Meta Title: Fortnite and Nike Unveil Their Next Collaboration: Airphoria

Meta Description: Check out what Nike and Epic Games have in store for you in the future! Once again, Fortnite is about to have Nike-themed cosmetics in the Fortnite Item Shop.

Fortnite Teases Upcoming Nike Collab

Expect dank skins and kicks to drop during Fortnite’s collab with Nike.

Fortnite has had a variety of creative collaborations with other franchises and companies for years now. By doing so, they continuously increase their audience base. While the battle royale has already collaborated with Nike once before, another one with the famous corporation is in the works. Based on the information from data miners and leakers, the new collaboration will be known as Nike “Airphoria.” The sportswear giant posted on social media outlets that they’ll deliver “ the ultimate sneakerhunt” for players with Fortnite accounts.

 The event has yet to be officially detailed, but if Fortnite leaker HYPEX claims it’ll offer an immersive and innovative experience, we’re in for quite a ride.

What Will Airphoria Be All About?

According to veteran Fortnite leakers HYPEX and iFireMonkey, the Nike Airphoria collab will add Nike-designed skins and outfits to the Fortnite Item Shop. The nature of these items remains uncertain for now, but it’ll likely include limited-time offerings, such as Gliders, Back Blings, Outfits, and Pickaxes.

More often than not, collaborations within Fortnite include many quests and unique challenges you can complete to earn free cosmetics. We’re not entirely sure, but the Airphoria collaboration may also feature such tasks—however, members of .Swoosh will be glad to hear that they’ll receive exclusive rewards during the duration of the collab.

A recent tweet also made by Nike revealed that there would be an immersive Air Max-themed map made with the Unreal Engine. The details of this experience have been sparse, but Nike assures that what they planned for the players would be an unforgettable experience. It’ll be interesting, to say the least, on how Nike plans to leverage the power of the Unreal Engine for Fortnite.

Wait, What’s .Swoosh?

.Swoosh is a digital apparel platform released on Ethereum. The platform was announced late last year and opened in May when Nike launched its first digital sneaker drop for an Air Force 1 sneaker known as “Our Force 1” as tradeable NFTs.

When Nike shared a teaser for the ultimate sneakerhunt that will happen in Fortnite, it came with a twist—a logo of the .Swoosh platform was seen at the end. Epic Games and Nike have yet to divulge the details about the collaboration, but it looks like it’ll involve the Air Max shoe brand, with Nike’s NFT platform tying in into Fortnite.

Could NFTs Become A Thing In Fortnite?

There have not been any details on how Fortnite will tap into the NFT tech. Still, given the hostility of gamers towards NFTs and token-driven games, this crossover could help normalize the usage of gaming NFTs in mainstream online games. Remember—Fortnite is one of the most popular games in the world. Based on the statistics from ActivePlayer, the battle royale has amassed 243 million players in just a month.

It’s easy to say that Fortnite has been a dominant player in the gaming space since its debut in 2017. Epic’s golden child has generated billions of dollars of revenue from digital assets by partnering with various fashion, entertainment, and gaming brands. However, these items are locked within the battle royale shooter’s ecosystem; they can’t be resold in other games. Meanwhile, NFTs can be traded freely, meaning other online platforms could support and utilize them.

If Nike and Epic Games play their cards right, Fortnite could be a leading example of how NFTs can provide benefits to its players rather than using traditional in-game items. Should Fortnite support Nike’s NFT platform—.Swoosh—it could be the first step towards a change for the battle royale.

When Will the Nike X Fortnite Collaboration Start?

The upcoming event will launch on June 20, 2023. Based on Fortnite's previous collaborations, Airphoria is expected to last for about two weeks. This should be enough time for you to enjoy and explore all the available offerings.

That’s about it for a comprehensive look at what we can expect from the Aiphoria event that’s about to happen in Fortnite. NFTs typically have a notorious reputation online, but Nike’s sneaker collection just released on .Swoosh last May surpassed a whopping $1 million in sales. Who knows? Maybe Fortnite will be the game that’ll pioneer NFTs becoming the norm in the gaming space.