Nike recently announced a collaboration planned with Roblox Corp, creating a virtual world on the Roblox gaming platform called NIKELAND.

The announcement comes off the back of Meta’s (previously Facebook) plans to create a metaverse, as well as Microsoft’s plans for their own metaverse.

The global metaverse market is expected to reach $6.16 billion in 2021 and $41.62 billion by 2026, according to research firm Strategy Analytics.

The Roblox hosted virtual world will include Nike buildings, fields, and arenas for players to compete in mini-games such as tag and dodgeball.

NIKELAND buildings are planned to be modelled after the company’s real-life headquarters.

On NIKELAND, visitors can use the accelerometers in their mobile devices to transfer offline movement to online play, allowing real-life movement in the digital space.

Users will also be able to utilise a digital showroom to dress their avatar in exclusively Nike apparel and merchandise.

The virtual land is free for anyone to visit and experience on the Roblox platform.

The sportswear maker said that the NIKELAND platform aligns with the company’s broader goals.

“Nike created this bespoke world with the backdrop of its world headquarters and inside Roblox’s immersive 3D space, building on its goal to turn sport and play into a lifestyle.” Nike said.

“Nike’s commitment to inspiring the advancement and innovation of the future of sports experiences will continue this December when the brand brings the immersive world of Roblox and NIKELAND to life at Nike’s HOI (House of Innovation) in New York.” explains the company.

“This filter will allow people who visit the floor reserved for children’s collections to see the space transformed into an augmented reality version of NIKELAND.”

“This will include their avatars, fun games and an egg hunt inspired by the version that can be played from NIKELAND.”

Meta’s Quest for Business starts in limited beta this year, expand to more beta participants in 2022, and fully launch to all businesses in 2023, whilst Microsoft’s virtual conferencing featuring digital avatars will be available in the first half of 2022.