NFT News: Find the Latest Updates in a Weekly Liveblog for the Metaverse (UPDATED 12:37pm ET)

The world is expanding, and DraftKings is expanding along with it. As NFTs continue to grow, this page will serve as a hub for the latest news and notes in the space.

Every week, we’ll publish a live blog that will be updated as news comes in, so you can stay up to date with a simple page refresh.

In case you are new to the Metaverse, check out Jeff’s quick breakdown on what NFTs are and how they work. Now, let’s get into this week’s news:

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VeeFriends X Mattel Creations Update — Dec. 17 at 12:37 p.m.

GaryVee announced yesterday that his NFT collection VeeFriends would be collaborating with Mattel Creations. Now, we have more details on the project.

The two organizations will team up to create a special edition of UNO, the iconic card game. There will be 17 total “VeeFriends Spectacular” cards to collect in this version of the game, with varying rarities for each collectible. VeeFriends Uno is available now for $25 + shipping.

Find more information about this partnership in the official VeeFriends announcement.

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Shopify Changes the Game — Dec. 16 at 5:08 p.m.

Shopify CEO Tobias Lütke announced on Twitter early today the launch of his company’s NFT Beta Program, which will allow users to sell collectibles on their website. Shopify earned the No. 3 spot in Fast Company’s 2021 Most Innovative Companies Rankings, and Lütke is showcasing his creativity once again with this move.

Learn more about the NFT Beta Program here:

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VeeFriends X Mattel Creations — Dec. 16 at 4:45 p.m.

GaryVee’s NFT collection VeeFriends is collaborating with Mattel Creations, the company that produces brands such as Barbie, Hot Wheels, and UNO. In a VeeFriends announcement, Vaynerchuk expressed his excitement for the partnership, writing, “Not only am I honored, and little me is excited, I’m mostly looking forward to all the people that are going to be able to play with VeeFriends in this way, expand the VeeFriends universe and enjoy some of the collectability that comes along with this collaboration.”

Find more information about the upcoming collab here:

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Adidas Plans NFT Launch — Dec. 16 at 4:03 p.m.

Adidas is launching a new project on its website. For now, all we know is that it will be a limited edition collection and that Mutant Ape, Adidas POAP and GMoney POAP holders will have early access to the drop. For more information, keep an eye on the official Adidas Metaverse page.

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The Arcadia Trilogy — Dec. 16 at 1:12 p.m.

Crypto Twitter Influencer @Loopifyyy has announced his new project, a series of 3D animated films called the Arcadia Trilogy, which will serve as the genesis drop for Interleave. The plot centers around humanity restarting after a meteor strike, featuring characters from Bored Ape Yacht Club and Interleave.

Find more information in Loopify’s Twitter announcement below:

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BYOVERSE Update — Dec. 16 at 12:34 p.m.

The BYOLand sale is live for BYOPill and BYOVape owners. Those who qualify can now mint their BYOLand. A public sale will commence at 5:00 p.m. EST Thursday for the remaining land. Those who have already minted their land have been impressed with the project’s minimal gas fees.

Find more information about the BYOVERSE on the BYOPills official website and in the tweet below:

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MJ Has Entered the Building — Dec. 15 at 6:31 p.m.

Michael Jordan and his son Jeffrey are founding Heir, a platform dedicated to connecting fans with their favorite players. The company will also launch a token called “HEIR”, which will be built on the Solana blockchain.

When arguably the greatest basketball player of all time makes a move, there are usually important investors behind it. That’s exactly the case with Heir, which is being funded by entrepreneur Alexis Ohanian, Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball, New York Knicks Executive Vice President William Wesley and more.

Heir supporters will also have the opportunity to join the brand’s “huddle” in order to gain access to exclusive drops and experiences. Follow the company’s official Twitter account for updates as news continues to come in. At the end of the day, Jordan saw all the NFT moves being made...

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DraftKings Marketplace & Web3 Job Opportunities — Dec. 15 at 3:38 p.m.

Join DraftKings Co-founder Matt Kalish, Beth Beiriger and Jessie Coffield for a discussion tomorrow about career opportunities in Web3/NFTs. Find more information below:

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Tezos X Rarible — Dec. 15 at 2:14 p.m.

Tezos has integrated with Rarible, becoming the third blockchain supported by their multi-chain marketplace along with Ethereum and Flow. This deal allows people to buy, sell, and create energy efficient NFTs with minimal gas fees. In order to celebrate the partnership, Rarible has launched an exclusive Tezos community drop called “Blazing Futures”. As described in the official Rarible.com announcement, this collection features ten interpretations of the future of art, society and crypto. Learn more about the Tezos x Rarible partnership here:

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Game-Changing Musical NFTs — Dec. 15 at 12:17 p.m.

Grammy nominee @BT has partnered with @crypto888crypto and Gala Games to launch a series of live coded 3D animated art and music NFTs called The Orbs. These collectibles, which are a first of their kind, feature unique generative scores that are eternally changing. As described by the creator, the music is “live synthesis streamed from the blockchain.” These NFTs will be incorporated into the Galaverse with special in-game utility. Find out more information about this unique project here:

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L’Oréal Paris Launches New Collection — Dec. 14 at 6:56 p.m.

