NFT sales are expected to increase 6% to reach $21.1 million by the end of the third quarter despite overall trading volume being down 75%, according to DappRadar‘s latest report.

Despite the crashing prices during the coldest winter in crypto history and the declining market volume, the number of unique NFT traders has increased by 36% compared to the third quarter of 2021 - a good omen for the near future!

Ethereum Name Service is currently the leading NFT in terms of 7-day volume, with 9,097.7 ETH in sales over that time frame - equal to 12.96% of total NFT market share volume!

The metaverse is booming, as 7-day data shows that aggregate land caps for the top 9 metaverse projects are up 2.62% to 996,060 ETH, or $1.29 billion. Decentraland’s market cap in particular was up for a fifth consecutive week, re-establishing dominance in overall land cap and parcel values from its main competitor, The Sandbox.

Walmart is entering the metaverse with two experiences premiering Monday on online gaming platform Roblox. The two experiences are called Walmart Land and Walmart’s Universe of Play.

The retail giant’s first foray into the virtual world will feature a blimp that drops toys, a music festival with hot artists, a bunch of different games, and a store of virtual merchandise, or “verch,” which matches what customers may find in Walmart’s stores and on its website.

Roblox will serve as a testing ground for Walmart as it considers moves in the metaverse and beyond, said William White, Walmart’s chief marketing officer. He said the experiences are designed with the next generation of shoppers in mind, particularly Gen Z, generally defined as around age 25 or younger. White said the company is looking to learn from the partnership.

In other news,

• Nanjing University Sets Up One of the First Metaverse Majors in China. Read More
• South Korea’s industrial city to reinvent itself in the metaverse. Read More
• Asian fashion brand set to sell clothing on Color Star’s metaverse. Read More

Christie’s has launched a new on-chain Ethereum NFT marketplace called Christie’s 3.0. The marketplace is built so that transactions are recorded in full on the Ethereum blockchain. The 256-year-old auction house says it will also provide tools for compliance and tax purposes.

The new Christie’s platform was created in collaboration with Manifold, a startup focused on smart contracts, or the code that powers NFTs and other decentralized apps. Christie’s has also partnered with blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis and metaverse platform Spatial to enable additional functionality for its marketplace.

The inaugural sale is a highly curated auction of 9 new NFTs by celebrated visual artist Diana Sinclair, created & minted specifically to launch Christie’s 3.0.

In other news,

• OpenSea NFT Marketplace Adds Support for Optimism. Read More
• NFT Marketplace TravelX Launches With Tickets From Low-Cost Argentinian Airline Flybondi. Read More
• Wafini NFT Marketplace On Cardano Readies For Seed Sale. Read More
• The Goblintown Creators Just Launched an NFT Marketplace. Read More

The English Premier League’s plans to launch NFTs have reportedly been derailed by the crash in the cryptocurrency market, threatening a potential new revenue stream worth more than UK£400 million (US$427 million).

In March, it was claimed the league had approved a proposed deal with ConsenSys that would allow the firm to mint NFTs based on still images, creating a new market for digital trading cards. Confirmation was expected in the summer but never arrived.

Now, a report says ConsenSys can no longer commit to the same sums that were touted when discussions first started last year. SportsPro understands that although a deal is not yet dead in the water, any tie-up would be less lucrative for the league and its clubs.

The status of potential partnerships for other NFT categories, such as video and fantasy sports, is unclear.

In other news,

• AC Milan names MonkeyLeague as NFT gaming partner. Read More
• Liverpool FC’s Trent Alexander-Arnold Invests in WWVentures’ $15M Web3 Fund. Read More
• Liverpool FC makes a move into digital collectable space. Read More

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