10 Popular Brands Poised to Make a Significant Impact on the Metaverse

Since Facebook’s rebranding to Meta, the metaverse has emerged as an enticing frontier, attracting numerous brands into its digital fold

Metaverse development is still in its early stages, but several forward-thinking brands have already begun exploring this fascinating space. Here are 10 popular brands poised to make a significant impact on the metaverse.

1. Samsung

2. Coca-Cola

3. Nike

4. Adidas

5. Louis Vuitton

6. Burberry

7. Domino’s

8. Sotheby’s

9. The Walking Dead

10. McDonald’s

These brands are already experimenting with a variety of metaverse concepts, from virtual stores and events to NFT collections and games. As the metaverse continues to develop, we can expect to see even more innovative and engaging experiences from these and other brands.

Here's a closer look at each brand's metaverse initiatives:

**Samsung**

South Korean tech giant Samsung launched a virtual replica of its 837 flagship store in New York within Decentraland, a 3-D world browser-based platform. Opened to the public in 2020, users may buy virtual plots of land in Decentralands as NFTs via its MANA cryptocurrency which uses the Ethereum blockchain. Designers can create and sell clothes and accessories for the avatars to be used in the virtual world.

Samsung’s virtual 837X store was the highlight of the company’s announcements at the 2022 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, featuring three distinct areas:

During the event’s early days, visitors had the chance to win limited-edition digital fashion. While the Decentraland store was temporary, Samsung plans to open more 837X stores across various platforms in the future.

**Coca-Cola**

In 2021, Coca-Cola introduced its first NFT collection alongside a virtual event in Decentraland, all in celebration of Friendship Day on July 30. The company hosted a virtual party atop their iconic virtual Coke can building where attendees had the chance to win rare wearable items.

The event also marked the start of the auction for the Coca-Cola Friendship Box NFT package.

**Nike**

Also in 2021, Nike took its biggest leap into the Metaverse by acquiring RTFKT, a leading NFT collectibles brand.

Renowned for its virtual and physical sneaker releases, RTFKT (pronounced artifact) was founded in 2020 with the imprint already collaborating with popular sports personalities including Jeff Staple, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Takashi Murakami.

RTFKT uses the latest in game engines, NFT, blockchain authentication and augmented reality, combined with manufacturing expertise to create one of a kind sneakers and digital products.

 

**Adidas**

Besides Decentraland, another virtual world being utilized for metaverse concepts by global corporate brands is The Sandbox, a 3D blockchain game platform released in 2021.

The Sandbox is free-to-play with in-game purchases available through an Ethereum-based cryptocurrency called $SAND.

Still in 2021, Adidas not only purchased land in The Sandbox’s virtual world but also launched an NFT collection in collaboration with Punks Comics, Gmoney, and Bored Ape Yacht Club. This release quickly attracted significant attention, appealing to various communities, particularly due to the connection with Bored Apes, which generated a lot of buzz around Adidas’ metaverse initiatives.

However, the launch of ‘Originals: Into the Metaverse’ faced some controversy, as only 10,000 out of the 30,000 NFTs were made available to the general public.

**Louis Vuitton**

To celebrate its 200th anniversary, fashion house, Louis Vuitton, made a surprising move by launching Louis The Game, a puzzle adventure where players could collect NFTs. This marked the brand’s first significant venture into the metaverse.

In the game, players control Vivienne as she travels through six colorful locations to collect 200 candles. The game remains available in both the Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store.

In 2023, Louis Vuitton continued its metaverse exploration by introducing the Louis Vuitton Mystery Box, embracing the ‘phygital’ trend, which merges physical items with digital NFT counterparts.

**Burberry**

At Electronic Entertainment Experience 2021 (E3 2021), Burberry teamed up with Mythical Games to introduce branded NFTs to the game Blankos Block Party. These exclusive, limited-edition NFTs sold out quickly, with Burberry armbands priced at $25 and the Burberry Sharky B character costing $300.

The excitement around these NFTs was substantial as the Sharky B character later resold for $700 on the secondary market.

Burberry didn’t stop at this initial release. In June 2022, they launched another collection of NFT accessories and even introduced a branded game within Blankos Block Party.

**Domino’s**

Metaverse development company, Metazone, launched