A dynamic NFT in the real world 👑
How the Sacramento Kings are pushing the boundaries of what NFTs represent
Today, the Sacramento Kings announced a very exciting NFT, one that has owner customizability and ties to the real world! What exactly does this mean? Well, you can find the full press release here, but in summary the NFT has the ability to update itself with the name/number of the owner’s choosing, and be displayed prominently at the Golden 1 Center. This is the perfect way for the Kings #1 fan to show their support.
This isn’t some pre-generated off-chain NFT either. The NFT image data is stored on chain (as an SVG), and is dynamically updated every time the owner changes the name and number (so this isn’t a one shot thing). So, how did they pull this off?
The Creator Contract and the Dynamic NFT App
The Sacramento Kings launched their NFT strategy with the Manifold Creator contract. For the uninitiated, the Manifold Creator contracts act as a basis for creators and brands to cement their NFT identity in the crypto ecosystem. At its core, these smart contracts allow a creator to become their own platform, giving them full control over their inventory and the ability to do simple mints. They also grant the creator the ability to create NFTs that have mechanics beyond just photos and videos. This is exactly what the Kings wanted and why they chose to go with the Manifold set of contracts.
To create an NFT that could change every time the owner updated their name and number, the Kings installed a Dynamic NFT app onto their base contract. This app contained the entire source code logic that renders the SVG and changes it as the name and number is updated. It also includes the access control functions which restrict the name/number update functions to the current NFT owner.
To make it easy for the owner to customise their NFT, and for the Kings to administer the NFT, we also delivered an NFT owner’s microsite and an easy way for the owner to download the customised banner. This is a pure web3 application, which connects directly to the smart contracts, reads configuration data and allows the owner to write updates.
It’s been extremely exciting to work with the Sacramento Kings to deliver this NFT. The team truly wanted to do something meaningful, and they’ve truly delivered a unique experience to the lucky winner of this NFT.