Web3 Transition Continues at Pace with eBay & GameStop Launches
E-commerce platform and web2 institution, eBay, has released their debut NFT collection, featuring hockey icon Wayne Gretzky. Working in partnership with Tezos & Polygon based NFT platform OneOf. eBay’s first digital collectable drop is titled “Genesis” and will feature a variety of visual art and photography centred around sporting legends who featured on Sports Illustrated covers over the years. According to eBay, the heightened collective interest in web3 and digital collectables peaked their own interests, which inspired ‘Genesis’.
The first drop in this collection is available already and stars Canadian hockey legend, Wayne Gretzky: this first drop is made up of different sets of limited edition collectables, split into separate tiers of price and rarity: green, gold, platinum and diamond tier. The pricing started at only $10 (0.0052 ETH at the time of writing, for anyone interested), with the cheapest NFT featuring 3d rendering and animations of Gretzky in action, on the ice. The aptly named Dawn Block, eBay’s Vice President of Collectables said of the drop “Through our partnership with OneOf, eBay is now making coveted NFTs more accessible to a new generation of collectors everywhere. This builds upon our commitment to deliver high-passion, high-value items to the eBay community of buyers and sellers.”
Of the available NFTs, the diamond, platinum and gold tiers worth $1,500, $100 and $25, respectively, have already sold out. eBay’s announcement also detailed the eco credentials of their drop: their partner, OneOf, supports a number of “energy efficient blockchains” to provide environmentally sustainable digital collectables. The ‘Genesis’ collection was minted on Ethereum scaling platform, Polygon, though secondary sales are only available through OneOf.
The transition to web3 is moving at pace, as yet more web2 institutions are transitioning their brand and approach to the next frontier of internet use. As the giants of our current internet landscape make their transition to web3, the potential user base and exposure that this creates is immense: the web3 revolution is very real. GameStop added fuel to the web3 fire this week buy announcing the rollout of their digital asset wallet, which users can now download as an extension on Google Chrome or via their mobile.
The GameStop wallet is, like many others, self custodial (users have their own private key needed to access the assets), as well as utilising Loopring layer 2 to facilitate lower gas and improve transaction speed. Along with the wallet launch, GameStop have also confirmed that their new NFT marketplace will launch in Q2 of this year, where users will be able to interact with their wallets in the marketplace: GME announced this marketplace expansion as far back as February, as well as a $100 million fund that will entice developers from across the board to make the web3 transition. Layer 2 protocol appears here too, with GameStop seemingly using the system to keep gas low and speed of use high.
Only time will tell the success of these web2 giant’s web3 beginnings, but the sheer number of considerable names and reputations fronting up to the web3 transition is inspiring and exhilarating.
