Atari creates line of digital sneakers for the virtual world

NEW YORK - Atari CEO Fred Chesnais oversaw the creation of an Atari cryptocurrency to "power the future of the interactive entertainment industry" in the fall. This (almost) spring, we learn Atari's also entering the NFT, or Non-Fungible Token, game, creating a digital line of unique fashion items, starting with a series of digital files depicting pairs of Atari sneakers.

"It offers a lot of possibilities in terms of gameplay, in terms of experiences," Chesnais said. "Even I think it's going to open a lot of possibilities for the players to create their own NFTs."

"I think the possibilities are endless," Anthony Citrano said, "especially because the vast majority of these NFTs are attached to virtual spaces, to digital spaces."

Founder of the digital-and-real-world collectible marketplace Acquicent, Anthony Citrano agrees with Chesnais that the infinity of digital space allows an unlimited number of possibilities for user- and administer-generated NFT content (think outfits, tools and vehicles able to be worn, used and operated by digital characters in some digital game or world).

"This is really part of the DNA of Atari to innovate and offer something new," Chesnais said.

Citrano also sees reputable established brands like Atari and the NBA entering the NFT space as an exciting step toward bridging the digital world and the physical one, where an NFT token attached to a digital leger might help to verify the legitimacy and ownership of a real thing instead of just a digital file.

"They'll do just as well attached to a real-world collectible: a classic car, a piece of fine art, it really doesn't matter," Citrano said.