Will New Balance also enter the Metaverse?

Josh Gerben, founder of a cutting-edge law firm specializing in trademarks, which had already revealed Nike's intentions to expand into the Metaverse last November, again turned to Twitter to report that New Balance on January 13th would have filed the applications necessary to allow the brand to produce goods for the virtual world. In particular footwear, apparel, various accessories and sports equipment which may be sold in virtual retail stores or used for online entertainment purposes.

While New Balance has not yet confirmed its plans, Josh Gerben's revelations for Nike have turned out to be entirely correct. Not only had the brand submitted the application to use some of the company's properties such as Just Do It and the logo for the sale of digital sneakers and clothing, but a few months later it also announced the acquisition of RTFKT Studios, a company that creates virtual and collectible sneakers.

The world of sneakers has a lot in common with one of the basic key elements of the digital world, the NFTs, both of which are collectible and subject to sudden changes in value, so it seems a natural evolution that these two elements merge into one in the Web3. In fact, on Tuesday, Scott Cutler, CEO of StockX, announced the launch of a new service, "VaultNFTs", a new feature with which customers can invest in Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) linked to physical products such as sneakers, as well as a way for users to unlock new trading opportunities.