How subcultures drive the NFT market

Living on the fringe is a part of the core ethos of PlaySK8. While adoption is good for those who have invested their time in an industry — whether that industry is nonfungible tokens (NFT) or skateboarding — an unfortunate drawback to mainstream adoption is the death of authenticity. 

As concepts become more popular, much of the culture and authenticity that kickstarted their communities get lost in the machine. SK8 is focused on encapsulating the culture of skateboarding in the metaverse, taking inspiration from projects such as the Bored Apes Yacht Club and CryptoPunks that have transitioned from fringe subcultures to the mainstream. 

SK8 hopes to use NFTs to ensure that skating retains its authenticity — at least in the metaverse. 

What is SK8?

SK8 is an NFT-based game where players compete. The collection has already turned heads by partnering with NFT-marketplace-behemoth OpenSea and some of the best skaters in the world such as Nyjah Huston. When designing its NFTs, the platform partnered with Venice Beach graffiti legends Can’t Be Stopped to maintain an aesthetic true to skating’s origins.  Each profile picture comes with three tricks, and the entire collection includes the largest library of design assets ever distributed in an NFT offering with 10,000 NFTs consisting of 300,000 tricks and trick-variation animations. 

Beyond the game itself, SK8 is partnering with professional skaters such as Huston to blur the lines between real-life and metaverse skating. Before launching, SK8 community members have had their dreams come true via campaigns that have allowed winners to compete in a game of SK8 against Huston. The SK8 team has taken a unique approach to grow its community, enlisting the help of skaters worldwide in daring bounty campaigns to help spread the word. It was through these bounties that it caught the attention of Huston.

SK8 has also partnered with OpenSea for its minting. The collection will be released in phases, with the first phase ending at 3,000 NFTs minted. A special reveal will occur directly after it.  

The SK8 team wants to bring skating culture into the metaverse and focus on its beginnings to ensure that this digital world remains pure where the physical one couldn’t. Skating competitions are now riddled with big-brand sponsorships and advertisers who don’t benefit the community. 

Through NFTs, the community and players can all benefit directly through the growth of skating culture. For the first time, users can take ownership of the brands and subcultures they identify with and build alongside them — turning would-be consumers into brand partners and evangelists. 

To learn more about this project visit our website.