L’Oréal Paris has teamed up with UTA to create the company’s first NFT series. The collection focuses on female empowerment, featuring the work of artists Amber Vittoria, Arina BB, Hueman, Lili Tae, and Puks. As described in Lucky Trader’s recap, each artist has created a unique piece inspired by the Colour Riche collection. 100% of primary sales will go to the artists, with a part of secondary market sales being donated to support Women of Worth. Find more information in L’Oréal Paris’ announcement on Twitter below:

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Pepsi Mic Drop Mint — Dec. 14 at 6:14 p.m.

Those on the Pepsi Mic Drop waitlist have been allowed to mint. This collection features 1,893 genesis tokens in honor of the year Pepsi was created. The project has gained an incredible amount of traction since its launch, gaining over 650 ETH in volume. Check out the official Pepsi Mic Drop page for updates.

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Warriors Take on the Metaverse — Dec. 14 at 5:32 p.m.

The Golden State Warriors continue to serve as trailblazers for NBA teams in the Metaverse, teaming up with FTX in a “first-of-its-kind cryptocurrency partnership in professional sports”. This is just the latest move for FTX in the basketball world. The cryptocurrency exchange platform made headlines earlier this year by purchasing the Miami Heat’s arena naming rights. FTX also boasts elite athletes Tom Brady and Steph Curry as brand ambassadors. Now, they’ve earned the opportunity to produce NFTs for the Warriors as their official cryptocurrency platform and NFT marketplace, starting in 2022. Find more information in Golden State’s tweet below:

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Oodles of Noodles — Dec. 14 at 5:06 p.m.

The Doodlebank is expanding. The first derivative project approved by the Doodles community is set to launch tomorrow, following a three-step plan.

Day 1 is Doodlers’ Free Mint Day. From 12:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. PST, Doodles holders who received the Free Mint role and have submitted their minting ETH address will be able to mint one free Noodle. This step is followed by Noodles Day, during which a general sale will commence. Finally, Friday will be the Reveal Day for all 5,555 collectibles.

Noodles will be available on the Ethereum blockchain for 0.05 ETH per NFT. Find more information in the tweet below:

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BAYC and Animoca Partner for P2E Game — Dec. 13 at 6:05 p.m.

Bored Ape Yacht Club and Animoca Brands announced a partnership to develop a play-to-earn blockchain game featuring BAYC’s popular NFTs earlier today. BAYC creators Yuga Labs expressed its enthusiasm for the upcoming development, stating, “We’re excited to work with Animoca Brands to grow the BAYC universe and expand the utility and benefits offered to all Bored Ape NFT holders.” A spokesperson also described Animoca as a trailblazer in the blockchain gaming industry. It’s setting up to be a nice start to 2022 for BAYC. Check out the official release from Animoca Brand’s website for more information.

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Nike Acquires RTFKT — Dec. 13 at 5:47 p.m.

The No. 1 shoe manufacturing company in the world just made another move. This time, diving into the Metaverse by acquiring NFT powerhouse RTFKT. The virtual collectibles brand is best known for its project Clone X, which is currently dominating NFT headlines after its recent Clone reveal.

Now, the two companies will pair up to tackle the virtual shoe industry. Multiple RTKFT co-founders expressed their excitement on Twitter, stating that Nike had been always been their inspiration. That excitement appears to be mutual, with John Donahoe, President and CEO of NIKE, Inc. stating, “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... Our plan is to invest in the RTFKT brand, serve and grow their innovative and creative community and extend Nike’s digital footprint and capabilities.”

The future of the virtual shoe industry is bright. See NFT enthusiast Gary Vee’s reaction to the monumental move on Twitter below:

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Tony Hawk Mystery Container Dropping on DraftKings Marketplace — Dec. 13 at 5:30 p.m.

The Tony Hawk Mystery Containers, created by Autograph, will be available for those with Hawk Preseason Access Passes on DraftKings Marketplace. Those with this preferential access will be able to purchase a mystery container starting at 5:00 p.m. ET Tuesday, two days before the public drop. Users can open their mystery container starting on the “Reveal Date”, which is seven days after the start of the Early Access Period. Each Mystery Container holds a specific collectible of varying rarity, such as a “Frontside Cab” or “Varial 450”. Check out the Autograph Regular Seasons Collection Breakdown for more info.

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Into the BYOVERSE — Dec. 13 at 5:10 p.m.

Land is coming to the Metaverse, and it’s yours to conquer. The BYOVERSE is incredibly complex, so watch this short crash course from the official @BYOPills Twitter account here:

As described on the official BYOPills website, the BYOVERSE is a fertile land, filled with opportunities and potential for cultivation. Only 10,056 BYOLand parcels will ever exist, and the unique terrain/resources will be determined by the BYOPill you select to mint your land.

In order to qualify for BYOLand, you need to possess a BYOPill and BYOVape. There’s an upcoming land sale for Pill and Vape owners on Thursday, Dec. 16th, lasting from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET. A BYOLand parcel can be bought for 0.1 ETH. This sale is part of the first phase of the project, which will eventually be followed up by Metadata and Land Selection phases.

Looking for more information on the BYOVERSE? Check out tweet below:

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