German footwear giant Puma has launched its new 3D metaverse experience titled Black Station. The experience is for everyone, but Puma Pass holders will be entitled to exclusive benefits.
Puma has called Black Station an experimental home for product deliveries, which will give unlimited access to Puma Pass NFT holders.
Expansion at initial launch
Black Station is Puma’s second foray into the world of Web3, following the launch of its first Web3 project, Black Station 1. Black Station 1 was launched in September during New York Fashion Week as part of the fashion show Futrograde. According to the firm, the brand’s latest Web3 experience can be explored by everyone. However, only users who have RB tokens air-dropped to Puma Pass holders can purchase a “Rulebreaker” digital sneaker and claim two digital wearables. A developer working on the program said,
“If you don’t have an RB Token, there’s still so much to explore. Unkai, our city in the clouds, and Unter, our uplifting club below, are both filled with mysteries to explore and collect.
RB token holders can burn the token on Black Station between June 13 and June 20 and access product drops in the metaverse. The Black Station roadmap also details several general events and NFT drops planned for later this year. In addition, events scheduled for 2024 are also in the works.
An immersive environment
Black Station gives users access to a highly immersive environment created in collaboration with Unreal Engine. Users can purchase limited-edition digital and physical sneakers. The second edition of Black Station builds on this, expanding into two more digital worlds, each with a unique sneaker tied to it. Puma’s Head of Emerging Marketing Technologies and Web3, Ivan Dashkov, said:
“As we move towards this second launch, we want to target a wider audience and let anyone come in, experience it, and play with it. We’ll iterate from there and continue to expand our approach.
Users can access the world via blackstation.puma.com and walk to a Puma elevator. From there, users can choose to head to the Shibuya-inspired Unkai or the Berlin nightlife-inspired Unter. Unkai users can float between Lego-like blocks in the sky. It also includes the Super Puma mascot and giant Puma shoes. At Unter, users can experience a red-lit underground cave and follow neon green footsteps through a Puma rave hall or see a giant Fast-RB Puma shoe. Moreover, there are also hidden Easter eggs. Dashkov added,
“Both spaces are fun because they are so different. There are also a few Easter Eggs we’ve been hiding in space related to our other NFT project, Super Puma PFP, both in visuals and story.
The launch comes as other competitors such as Nike released their very first drop on the .Swoosh Web3 community platform. The collection, called “Our Force 1”, pays homage to the legendary Nike Air Force 1 sneakers launched 41 years ago.
Stick with Ethereum
The experience will remain open until June 23. Additionally, Puma had stated that it was also investigating the possibility of alternative channels. However, he ultimately decided to stick with Ethereum. It was reported in February 2022 that Puma had registered an Ethereum Name Service domain. He also changed his Twitter name to Puma.eth. The company had also invested in several feline-inspired NFTs such as Gutter Cat Gang, CatBlox, Lazy Lions, and Cool Cats NFT.
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