Metaverse games The Sandbox and FlickPlay have partnered to create an NFT collection interoperable between both games. The collectibles feature an anthropomorphic chameleon named Flicky, who wears various combinations of clothing.
The first NFT in the physical world
As Reuters reported, some of the users who acquire Flicky will be able to use it as a Sandbox avatar.
The Sandbox is a 3D virtual world where users can build assets and buy land on the Ethereum blockchain. Its platform has grown to support over 2 million users, and hosts concerts and music videos for famous artists like Snoop Dogg.
Meanwhile, FlickPlay allows users to watch their NFT come into contact with the physical world using an interactive map of the user’s real environment. The NFT is superimposed on this environment using a phone camera, with which users can create NFT videos and other content.
Flicky represents FlickPlay’s first NFT collection. NFTs – or “non-fungible tokens” – are unique digital assets that verify their user’s ownership on a blockchain.
By using decentralized blockchains as a base layer for these assets, many companies are experimenting with the interoperability of the same assets across multiple games. The concept of free passage between virtual worlds with the same goods is a central principle of the “metaverse”.
Pierina Merino – founder and chief executive of FlickPlay – claims Flicky NFTs should be usable on both games by the end of the year, but be available for The Sandbox first.
Meanwhile, The Sandbox co-founder Sebastien Borget called the integration the first bridge between a virtual-world asset and physical-world related use. He added that it would help “create a more immersive experience that spans the Metaverse and The Sandbox.”
NFTs and Gaming
Major investments in NFT gaming are already happening, and the popularity of blockchain-based games is growing strong. On the other hand, the gaming community has proven quite hostile to the entrance of NFTs into existing gaming environments.
For example, Ubisoft Quartz launched an NFT collection tied to Tom Clancy’s “Ghost Recon Breakpoint” in December. However, within two weeks of its launch, the collection had barely achieved 15 sales, worth just $400.
Other gaming giants attempting NFT integration have been met with massive backlash. Under community pressure, Discord was forced to withdraw its support for Ethereum NFTs on its platform in November.
