South Korean automobile manufacturer Hyundai announced today, April 18th, that it has partnered with the Meta Kongz NFT project to create a limited collection of 30 NFTs launching sometime in May 2022.
Hyundai also created a new Twitter handle @Hyundai_NFT for its NFT-related communications and posted a video showing an animated Meta Kong riding through space in a 1975 Hyundai PONY.
Hyundai x Meta Kongz introduces Hyundai Metamobility universe.
Check out this aweeeesome creature’s breathtaking adventure with Hyundai PONY.@Hyundai_Global @meta_kongz pic.twitter.com/w0iLPHxe5d
— Hyundai_NFT (@Hyundai_NFT) April 17, 2022Included in the announcement was a teaser for a further “Shooting Star NFT” with a cryptic explanation that it is a “ticket to a whole new world” and might lead to “new NFTs”.
In January, Hyundai shared its “Metamobility” concept, a vision for robotics to be a medium between the real world and the Metaverse so changes users make in the Metaverse are reflected in reality, which “allows people to overcome the physical limitations of movement in time and space.”
As part of its concept vision, Hyundai stated:
“With the metaverse set to become a daily space for people in the future, the company expects the possible emergence of a new type of metaverse platform in which the distinction from reality could disappear, breaking away from the concept of VR as the world knows it today.”Hyundai continued its concept, hinting at a possible “Hyundai Metamobility universe” a metaverse with the issuance of various NFTs as mobility vehicles.
Activision Blizzard surveys on NFTs and play-to-earn
Activision Blizzard recently sent out a survey to players of its games, asking them to share their interest level in NFTs, along with their thoughts on play-to-earn and Metaverse games.
Twitter user @OTadaka shared a screenshot of the survey conducted by market research firm YouGov which attempted to gauge interest in different categories of “future gaming trends.”
So it seems Blizzard/Activision is trying to see if players are interested in crypto and n.f*t in games. I got a survey from them and it is on the survey. I said very disinterested to them. pic.twitter.com/dIT4bVokDK
— Okage Tadaka BlackLivesMatter StopAsianHate (@OTadaka) April 16, 2022In January Microsoft acquired Activision Blizzard for $69 billion, stating at the time that the acquisition would “provide building blocks for the Metaverse,” Microsoft CEO and chairman Satya Nadella added that gaming will play a “key role” in developing metaverse platforms.
Health data to be trialed as NFTs
Blockchain services company HashCash Consultants announced on April 16th that it was partnering with an unnamed UK- based company to create NFTs which include information about an individuals' health.
The firms will work with volunteers who will provide their health data, with the intention for it to be made into an NFT so that it can be shared with healthcare providers, a move the company says can be more easily tracked and monetized by the owner.
Related: What are wash trading and money laundering in NFTs?
The release provided an example of how this type of NFT could be tracked and monetized with that of a DNA testing kit company selling its user data to a research firm. The Founder and CEO of HashCash Consultants Raj Chowdhury explained:
“If your genetic data were turned into NFTs, the information is then attached with an inherent feature to be tracked, this would enable you to monitor where your data ends up and track the people who hold the NFT and also figure out if it is being used without permission.”More Nifty News
Texas and Alabama state securities regulators have sent emergency cease and desist orders to Sand Vegas Casino Club for illegally offering over 11,000 NFTs to raise funds for its Metaverse-based casinos.
The parent company of The Sandbox metaverse, Animoca Brands, has added two video game publishers to its repertoire, enhancing both its motorsport and role-playing blockchain games.
Meanwhile, Louis Vuitton is continuing its Web3 plans with the release of new NFTs as part of its “Louis: The Game” mobile game. The fashion label added new levels and rewards to its app which will randomly reward players with 10 new “profile picture” type tokens.