Nike has take it's biggest leap into the metaverse to date with their acquisition of NFT collectibles brand RTFKT.

Renowned for it's virtual and physical sneaker releases, RTFKT (pronounced artifact) was founded in 2020 by Benoit Pagotto, Chris Le and Steven Vasilev, with the imprint already collaborating with the likes of Jeff Staple, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Takashi Murakami.

RTFKT have been redefining the boundaries of physical and digital value to serve their community of creators since their inception, creating cutting-edge game engines, NFTs, blockchain authentication and augmented reality to become one of the most revered, ahead of the curve players in the space.

“This acquisition is another step that accelerates Nike’s digital transformation and allows us to serve athletes and creators at the intersection of sport, creativity, gaming and culture,” John Donahoe, president and CEO of Nike, Inc. said in a statement. “We’re acquiring a very talented team of creators with an authentic and connected brand. Our plan is to invest in the RTFKT brand, serve and grow their innovative and creative community and extend Nike’s digital footprint and capabilities.”  

“This is a unique opportunity to build the RTFKT brand and we are excited to benefit from Nike’s foundational strength and expertise to build the communities we love,” says Benoit Pagotto, one of RTFKT’s co-founders. “Nike is the only brand in the world that shares the deep passion we all have for innovation, creativity and community, and we’re excited to grow our brand which was fully formed in the metaverse.”