Web3 basketball game Rumble Kong League has teamed up with apparel brand Stance to launch a collection of in-game NFT HyperSocks, alongside IRL counterparts.
The partnership, which includes a collaboration with NBA superstar Paul George, will see the Rumble Kong League universe extend beyond the game and into the real world, with the launch of IRL socks featuring the same designs seen in-game, along with an AR filter showcasing the game.
“This partnership creates a shared universe where fans can enjoy collecting, playing, and showing off products in both digital and physical forms.” Nick Vale, CCO at Rumble League Studios, told Decrypt.
RKL will soon onboard its first players into a 3v3 basketball game with play-and-earn mechanisms. Accessible on both web and mobile platforms, the game will incorporate the 10,000-strong Rumble Kongs PFP collection as playable characters.
Players will have the ability to select teams based on the NFTs they own, or rent other players’ NFTs.
Onboarding mainstream gamers
In bringing together RKL with a mainstream brand beloved of street culture enthusiasts, the HyperSocks collaboration is designed to extend the game’s appeal beyond the Web3 niche. “We are combining various popular features from the blockchain, gaming, and entertainment industries,” Vale told Decrypt.
The existing Rumble Kong community remains central, with NFT holders being offered first dibs on claiming a digital HyperSocks box. But the team has also taken steps to ensure a seamless users experience for mainstream gamers, with a raffle mechanism that doesn’t require the use of a crypto wallet.
The campaign will extend beyond the screen with the launch of an augmented reality (AR) social contest, encouraging players to show off their basketball skills in real-world settings and be rewarded for their engagement.
“What makes this feature particularly interesting is its capacity to motivate players to go outdoors and play basketball,” Vale told Decrypt. “This opportunity to inspire real-world participation is quite rewarding. We recognize the significance of both physical and mental well-being, and the AR social contest is the perfect tool for it.”
From its inception, RKL's objective has been to address one of the major obstacles to the adoption of Web3 gaming: the lack of quality. “Rumble Kong League is dedicated to crafting an engaging gaming experience that merges classic gaming nostalgia and action-packed gameplay, with cutting-edge web3 technology,” Vale told Decrypt.
In order to onboard the hoped-for masses of mainstream gamers, Web3 titles like Rumble Kong League need to address the challenge of scalability. To ensure a seamless gaming experience for a large player base, Vale explained, the developers chose the Avalanche blockchain.
“We met with every major scaling solution, blockchain, L2s, etc., and clicked the most with the team over at Avalanche," Vale told Decrypt. “Avalanche offers us the most straightforward tech, and developer tooling, and our ambitions have been fully aligned with the team for over a year now”.
Avalanche has become a reference blockchain for gaming, offering a welcoming environment for developers. “We've been focused primarily on attracting and enabling builders who may be the ones to really establish Web3 gaming within the broader gaming industry,” an Avalanche spokesperson told Decrypt.
“Rumble Kong has a strong community and an experienced team that has unique collaborations with professional basketball and apparel associations,” they added. “We believe with enough time and resources they'll put together some amazing products and a great game while continuing to build on their current community. It's a group that we would love to help become established on Avalanche.”
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