Blockasset, an NFT platform for athletes, announced today that it will be expanding beyond Solana to Chiliz Block 2.0 and the new Ethereum Virtual machine-compatible Layer-1 Blockchain from Chiliz.
Blockasset will also be expanding its operations. Chiliz, the owner of the Socios fan token, and rewards platform will invest equity in Blockasset. Socios has more than 170 partners, including teams from the NFL and NBA, NHL, and MLS as well as top soccer leagues around the world.
The investment is made through Chiliz Labs. This incubator, which Chiliz founded with Jump Crypto to support blockchain sports projects, cost $50 million.
More than 40 athletes offer NFTs through Blockasset, including former English soccer star Wayne Rooney, NHL veteran Alex Ovechkin, New Zealand rugby player Jonah Lomu, and UFC fighter Jorge Masvidal.
“Blockasset’s athlete-verified token approach is different yet completely complementary to our Socios.com team Fan Token model, allowing us to strengthen the utility of our Fan Tokens and increase our catalog of rewards through cross-activations,” Chiliz CEO Alexandre Dreyfus said in a statement.
Fans can buy Blockasset’s NFTs to access perks such as Discord chats with athletes, meet-and-greet events, merchandise, and signed memorabilia.
Chiliz offers similar rewards through Socios, its fan token platform that lets users vote in polls related to their favorite teams. Socios has other deals with the UFC and Professional Fighters League and owns an equity stake in FC Barcelona’s digital studio. Lionel Messi, soccer’s biggest star, is a global brand ambassador for Socios.
Chiliz says it plans to further invest in Web3 projects to help onboard them onto its blockchain network, with an emphasis on NFT ticketing and play-to-earn games.
