Australian Open Teams Up With Decentraland To Join Metaverse
Australian Open has moved into the metaverse space through teaming up with Decentraland to held this year’s tournament in virtual space also.
The Australian Open (AO), one of the world’s biggest tennis tournaments is making a move to enter both the NFT and Metaverse space.
This year’s AO championship will also be held in Decentraland — a leading virtual reality platform. The fans will also be able to further participate by buying non-fungible tokens linked to live match data.
Into the Metaverse
Omicron cases in Australia have been on the rise, and the organizers of the Australian Open decided to provide wider access to both international spectators and even locals who might be concerned to attend matches in person.
Therefore, the tournament will also take place in Decentraland, where visitors will be able to observe the main stadium Rod Laver Arena, explore restaurants, and of course, watch tennis matches.
Craig Tiley, the AO Tournament Director, commented:
“With this next wave of technology, global tennis fans will have the opportunity to be part of the 2022 Australian Open in a way never before available.”
NFT Collection
Additionally, the organization behind the Australian Open will release a collection of 6,776 non-fungible tokens, called “Art Ball NFTs.” Each collectible will correspond to a winning shot from all matches from the 2022 championship.
Owners will also receive an airdrop with footage of the point, virtual wearables, and other benefits in the future. Should one of the 11 championship points land on the plot, the holder of the connected NFT can claim and get the physical tennis ball from the match used in the game in a specially handcrafted case.
The non-fungible tokens will be tracked by the same technology employed to judge the matches’ in-game points.
The “Art Ball NFTs” will go on sale on January 10, while the AO Decentraland event goes live on January 17, the same day when the physical tournament begins.
Decentraland becoming more popular
Earlier this week, the Korean electronics giant Samsung introduced its new metaverse experience, called Samsung 837X. The feature, empowered by Decentraland, will enable clients to virtually attend quests or live music events.
According to Samsung announcement:
“Best of all, you can earn NFT badges and exclusive, limited-supply collections of Samsung Decentraland wearables to customize your avatars.”
Samsung 837X will be open in Decentraland for a limited period. Throughout the ongoing year, the Korean company plans to bring the experience to more people by launching a multiverse approach on new platforms.
Samsung’s Michelle Crossan-Matos explained:
“Metaverse empowers us to transcend physical and spatial limits to create unique virtual experiences that could not happen otherwise. Innovation is in our DNA, and we can’t wait for you all to experience this burgeoning virtual world.”
