Weekly Web3 Brand Tracker

🟠 Reddit NFT's total sales volume has more than doubled over the past week. In last week’s newsletter, we reported on the popularity of Reddit’s Avatar marketplace, which launched in July. It seems others were paying attention too. Reddit Avatar trading volume has more than doubled, with over $3M in sales volume since last week. The market cap of the collection is now at around $100M. Read more here.

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🐦 Twitter is rumored to be working on a crypto wallet prototype. The rumor was ignited by a tweet by Jane Wong, who is well-known for reporting on to-be-launch tech features.

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🍏 New App Store guidelines tighten web3 restrictions. Apple’s new App Store rules, which were introduced last week, impose restrictions on NFTs & crypto exchanges. The guidelines, which limit NFT utility, are aimed to protect Apple’s revenue models & ensure exchanges are properly regulated. Read more here.

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💸 Western Union files crypto-related trademark applications. The international money transfer company has filed trademark applications relating to virtual currency exchange and transfer, commodity & crypto trading & brokerage, issuing tokens, and more. Read more here.

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🦹🏽 DC announces DC Collectible Comics (DC3). DC3 involves dropping NFT comics on a weekly basis. The first collectible is Superman #1, which sold for $9.99. DC3 is designed to merge the real-world collectible comic book experience with the digital & expand DC’s digital community. Read more here.

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🥗 Thanx launches Loyalty 3.0 platform for restaurants. Loyalty 3.0 enables restaurants to easily level up & customize their loyalty programs, without damaging margins. The launch is designed to help restaurants more readily compete with loyalty leaders like Starbucks & Chipotle. Read more here.

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🚘 Nissan to release NFTs alongside a new game. Nissan plans to release up to 15 NFTs in collaboration with Grease Monkey Games, an Animoca Brands subsidiary. The car NFTs will have utility in the upcoming game, Torque Drift 2. Read more here.

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⚽️ Umbro launches smart digital collectibles. UmbroID is an upcoming NFT collection influenced by football culture & Umbro’s influence in the sport, ahead of the upcoming World Cup. NFT holders will receive rewards, such as physical and digital giveaways. Read more here.

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💍 Claire’s launches Halloween-themed Roblox experience. Fans can enter ShimmerVille and kit out their avatars with Claire’s jewelry, also available in real-life. Claire’s is also partnering with similar brand partners through limited-edition merch and digital experiences. Read more here.

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🤾🏾‍♂️ Warner Bros Discovery Sports forms metaverse partnership. The brand has formed an exclusive partnership with metaverse specialist, Infinite Reality. The partnership will enable Warner Bros to create immersive experiences for sports fans powered by Web 3. Read more here.

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🔴 Gucci opens Gucci Vault Land in the Sandbox metaverse. The launch of Gucci Vault Land makes Gucci the first major fashion label with a space dedicated to web3 products in The Sandbox. Gucci purchased the plot in February. The hub will feature Gucci NFTs, real-world fashion pieces, and more. The experience will run until November 9th. Read more here.

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📣 ITV Studios’ The Voice enters the metaverse. The Voice in the metaverse will give fans the opportunity to engage with the show in a whole new way. The experience will include social games, events, unique content, a web3 loyalty program, and the development of a metaverse-based competition. Read more here.

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🟡 Google launches Ethereum node service. Google’s Blockchain Node Engine offers fully-managed node hosting for Ethereum applications. Running nodes is a data and resource-intensive process. The new centralized service moves the onus of running nodes to Google, allowing builders to focus their efforts on building applications. Read more here.

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📶 Nokia believes the metaverse will replace smartphones. Nokia was one of the first companies to manufacture a consumer-grade mobile phone. The metaverse, powered by virtual reality and augmented reality glasses, will allow users to interact with new experiences. Chief Strategy and Technology Officer Nishant Batra confidently stated that Nokia believes mobile devices will be overtaken by a metaverse experience in the decade's second half. Read more here.

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🧳 RTFKT has seen successful trading volume since its launch. TFKT is the Nike-backed NFT studio behind the CloneX avatars. They dropped a new collection on October 27th with LVMH’s luxury luggage manufacturer Rimowa. The collection has seen 1,123 ETH ($1.7M) of volume on OpenSea alone. The 888 NFTs can be redeemed for cabin luggage and 2,222 “robot collectibles” were sold through a virtual raffle. Read more here.

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ELSEWHERE IN THE METAVERSE…

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🟢 Almost half of the young people want crypto in 401(k)s. The findings are a result of a survey by the financial services giant and signal significant long-term demand for crypto assets. More.

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🟢 Vertu Launches first ever web3 phone. Last week, the phone, which has a starting price of $3300, announced the release of METAVERTU. More.

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🟢 74% of institutions plan to purchase crypto. A Fidelity survey shows that institutional appetite for digital assets has not been deterred by the market downturn. More.

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🟢 LooksRare follows suit and drops mandatory NFT royalties. NFT Marketplace LooksRare has followed in others’ footsteps and made NFT royalties optional. LooksRare instead is giving creators 0.5% of the 2% that previously went to LOOKS stakers. More.

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Thanks for reading & see you next week!

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This article was originally published on Hackernoon