This year's NBA Finals have begun, and although unusual circumstances have kept fans out of the arena, Dapper Labs hopes to give them a chance to "own" a piece of the action that takes place on the pitch.
NBA Top Shot
Dapper Labs announced on Thursday the public launch of its blockchain-based collectible game, NBA Top Shot. Currently in its beta version and developed in collaboration with the National Basketball Association, Top Shot will also be available to Samsung users (Samsung shares - ticker: SAMSUNG) based in the United States on the Galaxy app store.
Created using non-fungible tokens (NFTs) coined on the purpose-built Flow blockchain, Top Shot allows users to collect, display and trade in-game “moments” that capture actions taken on the real field.
For example, a user can buy a stock based on a James Harden dunk and display, sell, or trade it for, say, a three-point Steph Curry. The platform has already managed to win a strong following thanks to a beta version that was accessed by invitation only.
Launched in May after garnering financial backing from a handful of NBA stars, the platform has since invited 17.000 users, recorded 158.000 transactions and grossed over $ 2 million in revenue, according to the data.
New game options coming soon
NFTs are unique digital tokens that allow the issuer to embed identifying information about the object (be it art, selfie, or basketball clip) into the token's smart contract while maintaining a copy of the corresponding properties on the blockchain.
Embedded identifying information provides duplication protection, and the ownership record ensures that users can verify who owns what and perform transactions.
Dapper Labs said they are developing a more immersive experience within Top Shot called “Hardcourt”. “It's a 3D game where you control players on a basketball court,” Roham Gharegozlou, CEO of Dapper Labs, said in an interview.
He explained that once a user has assembled their team of players for the match, they can then use the "moments" they have to improve their players' skills. “If I have a bunch of LeBron [James] dunks, I can train my Steph Curry to be as good at dunks like LeBron by giving him lots of LeBron 'moments',” he said.
Dapper thus hopes to attract more mainstream users who have largely stayed away from the world of NFT-enabled gaming. "It is a high graphics experience, because all of our user research has shown that this is what traditional fans want to see," said Gharegozlou, adding: "Cryptocurrency fans would love a trading card game or a fantasy sport. .
But to actually go mainstream and have a game that tens of millions of people play every day, you have to somehow make it look as good as all the [industry] options available. " Dapper Labs said Hardcourt is being tested internally and is expected to launch towards the end of the fourth quarter.
