To add even more science fiction to Web3, Adidas has partnered with Ready Player Me to launch a collection of personality-derived avatars. The collection will be based on the Ozworld brand shoe, a chunky sneaker line that began in the 1990s.
To get the personality-driven avatar, users must visit a branded microsite and answer some personality questions. Those questions include selecting their favorite Ozworld silhouette. Ready Player Me will then use artificial intelligence to craft an avatar. Those avatars will be operable in 1,500 virtual worlds that Ready Player Me is compatible with.
The project is a “bold new step” in the future of a virtual world, Adidas said in a statement announcing the avatar collection. It is the first brand partnership for Ready Player Me, and it will push the boundaries of the Web3 space.
Along with the personality-derived avatars, users can try on and purchase a digital copy of the Ozworld collection shoes. And because the shoes are wearable, users will be able to take them on their avatar across the 1,500 worlds. The project officially goes live on April 28th.
Adidas Has Been Busy in Web3
Adidas, a shoe company founded in Germany, has been one of the most active retail companies in Web3. In late 2021, it partnered with Punks Comic-creator Pixel Vault and NFT collection standard-bearer Bored Ape Yacht Club to produce a set of NFTs called Adidas Originals, which have remained popular.
The company also owns land in The Sandbox, one of the top decentralized metaverses in today’s landscape. The partnership with Ready Player Me suggests that Adidas is willing to push the envelope and blend retail and Web3 in unusual ways. It is far different than most retail companies that simply register trademarks or drop static NFT projects.
As Ad Age notes, avatars are likely to become more prevalent. Just as Web2 social media sites rely on user profiles, Web3 metaverses are dependent on avatars. And unlike a simple headshot photograph, avatars are often full-bodied, bringing in the opportunity to outfit them with designer clothes, digital jewelry, and name-brand sneakers.
Interoperability, or the ability to be compatible with different systems, is another essential aspect for avatars. Rather than needing to change avatars in every metaverse, people could have the same avatar and move it from virtual world to world, like a digital identity.
Given its partnership with Ready Player Me, Adidas may recognize the importance of this innovation in the Web3 space. There is no doubting one thing: It is willing to push the envelope in regards to how companies are supposed to integrate into Web3.