- Nike’s web3 platform .Swoosh has partnered with Fortnite to promote digital sneakers inside the game for a limited time
- The partnership will see Fortnite players explore a Nike-themed virtual space known as Airphoria
- Gamers who spend at least 10 minutes in the space will receive a Nike-branded digital sneaker
Nike’s web3 platform .Swoosh has partnered with Epic Games’ Fortnite to promote digital sneakers inside the game for a limited time. The collaboration will see Fortnite players explore a Nike-themed virtual space known as Airphoria. Gamers who spend at least 10 minutes in the space will receive a Nike-branded digital sneaker known as Air Max 1’86 Back Bling.
One Week to Claim a Digital Sneaker and an Achievement Badge
Gamers have until June 27 to explore the virtual space with the sneaker maker encouraging players to link their Nike and Epic Games accounts to receive a non-tradable item known as Achievement. Apart from claiming an achievement badge, connecting the two accounts also offers players a chance to receive other .Swoosh-based digital sneakers in the future.
Enter the world of Airphoria: A first-of-its-kind Air Max-themed Fortnite experience. Open now through 6/27. pic.twitter.com/4UjiG8ZUET
— .SWOOSH (@dotSWOOSH) June 20, 2023
Speaking to Condesk, Epic Games revealed that the collaboration is part of a mission to let gamers have a unified presence across ecosystems. The game developer added that the partnership is also aimed at popularizing Nike’s digital sneakers within the Fortnite community.
Despite the partnership being with a web3 platform, the digital sneaker on offer isn’t a collectible. Epic Games told Decrypt that all items involved in the partnership aren’t NFTs and are “purely for the enjoyment of the purchaser, and aren’t tradeable, transferrable or sellable.”
Epic Games Explores the Metaverse
The collaboration comes three weeks after Nike inked another partnership with Electronic Arts to offer in-game NFTs. The Nike web3 platform announced seven months ago recently launched its first collection which attracted over $1 million in sales.
Although Epic Games has largely distanced itself from crypto, it recently announced a partnership with Lego to build a children-centered metaverse project. Other sneaker makers like Puma and Adidas have also expressed interest in NFTs and the web3 world.
With Nike inking another partnership in the gaming world, it’s yet to be seen whether these collaborations will popularize Nike-themed digital items among gamers.
