Budweiser to Release Cosmetic Skins on NFT Horse Racing Game Zed Run

Beer brand Budweiser is looking to feature its Clydesdale horses — mascots often used for promotions — on the digital horse racing game Zed Run as part of its expansion into the NFT industry. Over the past year, Budweiser made significant moves to cement its adoption of digital assets. The beer giant previously purchased the beer.eth Ethereum Name Service (ENS) and released its own NFT collection titled “Budverse Cans: Heritage Edition,” among other blockchain-related projects.

Zed Run will be releasing in-game cosmetics that are based on the brand’s iconic horses, following the marketing and sponsorship deal signed between the two. Apart from this, the NFT game will also introduce a Budweiser-themed race track, challenges with $185,000 in total prize money, and exclusive co-branded merchandise.

“Working creatively alongside Budweiser, an iconic brand that epitomizes the American dream, opens up more opportunities for our expanding Zed Run community,” explained Virtually Human Studios — the developer behind Zed Run — CEO and co-founder Chris Laurant. The blockchain game will be offering 2,500 Budweiser Pass NFTs priced at $225 each — excluding gas fees — to users. However, users may be granted early access if they already own a Budweiser Heritage Can NFT or a Zed Run NASCAR Pass.

After purchasing a Budweiser Pass NFT, holders can expect the Budweiser Clydesdale skin to be airdropped in July along with a virtual t-shirt for Decentraland avatars. Moreover, Budweiser will sponsor additional in-game challenges later in July and August, which will each have a projected prize pool of $45,000, and a tournament in December where the winner will receive $95,000 in prize money, a free supply of beer for an entire year.

Exclusive merchandise will also come out for NFT holders in November. This entire campaign will end in early 2023, after which Budweiser and Zed Run will offer a “burn-to-earn” — permanently destroying the Budweiser Pass NFT — incentive. NFT data aggregator CryptoSlam notes that Zed Run has, so far, generated over $300 million worth of secondary market NFT trading volume to date.

Source: Decrypt