With over 107 million subscribers on Youtube, Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg, popularly known as PewDiePie, is the biggest individual YouTube channel in the world. The Youtube sensation recently started promoting a Pokemon-style game called Wallem, where he is also selling his in-game “PewDiePie skin” as a non-fungible token (NFT).
The game uses a 3D map and augmented reality to place virtual objects in the real world, kind of like the viral game Pokemon Go. Most importantly, the game features a cryptocurrency wallet and lets users collect Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and other cryptocurrencies.
What’s interesting is that these tokens can then be transferred to external wallets and can also be traded on exchanges.
“You can walk around outside and get tokens. Based on where you live, they will spawn around you nearby,” PewDiePie explained.
The game is available on both android and ios and rewards its users with its native ERC-20 token dubbed Pteria (PTE). It also features special events with prizes from brands like Armani and Motta.
PewDiePie fans will also be able to buy NFT PewDiePie skin on decentralized marketplace Rarible and will be able to use it in-game. There will also other exclusive NFTs launched in the future. Wallem adds that players will be rewarded for simply processing an NFT during special events.
The games creator Andrea Bempensante added that a future update will also add the ability to be able to steal tokens from other players. An “open wallet” will display the value of tokens captured by players, and players must protect it using in-game items.
4.7 million people have already watched the video in just 2 days, and this is a huge deal for the industry as the viewers are introduced to cryptocurrencies, blockchain tech, and NFTs.
This, however, isn’t PewDiePie’s first encounter with blockchain technology. Last year, the content creator partnered with blockchain-based live streaming platform DLive.tv. after some complications with YouTube.
Beyond PewDiePie
Popular influencers endorsing cryptocurrencies is great for the crypto industry as a whole. Lately, a number of renowned celebrities have talked publicly about cryptocurrencies.
Among the most recent, infamous American rapper and presidential candidate Kanye West talked about Bitcoin and praised it during his three-hour interview on the podcast “The Joe Rogan Experience.”
A few days back nine celebrities namely David Hasselhoff, Charlie Sheen, Carole Baskin, Charlamagne Tha God, Gilbert Gottfried, Doug Benson, Hassan Johnson, Soulja Boy, and RZA, with profiles on the sponsored video-sharing platform Cameo wished a happy birthday on the twelfth anniversary of the publication of its whitepaper on Oct. 31.
Even though the video was sponsored by crypto-security firm Halborn, the message will surely spread far and wide among their fans, further fuelling curiosity about Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies.
