HBSE-owned esports organization Dignitas has signed a multiyear partnership deal with Zytara Labs to develop a series of NFT (non-fungible token) collections and digital player cards. The companies have also planned multiple multiple social media activations throughout the partnership. Zytara has been responsible for a number of high-profile NFT projects including a collection released by Floyd Mayweather earlier this month. The Dignitas collection will launch in the third quarter of 2021.
An NFT is a digital asset, typically an image or video, with an identifier within its code signifying its uniqueness. Esports attorney Justin M. Jacobson broke down the technology and its place in the gaming industry in a recent article for The Esports Observer.
NFTs have become widespread throughout the esports industry. Earlier this month, tournament organizer BLAST and G2 Esports both partnered with NFT company Bondly to release their own tokens. Hornets Venom GT became the first NBA 2K League team to launch an NFT in May. 100 Thieves released its NFT in April as part of the launch of its Enter Infinity apparel collection launch.
In the modern gaming era, esports fans are used to purchasing digital assets as they routinely do so in the form of in-game cosmetics and particularly with the game pieces in collectible card games. What sets NFTs and player cards apart from these purchases is their tradability. Digital player cards predate NFTs by several years with startups such as Epics.gg establishing their own platforms and esports team partnerships to develop player cards which could be collected and traded with other fans.
