How the NFT Landscape Has Shifted

Pre-2017

This is the experimental era when early NFT-like objects weren’t called NFTs yet.

Before Ethereum, we had Colored Coins, Counterparty, and a platform called Ascribe.

All on Bitcoin. And what’s regarded as the first NFT is a piece called Quantum, which was created on Namecoin in 2014.

2017 to Early 2021

In 2017, NFTs gained a little recognition but were still unheard of outside the crypto circle.

By this time, there was development happening on Ethereum. Both CryptoPunks and CryptoKitties launched in 2017, laying some important foundations.

In 2020, Art Blocks was founded. As the crypto bull market gained momentum, the JPEG stage was set.

2021 to 2022

This time witnessed the NFT explosion, with the hype and prices going through the roof.

CryptoPunks became art objects, Bored Apes minted, and huge numbers of new projects launched and quickly grabbed the spotlight in the crypto-sphere.

But even amid growing mainstream attention, NFT projects still felt indie. Creators were mostly anonymous, and corporate players were mainly hanging back.

2023 and ongoing

Despite the NFT market crashing, we appear to be entering a new era of big brand NFTs while executing Web 3 strategies.

Big brands call their NFTs digital collectibles. Especially, they’re easy onboarding through custodial services and credit card payments, along with links between digital assets and physical products.

The Recent Big Brand NFTs News

ANA NFT Marketplace

All Nippon Airways (ANA) is the biggest airline in Japan and has now launched its own NFT marketplace called ANA GranWhale through ANA NEO – the metaverse-focused division of this big brand.

This might not look like a usual combination, since airlines and NFTs aren’t usually mentioned together.

But it makes sense because, after all, transports attract enthusiasts – who are often into collectibles. Japan is the home of otaku culture. And NFTs are a new kind of collectibles.

Looking back in history, ANA had once issued NFT collections from the aviation photographer Luke Ozawa – along with aviation-themed PFPs.

After all, this is an interesting move when it comes to big brand NFTs, and it is more interesting to see how it plays out.

Mercedes-Benz and Fingerprints DAO

Like several big brand NFTs’ initial launches, Mercedes-Benz has now established a Web 3 division – called Mercedes-Benz NXT.

It just collaborated with Fingerprints DAO and the artist Harm van den Dorpel for an NFT drop called Maschine.

Fingerprints DAO is one of the top NFT DAOs, with a history of collaborations with artists and a bunch of substantial art collections.

Harm van den Dorpel is a celebrated creator who is well-known for his history of digital and blockchain experiments.

Mercedes-Benz, of course, in this case, is taking an artistic angle when joining the list of big brand NFTs.

Nike and EA Sports

Nike Virtual Studios and EA Sports have announced a groundbreaking partnership that will revolutionize the virtual sports experience, marking another hit in the big brand NFTs.

Ron Faris, GM of Nike Virtual Studios, has shared:

“Nike and EA Sports share a commitment to innovation, creativity, and excellence…”

Both Nike and EA Sports are big brands in their respective fields. So, their collaboration made big news, especially when blockchain gaming is a potential area.

Last year, Nike launched the .SWOOSH platform, which focused on NFTs and metaverse-style products.

Now, .SWOOSH will link up with EA Sports, allowing users to bring .SWOOSH assets into EA Sports games.

Louis Vuitton Treasure Trunks

Luxury fashion house Louis Vuitton is going to join the big brand NFTs journey with a collection that blends the physical and the digital.

The collection is part of a brand’s Web 3 project called Via. There are only a few hundred items, and potential buyers need to sign up for the waiting list.

Curiously, the item will be a Soul-Bound Token, which means holders cannot trade the NFT.

Purchasing the NFT will give the holders access to future product releases and experiences, as well as the membership of the brand community campaign.

Doodles and Red Bull

The famous group of artists from Doodles – one of the projects vying to establish themselves as Web 3 brands – have recently collaborated with Red Bull for a drop called Red Bull Doodle Art.

The collection actually consists of artworks created by 61 doodle artists who won a contest to be selected and were then mentored by the Burnt Toast.

On top of that, Doodles will be releasing physical goods as well as in-person immersive experiences. Moreover, Doodles NFT holders will receive special perks.

Reddit Collectible Avatars

Last year’s surge in NFT interest among Reddit users brought people to surprise.

This year, an NFT collection of Reddit – which is called Collectible Avatars – has been released, showing an incredible increase in the number of holders.

Big Brand NFTs are Here

The explosion of big brand NFTs shows that the market is getting ready for an incredible leap into future utility and gaming with NFTs.

Indeed, prices may be down on PFPs, metaverse land, gaming items, and maybe well-known collections, but big brand NFTs are creating some major changes in the landscape.

Looking at the news right now, recent NFT developments are related to huge, global companies. That is very interesting because it is very different from how things were long ago.

If you would like to know how the space has evolved and what is coming up next, please refer to this article.