Sputnik Floyd and Mr. B.Chain launch football-inspired NFT

In the midst of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Sputnik Floyd and sister company Mr. B.Chain launched a football-inspired NFT for Itra, generated by match heat maps and statistics.

Sputnik Floyd and Mr. B.Chain’s proactive idea of ​​giving every football game a unique fingerprint is in line with our promise to help brands create NFT projects that strongly align with their vision and/or generate business opportunities. Itra – the forward-thinking Saudi brand of Aramco – was the very first to express interest in this initiative.

Based on the fact that this year’s FIFA World Cup in Qatar 2022 is the first to be held in the Middle East and the premise that football is also an art, the concept of creating an NFT collection inspired by match data was conceived by Sputnik Floyd as a means to document this historic regional event.

Under the name “From Strike to Stroke”, Sputnik Floyd collaborated with its Web3 blockchain sister company, Mr. B.Chain, to create a digital NFT exhibition consisting of artwork generated using individual match statistics – the first of its kind was the clash between Qatar and Ecuador on the opening day of the World Cup, 20 November.

Ithra has played a key role in curating the distinctive NFT collection in collaboration with 32 artists representing each of the competing nations. Using their respective team’s jersey colours, the contributors produced creative striking art representing their country.

After each game, an AI-powered algorithm combines statistics on possession, goals, penalties, total shots and other match attributes with the artists’ creations to produce 64 pieces of NFT art.

In other words, this unique interaction between man and machine enables us to translate each game into a one-off NFT under the banner ‘For the Art of the Beautiful Game’ which Ithra has chosen not to make available for purchase, instead choosing to focus on exposure and ensuring that the art can be seen and appreciated by as many people as possible and from all walks of life.

To demonstrate its belief in and dedication to the project, Ithra also collaborated with its partners on the ground to create a physical display in a sprawling exhibition space hosted at the Msheireb Galleria in Doha, allowing audiences of all ages and backgrounds to enjoy the collection of to their heart’s content in a gallery layout.

In fact, the concept has been so innovative and effective that other major brands have picked it up and are not only mimicking, but outright imitating it in their campaigns during the World Cup.

With Mr. B.Chain’s presence growing across the Middle East and the strength of its partnership with Sputnik Floyd, the ambitious duo seeks to change the game for brands and Web3 by combining creativity and business goals in innovation for the benefit of the public.