October 22, 2021

Welcome, this is the Netcoins weekly crypto news update!

Last week has seen a lot of movement in the NFT space and some promising news for digital assets. 

First, we touch on Valve and Epic Games Store’s policies regarding blockchain and NFT related video games. 

After that, we jump into numerous stories about new NFT launches. Martha Stewart, Chinese online retailer JD, and Playboy are launching new NFT collections. 

Finally, this week saw Bitcoin reach an all-time high following the future-based EFT debut last week.

All of that and more on this edition of the weekly crypto news update. 

Blockchain/NFT Games Banned by Valve, While the Epic Games Store Welcomes Them

The video game giant Valve has recently decided to remove games with blockchain and NFT integration from their Steam storefront. 

The reasoning behind the removal is due to NFT and blockchain games having items with real-world value, which is something Valve does not condone on their platform. This may be concerning gambling laws in Washington, where the company is based. 

However, Steam’s biggest competitor, Epic Games Store, supports blockchain games provided they follow the relevant laws, disclose their terms, and are age-rated by an appropriate group.

Martha Stewart Auctions Off Halloween-Inspired NFT Portraits of Herself

American retail business woman, Martha Stewart is selling NFT portraits of herself in Halloween costumes.

These NFTs feature Stewart dressed as a black widow, a haunted horse rider, a pop-art-inspired costume, and a bloody nurse. All of these costumes were worn by Stewart on previous Halloweens.

This collection of NFTs is now available for auction through Stewart’s new online shop FRESH Mint, with the bloody nurse currently bidding at $5051.79 Canadian.

Stewart also mentioned that this is just the first of many NFT collections she plans to release. 

Bitcoin Surges to All-Time High 

Following the debut of the future-based EFT last week, Bitcoin has jumped to a record high. 

For the first time ever, Bitcoin has exceeded $81,000 Canadian in the wake of the successful launch of the inaugural exchange-traded fund for U.S. investors.  

A 3.7% increase shot Bitcoin to $8,2235.71 Canadian. Bitcoin’s gain for the year has now reached almost 130%. The largest digital asset by market value gained over 300% last year and 95% in 2019 after falling 73% the year prior. 

Chinese Retail Giant Drops NFT Series on Its Own Blockchain

Chinese online retail chain JD  is venturing into the NFT market by launching an NFT series commemorating its annual JD Discovery conference.

The Chinese retail giant will launch seven free limited edition NFTs developed by its own NFT chain. JD will offer NFTs to those signing up for their annual conference. Attendees can also earn additional NFTs for each person they invite to the conference.

Also, JD’s NFTs will be minted and released on the JD blockchain, which they own and run. 

Playboy Drops Another NFT Collection

PLBY Group, the organization behind Playboy, a men’s lifestyle and entertainment magazine, releases another NFT collection. 

This new set of NFTs, the Playboy Rabbitars collection, will honour the company’s founding year of 1953. The collection’s aesthetic found inspiration from the magazine’s iconography, heritage, and lore.

Each piece of the collection will act as a key to a reimagined Playboy club. The NFTs will provide holders additional benefits, such as exclusive events, merch, artwork, and exclusive artist collaborations.

The Rabbitars NFT collection will live on the Ethereum blockchain as ERC-721 tokens. 

That’s the news for the week. 

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