Ahead of the start of the 2022 tournament, the Australian Open (AO) entered the metaverse by launching 6,776 ‘AO Art Ball’ NFTs – enabling fans and collectors to purchase a virtual piece of an AO tennis court surface.
The digital minting of the ‘AO Art Ball’ collection linked the NFTs to live match data linked to this year’s electronic line calling technology thus allowing fans to own a unique tournament moment in real-time.
Each individual Art Ball’s metadata is linked to a 19cm x 19cm surface plot of each of the AO courts and if the winning shot from any of the 400+ matches lands on that plot then the NFT metadata will be updated live to highlight the snippet of match information to create the Art Ball and its linked limited-edition wearable merchandise.
Plus, if one of the 11 championship points from the 2022 tournament lands on a plot then the NFT owner of that plot will also receive the tennis ball used in the actually championship point in a specially handcrafted case.
The virtual balls themselves are created via generative art: an algorithmic combination of colour schemes, patterns and textures all linked to historical art and imagery connected to the tournament’s history including designs from local and international artists – ensuring each is individual in appearance.
The initiative was virtually hosted in Decentraland – a 3D virtual reality platform – which enabled tennis fan access to digitally explore this aspect of the tournament from wherever they are in the world.
The initiative, which saw AO team up with blockchain studio and metaverse specialists Run it Wild, Web3 and strategists Rarer Things, was promoted through an integrated campaign spearheaded by social media content and PR.
Introducing https://t.co/KPIImKidPn – a thread.
– Mint your ball
– Own the court
– Own the moment
– Be on the ball
– Enter the Metaverse w/ @decentraland pic.twitter.com/XCp1Fc43YR— AOmetaverse (@AOmetaverse) January 6, 2022
2/ Mint your ball: 6,776 one-of -a-kind NFTs; a mixed collection of generative art, artist collaborations and iconic @AustralianOpen IP. Utility? Real match data integration and trait updates, read on…
Price: 0.067 ETH
Public Sale: 13 Jan (time TBA) pic.twitter.com/mxRpLKH3h8— AOmetaverse (@AOmetaverse) January 6, 2022
3/ Own the court: This is where the all action happens. Every match point of every game of the AO, linked to your AO Art Ball NFT.
Every AO Art Ball NFT is assigned a section of the court. 6,776 AO Art Ball NFTs = 6,776 court sections. What’s this mean? Read on friends… pic.twitter.com/MPWQaD6AUR
— AOmetaverse (@AOmetaverse) January 6, 2022
5/ Enter the Metaverse: We’ve partnered with @decentraland to build Melbourne Park in all its glory.
Plus, hang court-side with 24 hour access to the live broadcast, daily viewings of some of the best archived matches throughout AO history and so much more… pic.twitter.com/XiD6BSeEE7
— AOmetaverse (@AOmetaverse) January 6, 2022
6/ Be on the ball! Are you an artist, or do you know one? – tag them.
You have till the 10th Jan to submit your art to https://t.co/2f7URxiQ9t for a chance to be selected to feature on an AO Art Ball NFT.
Nice… pic.twitter.com/AWRkLqIrvm
— AOmetaverse (@AOmetaverse) January 6, 2022
“The Australian Open prides itself on being one of the most innovative sports and entertainment events in the world, and we are delighted that through our expansion into the Metaverse and Decentraland, more fans can engage with our sport than ever before,” explained AO Chief Commercial Officer Cedric Cornelis. “We work closely with some of the world’s best developers to ensure we stay ahead of consumer trends and continue to expand into new sectors in ways never before seen in tennis.”
“The court plot tied to the NFT will be revealed when the balls are minted, meaning a buyer can’t choose a specific position on-court. Down the line shots and the ace down the T are where you’ll want to be” explained Run It Wild Director Adam De Cata.
“We want the AO to be the world’s most accessible and inclusive sports and entertainment event, and with the unique challenges fans have faced getting to Melbourne we’ve fast-tracked our launch into the Metaverse,” said Tennis Australia NFT and Metaverse Project Manager Ridley Plummer. “Taking the AO into the Metaverse is an important step to provide truly global access to our great event.”
Comment
This initiative interestingly blurs art, sport and technology with real-time ball-tracking court data and both fungible and non-fungible rewards.
The rights holder claimed that this was the first time any of the tennis Grand Slams had entered the metaverse with this initiative and it certainly reflects the ambition of AO and Tennis Australia to use digital technology to engage fans and drive growth and value for its self-claimed 1bn global viewers.
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