Nike + RTFKT: The first ever Nike NFT is here
The first ever Nike NFT is here.
Check it out.
This mysterious box has the Nike swoosh on it. But what’s inside?
First, we need to learn the backstory.
This little black box is part of a giant metaverse ecosystem built by RTFKT (acquired by Nike). The ecosystem includes:
Digital sneakers.
Avatars and wearables.
Metaverse land.
Whatever is inside this black box!
And they’re rewarding holders more than anything I’ve seen.
Let’s go deep
#5 RTFKT + Nike
What is RTFKT?
RTFKT (pronounced 'artifact') is a digital art collective that started out making limited edition digital sneakers.
They quickly became known as the ‘Supreme’ of the metaverse.
They designed a sneaker collection with NFT artist Fewocious.
It sold out $3 million in seven minutes.
They also made a unique digital sneaker for every CryptoPunk holder.
CloneX Avatars
The next big project was CloneX, a profile picture project similar to Crypto Punks and BAYC.
20,000 avatars.
Metaverse ready profile pictures.
Teamed up with artist Takashi Murakami.
Check it out on Opensea.
These are avatars that will populate the Nike / RTFKT ecosystem.
Human (9402)
Robot (5629)
Demon (1645)
Angel 1638
Reptile (239)
Undead (111)
Murukami (95)
Alien (30)
Murakami artist editions
2,891 Clones have a signature trait designed by Takashi Murakami
16 rare artist editions were individually curated.
11 have the unique ‘split’ face trait.
Wait, who’s Murakami?
In case you didn’t know, Takashi Murakami is a legendary contemporary artist.
He's known as the ‘Andy Warhol’ of Japan, he has worked with Kanye West, Luis Vuitton etc.
Remember Kanye’s Graduation album cover? Murakami made it.
CloneX Types
There are even more rare 'types' in the collection.
MK1 - robot with purple stripe (981)
Ice (509)
Devine skin pattern (497)
MK Black (485)
Stoned (334)
DRK eyes (192)
MK 2 (100)
GLD Stoned (61)
ORNG (34)
TTN (19)
Back
Some of the most iconic traits are in the CloneX backgrounds.
Demonz (45)
Black underworld wings (88)
Deity arms (96)
Pink underworld wings (100)
Grey underworld wings (105)
Green underworld wings (112)
All seeing eyes (134)
Splash (155)
Robotic arms (197)
Rare hair
Royal charm (8)
Purple bangs (19)
Red hair and horns (22)
Flame (23)
Blue ponytail (23)
Green bangs (24)
Black wrap (27)
Blue buns (28)
Blue headphones (31)
Rare clothing
Black + red varsity jacket (1)
Flower KBA (2)
Snake (5)
Doodle hoodie (10)
Pink meta jacket (11)
Purple came meta jacket (13)
Lava meta jacket (13)
Plasma hoodie (14)
Chrmo hoodie (17)
Grey underworld uniform (21)
Helmets
There are some ultra limited 1/1 features in the helmets
Tech (1)
Space (1)
Skull (1)
Red Mech (1)
Tiger (2)
Red Metacrow (2)
Meta pilot (2)
Gold samurai (2)
Catsune (3)
Other rare features
Orange long beard (5)
Chrome Pipe (11)
Gold clasp (2)
On sight tattoo (55)
Eko tattoo (77)
Bllindfold (13)
Tech goggle (32)
Blue lasers (48)
Neo earrings (51)
Mintvial
You can also buy a CloneX mintvial.
There’s a Clone inside, but you don’t know what you’re going to get.
The floor price is higher than the CloneX collection… because you might get a rare inside.
Avatars for the metaverse
RTFKT is adding crazy utility to these avatars.
They're making a full fashion line of wearables, complete with physical versions in the future.
They're working on bodies for the pfp heads!
You get downloadable 3D files so you can use them on Zoom and in the metaverse.
Where does Nike come in?
I’m getting there!
RTFKT was acquired by Nike in December 2021 to “extend Nike’s digital footprint” into the metaverse.
And the first steps are slowly being revealed…
Space Pods
RTFKT just dropped these ‘space pods’ to all CloneX holders.
It’s a metaverse space where you can hang out, showcase art etc.
You can walk around inside them. Go check this one out.
