Fortnite's collab with Nike's NFT platform won't involve in-game NFTs

Video game company Fortnite collaborated with Nike's NFT platform, .Swoosh. The alliance doesn't integrate NFTs but involves crypto elements.

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Popular video game company Fortnite announced a collaboration with the apparel giant Nike and its .Swoosh Web3 platform, which will offer digital apparel and accessories sold as NFTs. The alliance between the duo does not aim to integrate NFTs, but the collaboration will still involve crypto elements.

Fortnite Creative Mode has "Airphoria", a Nike-branded experience to let users go on the “Ultimate Nike Superhunt” within the Fortnite game world. The feature will be live in the game until June 27, when players can earn free in-game back billing or accessories like classic pair of Air Max sneakers.

The free items are not tokenised as NFTs, and neither the apparel nor accessory NFTs are added to the collaboration. One side, .Swoosh suggested the tokenisation of digital Fortnite items, while Epic Games is not ready to leave its typical "walled garden" approach to digital goods for this collaboration.

Epic Games spokesperson told Decrypt, “The connection between Fortnite and Nike doesn't integrate any NFTs or digital item trading marketplaces into the Fortnite world or its economy.”

"'Items recognised across these two ecosystems are purely for the enjoyment of the purchaser, and aren't tradeable, transferrable, or sellable, as has always been the case in the Fortnite economy," the report further added.

The collaboration of Nike and Fortnite doesn't bring NFT into the game, but they will link the .Swoosh and Epic Games account to eradicate the gap between "Web2'' online battle-royale shooter and Nike’s NFT-driven platform. But the collaboration suggests that Nike is using .Swoosh as a broader platform for gaming and metaverse digital items, even though it is not tokenised and tradable.

According to the disclaimer on the Epic Games website, .Swoosh users who make the connection and unlock the achievement will be eligible to get access to a virtual collection at .Swoosh at a later date.

NFT items are called "virtual creations" on Nike's platform, and such achievements will ultimately bring future access to future items.