The two companies will unveil a race track with a Budweiser theme, Budweiser NFT passes, prize pools for races that start at $45,000, and three tiers of Clydesdale NFT skins that can be used in Zed Run.
Budweiser has partnered with Zed Run to deploy tokenized Clydesdale draught horses in its virtual NFT-based horse racing and wagering game.
Budweiser’s latest move adds to the $120,000 it spent on NFT fan art and the Beer.eth domain name it purchased through the Ethereum Name Service in August 2021.
Zed Run was founded in early 2019 by Sydney-based Virtually Human Studio, and its racing horse NFTs initially sold for $30 to $80 and mint, but have since gone on to become highly sought after assets that trade for thousands of dollars on secondary markets. In April 2021, one user sold a single racehorse for as much as $125,000.
As part of the agreement, the two will launch a Budweiser-themed race track, Budweiser NFT passes, prize pools for Bud-sponsored virtual horse races beginning at $45,000, and three tiers of airdropped Clydesdale NFT skins usable in Zed Run.
The Budweiser Clydesdales are a well-known group of horses used for company promotions and commercials, with the beer manufacturer being a major sponsor of horse racing events worldwide.
Starting on June 10, 2,500 Budweiser Pass NFTs will be available for purchase (to users aged 21 and up) for a maximum of 24 hours. The NFTs will cost $225 each, plus gas.
Zed Run will host two Budweiser Racing Challenges in July and September, both with $45,000 prize pools, as well as a $95,000 tournament in December with the chance to win a year’s supply of Budweiser beer.
In July, NFT holders will be airdropped Cyldesdale skins NFTs that can be used to spice up existing racehorse NFTs from the game, as well as Budweiser t-shirt wearables that can be worn by avatars in the Decentraland Metaverse, where Zed Run’s virtual headquarters are located.
In varying quantities, the duo is releasing three different versions of the horse racing skins NFT: 1,600 Classic Clydesdales, 800 Bud Bottle Clydesdales, and 100 Gold Clydesdales.
After all of the racing, and tournaments are completed, the project will offer rewards to anyone who burns their Budweiser pass NFT, though the details have yet to be revealed.
The move, according to Spencer Gordon, vice president of consumer connections at Budweiser’s beer producer AB InBev, is “an example of how we’re constantly innovating and leveraging new technologies, like NFTs, to create memorable experiences for fans and bolster our brand.”
Users can also bet on virtual races, trade NFTs, and breed new tokenized racehorses by mating stallions or colts with fillies and mares on Zed Run.
In July of last year, the project raised $20 million in Series A funding from Red Beard Ventures and crypto venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z).