SNEAK PEEK
- NBA Top Shot NFTs are now available on iOS and Android mobile apps
- The launch of the NBA Top Shot app, in the opinion of Dapper Labs Senior VP, will mark the beginning of their transformation into a mobile-first company.
- The app will initially be made accessible through Dapper Labs in a limited edition.
With the release of smartphone apps through Apple’s iOS App Store and Google’s Android Play Store, NBA Top Shot, the legally licensed basketball NFT platform that has produced more than $1 billion in sales to date, is moving to mobile.
The native apps are meant to make it easier for NBA Top Shot users to access and purchase digital collectibles while they’re on the road. But for the project’s creator Dapper Labs, which already owns platforms like NFL All Day and UFC Strike and built the Flow blockchain, it’s the first step in the firm’s shift into a mobile-first Web3 company.
Their transition to becoming a mobile-first organization will truly get underway with the release of the NBA Top Shot app, according to Dapper Labs Senior VP of Sports Partnerships Jennifer van Dijk.
Dapper will now be able to “lead the way in what mobile looks like in Web3 and continue our path of wanting to bring everybody to Web3,” she continued.
The app will first be available in a constrained version from Dapper Labs. Users will first have access to their collection of NBA Top Shot NFTs, platform activity, drop notifications, and the ability to buy a starter pack of NFT moments. Over time, more features will be introduced.
The novel aspect of this is the availability of mobile apps for purchasing NFTs. Due to Apple and Google seeking a cut of sales, Web3 businesses and NFT marketplaces have been forced to restrict the ability to transact NFT assets via mobile apps.
This quirk could increase the cost of primary sales for mobile users, but also seriously undermine the concept of user-to-user secondary markets. Where does Apple get its 30% charge in that scenario? Since the IT titan made its position on NFT sales and uses clear, Web3 startups have been struggling to overcome this obstacle.
