Fortnite, the popular video game, has recently announced its collaboration with apparel giant Nike and its .Swoosh Web3 platform, which specializes in digital apparel and accessories in the form of NFTs. While this alliance does not incorporate NFTs into Fortnite, it does involve various crypto elements. The collaboration, named “Airphoria,” is a Nike-branded experience available in Fortnite’s Creative Mode. This feature enables users to participate in the “ultimate Nike sneakerhunt” within the game world and potentially earn a free in-game accessory modeled after the iconic Nike Air Max.
Although the free item is not tokenized as an NFT, the partnership still connects with Nike’s NFT-centered .Swoosh platform, built on Polygon, an Ethereum scaling network. Each .Swoosh user receives a .Swoosh ID upon registration, represented by an NFT minted on Polygon. Through this promotion, .Swoosh users can secure a special achievement on their NFT-based ID by connecting their account to an Epic Games account. Additionally, users who both connect their accounts and purchase a pack of non-NFT apparel items within Fortnite will unlock a second .Swoosh achievement.
As an official Fortnite disclaimer states, users must connect both .Swoosh and BitGo accounts to acquire the achievement. BitGo serves as Nike’s crypto wallet provider for .Swoosh, furnishing the technology that holds the .Swoosh ID NFT and any digital apparel and accessories purchased on the platform.
Though Nike’s collaboration with Fortnite does not introduce NFTs into the game outright, linking .Swoosh and Epic Games accounts helps bridge the gap between the “Web2” online battle-royale platform and Nike’s NFT-driven project. The collaboration hints at the possibility of Nike utilizing .Swoosh as a broader platform for gaming and metaverse digital items, albeit without the tokenized and tradable aspects. However, Nike’s intentions in this area remain uncertain, primarily because .Swoosh is centered around NFT-based user IDs.
Moreover, the partnerships’ disclaimer states that .Swoosh users who establish the connection and unlock the achievement will be “eligible to get access to a virtual collection at .Swoosh at a later date.” Nike’s platform refers to its NFT items as “virtual creations,” suggesting that the achievements might grant future access to NFT items.
The extent of the collaboration between Fortnite, Nike, and NFTs remains to be fully realized. However, it does beg the question: will this alliance open doors to even further integration of blockchain technology, cryptocurrency, and gaming?
Source: Decrypt