Seriously, what has Nike got to do with this?
Almost there!
Lootpods
On top of this, RTFKT dropped the Lootpod to all Spacepod holders. It’s an extension that attaches to your space pod
Spin it around and zoom into the logos on the wall…
There it is.
Nike, Converse, Jordans and RTFKT.
Welcome to the Nike metaverse.
The Lootpods were designed with Jarlan Perez
You can walk around inside these too. Go check it out.
Nike MNLTH NFT
And we're still not done!
The team just dropped this mysterious box to anyone that holds a CloneX.
It's called MNLTH (pronounced 'monolith')
And look again at the logo.
Nike.
What's inside?
No-one knows… yet.
Here’s what we do know:
The reveal will be triggered by an event or action … not a date.
It can only be triggered by the community.
They’re going to start dropping clues and quests which will ‘evolve’ until is finally revealed.
The Discord is full of people trying to guess what’s inside, and what triggers it.
The obvious theory is Nike NFT sneakers, but there are some really elaborate theories out there! Super cool.
Huge rewards and airdrops
RTFKT is one of the most generous projects I’ve seen yet.
Just look back at the story so far.
If you bought an RTFKT sneaker in 2020, here’s what you got since:
3 reserved spots to mint a CloneX at 0.05E (now at 14E floor)
Every CloneX got airdropped a Spacepod (1.5E)
Every Spacepod got a Lootpod (0.9E)
And every CloneX got a MNLTH (4.75E)
Crazy.
Welcome to the RTFKT x Nike Metaverse
You can slowly see how this all fits together. Avatars, wearables, AR, metaverse pods, 3D displays.
They’re building an entire ecosystem.
The Team
So, who’s building all this? The core RTFKT team is:
Before RTFKT, they worked together for years on music videos, hip hop logos, luxury brands, sneakers and augmented reality. They are now directors at Nike.
More team members
They have an all-star team in community, AR and others.
Lukson (community)
Samuel Cardillo (CTO)
Asagi (AR)
Toby Evans (Design)
Who else to follow?
I learned a lot from these accounts and RTFKT holders. Go follow them if you want to learn more.
Beb.eth (making decor for spacepods)
What do you own? IP and Copyright
This is a tricky one. I haven't been able to figure it out fully yet, especially since they got acquired by Nike. Here's what I do know:
If you own a CloneX, you can commercialise it up to $1 million.
This is fairly generous compared to CryptoPunks and Doodles which have a $100k cap.
BUT if you own a CloneX with a Murakami trait, you are not entitled to any commercial rights.
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Any downsides?
I always like to look for the downsides in any project. Here's a couple for RTFKT:
There's a risk of RTFKT flooding the market with products, which could dilute the value.
Other projects, like Doodles, are working on how to reward holders while also limiting supply. In theory, this ensures value is preserved for the core product.
RTFKT has released sneakers, wearables, 20,000 avatars, metaverse spaces and now the MNLTH. Will it be too much?
Complicated ecosystem
It took me a while to piece this report together and figure out how it all aligns.
It's tricky for newcomers to easily see where to start.
Will Nike impose boundaries on RTFKT?
RTFKT got here by being wildly experimental and open with the web3 community.
Will a big, corporate entity squash that? Will they push RTFKT away from web3 values?
I hope not, and there's no evidence so far, but something to watch out for.
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Market stats 📈
CloneX floor: 14E
CloneX mintvial: 28E
Fewocious sneaker: 5.4E
Spacepod: 1.5E
Lootpod: 0.9E
MNLTH: 4.75E
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Final thoughts?
RTFKT has been pushing the NFT space forward since 2020. Now they're building the most elaborate metaverse ecosystem I've seen so far. And they've got the firepower of Nike behind them.
It feels slightly scattered, but you can see how they're slowly bringing everything together. Avatars, wearables and metaverse land itself.
I'm impressed so far that Nike is stepping into the NFT space with authenticity. This doesn't feel like a cash grab (yet). They're building out a real project with web3 principles, and letting RTFKT do what they do best.
I guess we'll soon find out what's in the box!
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Thanks for reading!
If you like this report, please share it with others! And feel free to hit reply or reach out on Twitter to say hi. Let me know what projects you want to see in the future.
See you next week!
Kaspar