adidas Announce Their First NFT Collection, 'Into the Metaverse'

As sneaker brands continue to battle for the top spot in the rapidly-expanding metaverse, adidas have taken a bold step forward by announcing the release of their first-ever NFT collection. Dubbed 'Into the Metaverse', the collection was created in partnership with Bored Ape Yacht Club, gmoney and PUNKS Comic, and will give purchasers access to virtual wearables in The Sandbox, a blockchain-based gaming world. The brand has also immersed itself in the Bored Ape Yacht Club community by purchasing an NFT named 'Indigo Hertz'.

Besides making digital wearables available to NFT holders, adidas have also purchased a plot of virtual land (yes, that's a real thing) inside the world of The Sandbox, and aim to fill it with content and experiences for NFT holders. All of adidas' new digital assets will be secured by crypto exchange Coinbase.

'As part of our ambition to celebrate ideas that are defining a new age of originality, we've landed at the forefront of creativity, which is the open Metaverse,' said Erika Wykes-Sneyd, the vice president of adidas Originals marketing and communications. 'It's a natural place for adidas Originals to enter: a wild world where possibilities are truly limitless and where anyone can express and be rewarded for their most original ideas.' Crypto investor gmoney noted that the partnership was an authentic one, stating 'It’s so refreshing to see a culturally influential brand like adidas Originals work so closely hand-in-hand with the NFT community. At every step, they’ve included the right partners from the crypto, Metaverse and NFT community and listened to their thoughts at an early stage.'

This news is a bold step for adidas in its battle with Nike for metaverse domination, arriving less than a week after Nike acquired RTFKT Studios – an outfit known for their high-tech NFT sneakers. Both brands seem to see the metaverse as the next frontier and are wasting no time in staking their claim to its digital expanses.

adidas' first batch of NFTs will be made available on December 17, and purchasers will be able to get both digital and physical wearables in 2022.

If you prefer your adidas news rooted in the real world instead of the digital one, check out the brand's 10 best releases of 2021 here.