Ozil creates first NFT Collection with Genies
This week footballer Mesut Ozil launched a first of its kind NFT collection with Genies, co-designed by Boss Logic, with all proceeds going to the Big Shoes charity.
I am going to unpick that opening paragraph as there is a lot packed in there.
Mesut Ozil - left his nightmare at Arsenal and returned home to play for Fenerbahce. To celebrate his move, Ozil wanted to create something that honoured his past and embraced his future, so he turned to Genies.
Genies - in my opinion, are one of the most exciting companies out there. In a nutshell, they are creating the official avatars of the world’s biggest icons, helping them to memorialise life-defining moments and additionally creating digital goods that these avatars can wear/sell. In March they will be allowing consumers to create their own Genies, meaning celebs and others will be able to use their Genies online to represent themselves.
NFT - as explained by the brilliant Packy McCornmick — ‘Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) are cryptographic tokens that prove authenticity, ownership, and scarcity of digital assets.’ So in this instance, if you purchase the Ozil NFTs they will unlock digital wearables for a Genies avatar to wear/use.
Boss Logic - one of the world’s most renowned artists in the entertainment space. He regularly works with film studios to help create art for their movies. Involving Boss Logic in the project, added an extra layer of credibility and excitement for fans outside the world of football.
Now that's unpacked, lets take a closer look at the collection. It had three different ways you could get involved.
The Next Chapter: Mesut Özil x Genies - this is where you could purchase 200 pairs of Ozil’s boots (no Nike tick anywhere to be seen) and 100 kit pieces.
The Next Chapter Auction: Mesut Özil x Boss Logic x Genies - gave people the chance to place a silent bid in the hope that their bid would be the highest and an exclusive 1 of 1 NFT which unlocks an ultra-rare Mesut Özil Next Chapter Golden Kit bodysuit.
The Next Chapter Open Edition: Mesut Özil x Genies - finally the open allowed as many people as possible to purchase one of the two pieces within a set time of the collection being open/closed.
The Results
Well according to Nifty Gateway, the platform that hosted the sales, said it ‘was the largest edition silent auction we have released’ and in terms of sales, there were some impressive figures.
The Next Chapter: Mesut Özil x Genies
Boots sold out and maxed at $1.8k
Kits sold out and maxed at $2.5k
The Next Chapter Auction: Mesut Özil x Boss Logic x Genies
The exclusive 1 of 1 sold for a bid of $75,000
The Next Chapter Open Edition: Mesut Özil x Genies
Over 500 sales were recorded for the Triumph and Blast pieces at $670 a pop
WHAT DOES THIS ALL MEAN
While these few words provide a quick snapshot of the Ozil activity, there is a depth to explore when it comes to NFTs and the world around them. They are quickly becoming one of the words of 2021 and we are seeing things heat up in this space.
It's clear to see that the world of arts are at the cutting edge of the change, as they normally are when it comes to driving culture, and there are some fab use cases that I am starting to uncover and will talk more about over the next few weeks.
Overall it feels there are big opportunities lying head in the world of NFTs and as Jesse Walden said, 'NFTs: the "port of entry" for all future internet media.'