropped to holders (live at the event)

• Article links:

  • https://decrypt.co/146153/azuki-expands-new-20k-ethereum-nft-collection-elementals

Goblintown Graffiti Appears in Popular Streamed Game, Only Up!

• Only Up! is the latest game that streamers are playing Goblintown “graffiti” has been spotted all over it in another strong guerrila marketing tactic

• Some of these streams saw over 100,000 views, highlighting a tactic for spreading brand awareness

• TBD if there is any partnership beyond the advertising

• Article link:

  • https://twitter.com/corralesofweb3/status/1670724099067514880?s=46&t=eFu4pA65axfyA63YLtUpBw

  • https://decrypt.co/144815/twitch-new-game-only-up-goblintown-nft

Pudgy Penguins Builds Momentum Around “Unbox to Earn”

• Pudgy Penguins are incentivizing their community to film themselves unboxing Pudgy’s physical toys and are seeing strong results

• Their toy line has been one of the most successful phygital releases as well as innovative, bringing a new realm of connection between the physical and digital world

• Recommend watching the video below to learn how their physical toys interact with the blockchain and provide a gamified experience

  • https://twitter.com/pudgypenguins/status/1671285379939586051?s=46&t=_7pDgE5H9aTXqeaCBEEtYw

Nouns DAO releases trailer for their animated film

• Popular Nouns DAO has made impressive steps to become the first decentralized entity to produce a feature film in partnership with a notable animation studio (Atrium)

• Viewers can not only watch the trailer but mint it as well for special perks when the full film is released

• Article links:

  • https://nftevening.com/the-rise-of-blus-teaser-nouns-daos-animated-film-enters-exciting-new-chapter/

German Intelligence Agency Launches Collection

• Germany’s federal intelligence agency has minted a collection of cyber dogs on the Ethereum blockchain as a recruiting exercise

• However users will not be able to simply purchase these NFT’s- they must be found through a series of online puzzles, coding exercises, and a variety of online treasure hunting challenges

• These NFT’s were minted to help the German agency identify possible recruits that are proficient in blockchain tech

• Article links:

  • https://cointelegraph.com/news/german-intelligence-service-launches-dog-themed-nfts-recruitment-drive

Sotheby’s Sets Record Breaking NFT Sale

• The piece entitled “The Goose” was previously owned by failed Three Arrows Capital and was auctioned off by Sotheby’s to repay creditors

• Sotheby’s estimated the piece would go between $2-3 million, however final price was a whopping $6.2 million

• Article Links:

  • https://nftevening.com/record-breaking-sale-the-goose-artwork-soars-to-6-2-million-at-sothebys-auction/

Metaverse / Gaming

Yuga Labs Gives Peak at Upcoming HV-MTL Game

• Its getting hard to keep up with all the collections and projects within the Yuga ecosystem, one of the newer offerings is a collection of Robots NFT’s called HV-MTL

• These NFT’s were always advertised to be used in a game that would be released ahead of Otherside

• The game will be closer to a mobile game than a AAA experience, with NFT holders customizing their bases and eventually battling one another

• Article Links:

  • https://twitter.com/BoredApeYC/status/1671251808965242880?s=20

Binance and The Weeknd Launch Album Based Metaverse Experience

• Binance and the Weeknd have put out a digital experience inspired by his After Hours Till Dawn tour

• The offering includes ‘treasure hunt’, a face filter, a puzzle and a walkable metaverse

• Rewards include unlocking the VIP and lounge room which are packed with behind the scene footage from the tour and other exclusive offerings

• Article Links:

  • https://nftevening.com/binance-x-the-weeknd-redefining-music-and-artistry-in-the-metaverse/

  • https://enterthedimension.com/

FIFA Makes a Play on the Metaverse

• In recent weeks internet sleuths have uncovered that FIFA has been filing metaverse related trademarks

• Most of the trademarks are gaming related, though it should be noted that the partnership between EA and FIFA ended in 2022 which begs the question what are FIFA’s plans to relaunch most popular soccer game in the world.

• It should also be noted that if FIFA does enter the gaming world they will be in direct competition with EA’s new title “EA Sports FC”

• Article links:

  • https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/10/sports/soccer/fifa-ea-sports.html

  • https://twitter.com/KondoudisLaw/status/1671131101518077952

Crypto

The Fed Acknowledges Crypto’s “Staying Power”

• In a semi-annual meeting on monetary policy, Powell acknowledged crypto’s staying power

• It was also noted that stablecoins were a viable form of money and that a true CBDC was a long ways away

• Article links:

  • https://watcher.guru/news/fed-chair-powell-says-crypto-appears-to-have-staying-power

Blackrock and TradFi Institutions Apply for Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs

• Blackrock and other legacy financial institutions are getting into the crypto game offering Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs

• The news launched a rally in crypto markets leading to a 1-year high for Bitcoin

• It was also received mixed reactions from the crypto industry who have seen their native institutions like Coinbase deal with significant roadblocks

• Article links:

  • https://www.reuters.com/technology/bitcoin-hits-1-year-high-amid-blackrock-etf-excitement-2023-06-23/