The clamour surrounding NFTs ā or non-fungible tokens ā died down some time ago, but the spectre of blockchain-based digital items still lingers in parts of the games industry. Case in point: EA Sports, which has just announced a deal with Nike Virtual Studios. Said deal will see Nikeās .SWOOSH NFTs appear in EA Sportsā games, which means you could be seeing things like branded helmets, footballs and trainers appear in, say, Sports FC or Madden NFL. But thanks to the power of the blockchain, these branded goods wonāt be like the usual unlockable items typically found in games; instead, each will have an ID number unique to its owner. Something all gamers will find incredibly useful and exciting, weāre sure. Curiously ā or perhaps strategically ā terms like āNFTā and blockchain are glaringly absent from EA Sportsā press release (thanks, IGN), which describes Nikeās digital trinkets as ā.SWOOSH virtual creations.ā āThis collaboration brings together two of the biggest names in sport and entertainment and will lead to all new ways for members of .SWOOSH, Nike’s new digital community experience, and EA SPORTS fans to express their personal style through play,ā the release reads. āNike’s new partnership with EA SPORTS will look to build new immersive experiences and unlock brand-new levels of customization within the EA SPORTS ecosystem.ā Nor is it currently clear which games, exactly, Nikeās virtual creations will appear in, how much theyāll cost, or when theyāll launch. Nike has put out a tweet announcing the deal, though, which shows lots of CGI balls and helmets spinning around:
NFTs, blockchain and web3 have been contentious games industry topics over the past couple of years. Detractors have sworn off them entirely, while some of the globeās biggest publishers and studios ā including EA, Square Enix and Niantic ā have all dabbled in the nascent sector. Will NFTs bounce back from last yearās quite spectacular crash, or will mass audiences warm to the idea of exchanging real-world cash for virtual helmets? Many of Twitterās blockchain enthusiasts have expressed excitement over the EA Sports-Nike NFT deal. āThis is huge!ā reads one of several quote-tweets of that .SWOOSH post above; āThis takes NFTs into a whole new realm and to a whole new audienceā¦ and some of you thought they were dead!ā That tweet concludes with a winking face emoji.What’s In The Game? Only time will tell…@EASPORTS x .SWOOSH š®ā½ļøšš pic.twitter.com/AXgidKX7rd
— .SWOOSH (@dotSWOOSH) June 1, 2023