Reebok and Adidas have both announced new projects for bringing goods into virtual spaces, expanding an already salient trend in the sports retail category around metaverse wearables.

“Reebok Impact” will focus on digital shoes, and will incorporate aspects of Web3 and AI technology. Few concrete details have been released regarding the project’s plans, but a recent trademark application filed by Reebok may offer a glimpse. The submission details “clothing, footwear and headwear for use in virtual environments,” in which users will be able to socialize, stream entertainment content and watch virtual performances such as art shows and film festivals.

NFTs will also be utilized, confirmed Daniel Dienst, executive vice chairman of tactical opportunities at Authentic Brands Group, which owns Reebok.

Adidas will sell digital wearables through a spate of pop-up stores on Roblox. These will reflect both real-world items and user-generated pieces designed in collaboration with a Roblox creator.

For a growing cohort of sports retail brands that includes Nike and Puma, digital wearables continue to be the easiest access point to the metaverse, given the straightforward connection they offer between the physical and digital worlds. Young consumers are especially interested in dressing up their avatars, paving the way for these brands to establish a foot in the virtual economy, as well as capitalize on social gaming ecosystems such as Roblox.

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Adidas will show up only in pre-existing games on Roblox, like “Princess Dress Up Obby” and “Ultimate Ragdoll Playground,” as opposed to the more traditional approach by brands of creating their own bespoke worlds. These pop-ups are called “integrations,” cost less than a full-on experience and can protect a brand from Roblox-specific risks pertaining to low user engagement, such as becoming a ghost world. Integrations typically imply a shorter presence on the platform, although Adidas gave no timeline for the duration of its activities.

“No matter the format or platform, our ambition remains the same—we want to meet consumers where they are, adding value and new means of self-expression to their experiences,” a spokesperson for Adidas told Ad Age. 

The brand’s stores will carry digital versions of well-known items, such as its Firebird tracksuits, as well as new items produced with Roblox creator Rush Bogin, known on the platform as “Rush X.” These wearables will appear as Limiteds—Roblox’s version of blockchain-less NFTs—and come free of cost for the first 10,000 units. The price thereafter will start at 85 Robux (just over $1) and increase to 500 Robux (just over $6). These items will also be offered inside Roblox’s marketplace.

A digital wearable experience is not surprising coming from Adidas, given its previous efforts in the virtual space. The brand began releasing NFTs in 2021, owns a plot of land in The Sandbox and launched a platform for creating metaverse avatars, among other efforts. 

Reebok, which used to be owned by Adidas before being sold to Authentic Brands Group in 2022, has been quieter when it comes to Web3. Perhaps this reservation is why the retailer is leaning into AI to promote its wearable experience—technology that will be enabled through a collaboration with digital content company Futureverse. Specifics pertaining to how AI will show up, and whether it will be in the form of generative AI, were not disclosed. Dienst declined to provide more details.

Thanks to Nike, the bar is high for sports retailers activating in the metaverse. The brand has led the pack with Nikeland, its Roblox world, and “Dot Swoosh,” an NFT platform that has dropped both digital and physical sneakers for a community of hundreds of thousands of members. This ecosystem is largely a result of Nike’s acquisition of NFT company RTFKT in December 2021.

Puma has also combined physical and digital realms through “Black Station,” an online hub where fans can engage with 3D versions of apparel and redeem them for their IRL counterparts. 

The new and continued efforts within the category are notable given how metaverse interest, at large, has slowed over the past two years. Most brand plays are happening on Roblox, which is not ideologically aligned with Web3. Recent activity on blockchain-based platform The Sandbox, however, could indicate that a change is stirring.

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