Nike’s Web3 community platform .SWOOSH has joined forces with the popular online multiplayer game Fortnite to offer a virtual experience that rewards players with digital sneakers. This collaboration has opened up a massive audience for Nike’s .SWOOSH, with over 240 million users logging into Fortnite in the past 30 days alone. The experience, called Airphoria, is available to play in Fortnite from now through June 27. All Fortnite players who play this island for 10 minutes or more will receive the Air Max 1 ’86 Back Bling digital sneaker, which can be claimed through .SWOOSH as an achievement. Achievements cannot be traded or sold and do not have a monetary value.
In addition to the Airphoria experience, Nike has also collaborated with Fortnite on several other digital items, such as the Airie and Maxxed Out Max outfits, which can be purchased through the Fortnite Item Shop. Players are being encouraged to link their Epic Games and .SWOOSH accounts, which will give them first access to a future .SWOOSH Air Max virtual collection. According to Epic Games, linking accounts will allow virtual goods like Fortnite skins and Nike achievements to be interoperable across platforms.
.SWOOSH recently released its first collection of non-fungible token (NFT) sneakers titled Our Force 1, surpassing $1 million in primary sales despite persistent delays. Nike allowed holders to reveal their NFTs on June 15, hinting at future rarity traits and utility. According to .SWOOSH, some Nike digital collectibles are linked to unique benefits like access to physical product drops, live experiences, video game use and more.
The footwear giant also has plans to expand the reach of its digital creations across video game platforms. Earlier this month, Nike Virtual Studios and video game developer EA Sports announced a partnership to bring digital creations from Nike’s .SWOOSH platform to the EA Sports gaming ecosystem.
Nike’s .SWOOSH platform is using crypto custody firm BitGo as its third-party wallet provider.