In Brief:
- NIKE has acquired virtual shoe company RTFKT.
- The partnership will create next-generation collectibles that combine culture and gaming.
- Nike’s CEO thinks that the acquisition is another step closer to serving sportsmen.
NIKE, Inc. announced on Dec. 13th that it has acquired RTFKT, a prominent brand that uses cutting-edge innovation to create next-generation collectibles combining culture and gaming.
Benoit Pagotto, Chris Le, and Steven Vasilev launched RTFKT in January 2020 with the goal of generating ground-breaking and forward-thinking products that pushes the boundaries of physical and digital value.
Takashi Murakami, Jeff Staple, Lexus, and others have collaborated with the firm, which recently sold $3.1 million in virtual sneaker designs. Nike becomes the biggest United States-based athletic products manufacturer through this partnership to join the metaverse bandwagon.
Even Murat Pak, the famous digital artist for “merge” and “LostPoets” congratulated Nike and RTFKT today for its success via Twitter saying, “big news for the old world.”
NIKE, Inc. President and CEO John Donahoe stated that “this acquisition is another step that accelerates Nike’s digital transformation and allows us to serve athletes and creators at the intersection of sport, creativity, gaming and culture.”
Nike Inc. also owns the Converse shoe brand and recently purchased Datalogue, a New York-based data integration and machine learning technology company.
Nike isn’t the first sports firm diving into metaverse, before this its rival Adidas has launched a metaverse by collaborating with BAYC, Crypto Punk, and Gmoney. The firm even changed its profile as a Bored Ape.
One of RTFKT’s co-founders, Benoit Pagotto, stated that,“this is a unique opportunity to build the RTFKT brand and we are excited to benefit from Nike’s foundational strength and expertise to build the communities we love.”
