In Brief:
- The IOC announced the debut of Olympic Games Jam: Beijing 2022 NFT game developed by NWay.
- The launch takes place one day before the Beijing Winter Games’ opening ceremony.
- The game will be available in every country that has access to Apple’s App Store and Google Play except China .
The International Olympic Committee, which organises the Olympic Games, has announced the debut of a mobile game themed on the next 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. NFTs, collectible crypto tokens that reflect virtual property ownership, will be used in the game.
The app called Olympic Games Jam: Beijing 2022 will allow players to partake in a variety of sporting events, including snowboarding and skiing. A variety of custom skins are available for users to apply to their avatars. Hundreds of participants will compete in a series of randomised events until one person emerges victorious.
NWay, a blockchain game company owned by Hong Kong-based corporation Animoca Brands, created Olympic Games Jam: Beijing 2022. NWay’s games reward users with NFTs as they progress, and they are part of a rapidly developing category of games known as “play to earn.”
The launch takes place one day before the Beijing Winter Games’ opening ceremony. Last year, the IOC announced its intentions to enter the NFT industry by creating virtual pins that can be collected and exchanged. With this new game, IOC intends to broaden the appeal of these pins.
Taehoon Kim, CEO of nWay, said the company’s new game would allow people to “own a piece of Olympic history.”
“We intend to support the game with continuous updates in the months to come, to keep the players engaged, and the Olympic spirit ongoing,” he said in a statement.
On nWay’s marketplace, users will be able to buy digital replicas of the renowned Olympic pins and trade them with other users. The IOC’s official licencing procedure is used to licence the digital pins, and the organisation receives royalties on each sale.
The game will be available in every country that has access to Apple’s App Store and Google Play. This excludes China, which has stringent rules on both – games and cryptocurrency, all of which must be approved by Beijing officials. Last year, the Chinese government took steps to outlaw all crypto-related operations.