Nike enters Metaverse with Virtual World on Roblox platform

Nike Inc. is opening its own world in the Metaverse.

Nike is partnering with video-game platform Roblox on Nikeland, a free-to-play virtual world with games like dodgeball and floor-is-lava. (AP)

Nike Inc. is opening its own world in the metaverse. The sportswear giant is partnering with video-game platform Roblox on Nikeland, a free-to-play virtual world with games like dodgeball and floor-is-lava, it said Thursday in a statement. It's designed after the real-life Nike headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon. Players will be able to outfit their characters in digital versions of Nike products like Air Max sneakers. The Nikeland website is promoting exclusive items like caps and backpacks.

Nike recently filed seven requests with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to protect its marks for “downloadable virtual goods,” signaling the company's intent to offer digital products as shoppers become more interested in them.

Roblox uses popular game platform to back new kids' projects

(AFP) Video gaming platform Roblox is using its massive popularity amongst younger players to support projects that weave educational video games into school programs, the company said Monday.

With its Lego-like avatars and easy-to-learn coding for budding programmers, the online gaming app has become a thriving clubhouse for young gamers, most of them no older than 16.

Roblox is already a venue where students learn computer coding skills while designing games to share with friends at the online venue.

Projects receiving the initial set of grants from a $10 million pool from Roblox included a "Destination Mars" journey being created by the Museum of Science in Boston.

The vision is to let students virtually explore the International Space Station and work together to develop systems for supporting human life on that planet, a description of the project indicated.

"Instead of reading about ancient Rome, for example, students will be able to go there and explore the Colosseum together," founder and chief executive David Baszucki said in a blog post.

The goal is to have 100 million students learning on the Roblox platform by the end of this decade, with an eye toward a future of learning happening in the immersive online worlds, said Roblox's Rebecca Kantar.

As of August, slightly more than 43 million people used Roblox daily, according to market tracker Statista.