Popular move-to-earn game STEPN has become the first blockchain gaming app that integrated Apple Pay within its iOS app. STEPN app is renowned for its innovative mechanics: users purchase virtual sneakers and the app rewards them with specialized NFTs for walking and running. Currently, STEPN offers users a more private and quicker way to buy STEPN Sneaker NFTs using Apple Pay without a need for a crypto wallet. To make a purchase on the mobile iOS app, players need to use an in-app currency dubbed SPARK with 10 SPARKs equal to 1 USDC.
STEPN touts itself as the ‘first blockchain gaming app to secure a landmark integration with Apple Pay.’ This is unsurprising because other blockchain-based apps refuse to enable NFT trading within iOS apps because of high fees from Apple.
Each in-app purchase in the App Store is subject to taxation. All of which to say this: when players use SPARK credits to buy a pair of sneakers, they will notice a difference in price. For example, a pair of sneakers that sells for $31 when denominated in STEPN’s native cryptocurrency, GMT, will rise to around $44 when trading on the iOS app.
Meanwhile, a higher price will definitely pay off as this method of mobile payment is more convenient and secure. The officials behind the project also believe that this move will help them to attract more users and make this product more known beyond Web3.
Yawn Rong, the co-founder of STEPN’s parent company Find Satoshi Lab, echoed this when he said:
“This integration opens us up to a whole new audience, making Web3 more accessible to the masses. It bridges the gap between Web2 and Web3 technologies in an unprecedented way. We believe this is a momentous step towards onboarding the next 100 million users to Web3 technology.”
As STEPN joins the cohort of blockchain brands to explore the Apple ecosystem, it shows the company’s determination to grow the adoption of non-fungibility. By taking a further step to feature NFT trading, the move-to-earn project is likely to expect speedy growth.
