Nike has just taken the wraps off its brand new metaverse platform, .SWOOSH. Described by the Beaverton-based brand as a new digital community and experience, the website will act as a home for all of its virtual creations. Unlike anything that we've seen before, athletes, creators, collectors, and consumers will all be able to come together to "design and own the future of sport," creating everything from sneakers and jerseys all the way to digital collectibles like NFTs. Eventually, everything that has been made on .SWOOSH can be sold and traded, and you can even earn royalties from these transactions.
"It will be a place where our community can come in and co-create that future with us," explained Ron Faris, GM of Nike Virtual Studios, in his comments to Complex. "You can collect, trade, and flex Nike virtual products. You can go to IRL events with your token-gated virtual creations."
Of course, this isn't the Oregon brand's first Web3 rodeo. At the end of last year, Nike acquired digital sneaker collective RTFKT and released a selection of Dunk NFTs. Rumor has it that RTFKT will also be dropping its first tangible shoe very soon too. Dubbed the Nike RTFKT Cryptokicks IRL, this completely blurs the line between the physical and virtual worlds. "We’ve learned a lot from our friends at RTFKT about how to do this right," says Faris, "and we talk to them weekly about what are the best practices and how we can start to take certain learnings and really broaden them."
At this moment in time, the Nike .SWOOSH metaverse is in an invite-only beta phase. The company will be selecting its first wave of participants from its more engaged customers, those who live in cities that don't get access to the latest tech, and partners from its diversity, equity, and inclusion groups. In 2023, Nike will launch its first digital collection onto the platform, and shortly after, members will be able to enter a community challenge to win the opportunity to co-create virtual product with Nike.
With the recent plunge of NFTs sales and the general public's interest in the metaverse slowly falling, it's interesting that Nike has decided to reveal .SWOOSH at this stage. However, more exciting features are set to be announced within the coming months, so hype for Web3 could be about to make a major comeback very soon. If you're looking to sign up for the .SWOOSH platform, head over to swoosh.nike on November 18th. Let us know what you think of this announcement, and make sure you keep it locked on our Twitter and download our officialMobile App to find out everything that you need to know and much more!
