NERDFUSION:
FANDOM X FASHION.

News from Jung von Matt NERD.
13.10.2022

Today, Fandom goes Fashion.
From fashion week in Paris to the streets of Tokyo.

The fashion world is evolving fast and trends are outrunning themselves in light-speed.
But one trend appears to have remained for quite some time now and is here to stay: fandom-inspired fashion.
May it be motifs, may it be looks, may it be imagery – today's fashion world is being influenced heavily by pop culture.
And we love it.

So let's dive into today's NERDFusion and let us present to you the hottest fandom-inspired collabs – from haute couture to streetstyle.

NERDFUSION:
VTUBER.

News from Jung von Matt NERD.
29.09.2022

Over the past years, streamers became digital icons who are admired by fans and often sought by brands for collaborations or promotions.

But there lies great potential in a genre that most brands are not even aware of: VTuber.

Short for Virtual YouTuber, VTuber became THE streaming sensation during the pandemic. The often anime-like-looking streamers had an even bigger growth rate than all streamers on Twitch combined.

We took a look at the biggest VTuber and listed the ten biggest ones in an overview:

NERDFUSION:
BEST DISNEY MOVIES.

News from Jung von Matt NERD.
16.09.2022

Disney’s D23 Expo last weekend was full of teasers, announcements, and reveals that let every Disney fan’s heart skip a beat.

Not only did we get information on the upcoming Black Panther movie, but also footage of the next The Lion King movie. We also saw Harrison Ford shading tears on stage, as he goes into his last round as Indiana Jones with the fifth movie of the franchise and many other mentionable highlights.

However, one of the biggest and most-awaited announcements was the news of the new Little Mermaid movie. A teaser trailer was unveiled at D23, causing excitement and lit up the eyes of Disney fans all over the world.

The Little Mermaid is one of many iconic movies produced by Walt Disney Pictures. That prompted us to make an overview of the production studio’s most successful films.

NERDFUSION:
SCI-FI FRANCHISES.

News from Jung von Matt NERD.
09.09.2022

Hopefully you had a great Star Trek Day as well! Yesterday we Nerds paid tribute to Star Trek, one of the greatest franchises not only in Sci-Fi but across all genres.

The Star Trek series build the foundation for almost every other series or movie that came after it. Gene Roddenberry’s groundbreaking show and nearly every word of its monologue became infamous. Star Trek also made actors like William Shatner and Leonard Nemoy icons.

Sci-Fi often takes its viewers on a nostalgic journey. There are many other franchises next to Star Trek that are often referred to as some of the greatest movies or series ever made. Especially older franchises like E.T. amazed viewers for many years and remain timeless. 

We made an overview of the greatest science fiction franchises!

NERDFUSION:
VIRTUAL PERFORMANCES.

News from Jung von Matt NERD.
02.09.2022

For the first time, MTV rewarded artists for the “Best Metaverse Performance”, showing how important online concerts and performances have become during the past years.

Eminem and Snoop Dogg even used the opportunity to show a virtual performance of their latest release “From The D 2 LBC”. But instead of creating something truly unique and worth watching, it was a rather poor performance with very poor graphics and animations.

The criticism both rap icons received was immense, but also shows the importance of creating something unique and extraordinary when performing online. As it offers artists more possibilities and comfort, it is necessary to go the extra mile when viewers are most of the time following the event from home.

We looked at the highs and lows of virtual performances and made an overview of the most notable ones.

NERDFUSION:
FANDOM EXHIBITIONS.

News from Jung von Matt NERD.
26.08.2022

With gamescom, the heart of fandom and biggest exhibition of fandom pop culture taking place in Cologne right now, the community finally gets what it deserves: gathering with like-minded people after two years of hiatus to feel, experience and celebrate what they love!

Our whole NERD squad is onsite, capturing moments and all the highlights: such as the YouTube Shorts booth and of course the MINI x Pokémon concept car, the Aceman in a life-size toy package - if you haven't seen any news on this, you are definitely not following us closely enough, BUT YES, WE ARE PROUD AF!

So, for this week's NERDFusion we put the spotlight on the most notable fandom exhibitions in the world.

In case you are visiting gamescom, make sure to drop by and say hi! Oh, and let us know your highlights of gamescom in the comment section below!

NERDFUSION:
10 YEARS CS:GO.

News from Jung von Matt NERD.
19.08.2022

Coming Sunday the Counter-Strike community is celebrating its 10th Anniversary of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO).

Counter-Strike is one of the most iconic esports titles in the industry and its history started in the early 2000s. We've seen legends and iconic organizations emerge from fierce and heated matches. Memories were made in the competitive world of Counter-Strike of which some were eternalized into the game.

We look back at 10 years of CS:GO esports and the 10 most memorable moments.

NERDFUSION:
NFTS X BRANDS.

News from Jung von Matt NERD.
12.08.2022

Tiffany&Co just recently started exploring the web3 space by collaborating with the OG NFT project #CryptoPunks. This shows that it is not too late for brands to become pioneers in this yet very new space.

Becoming an #authentic part of the community is a promising aspect of working #with already established projects. By working closely with digital natives and pioneers, brands become part of a learning process that helps to understand both #communities and #culture. It gives them an edge compared to brands that build their own project or even take over an entire web3 brand.

Listed below, we put together the most-notable NFT x Brand collaborations in the web3 space so far.

NERDFUSION:
NERD LICENSORS.

News from Jung von Matt NERD.
05.08.2022

Collaborations and licensing is a growing market and we have seen more brands trying to engage with fandom and nerd culture. We have previously worked with infamous names in like Nintendo’s Super Mario, Warner Bros’ Space Jam and some other top-secret projects in the pipeline. Updates coming very soon, stay tuned!

Licensing offers brands many opportunities to reach and engage with new communities. But if you’re too carless, it’s easy to be rejected and disliked by fandom communities. Our #masterclass is the perfect guide to exactly avoid this. Tickets are still available!

We looked at the biggest licensors with nerd and fandom franchises, take a look:

NERDFUSION:
METAVERSE EVENTS.

News from Jung von Matt NERD.
29.07.2022

2021 was the year that let the buzz words NFT, metaverse, and web3 explode. We saw an incredible number of brands enter the web3 space with NFTs, featuring names like Adidas, Coca-Cola, and Mercedes Benz. It is often used as a promotional tool, especially since brands but also celebrities could feel the hype and momentum behind it.

Entering this space requires commitment and knowledge. Those who jump on the train without understanding their community or bringing value to them are guaranteed to fail. Many have done so before, just looking at the unsuccessful Liverpool Heroes Club sale or the backlash Netflix had to take when introducing Stranger Things NFTs.

We looked at the most notable metaverse events so far:

NERDFUSION:
WORLD OF MANGA.

News from Jung von Matt NERD.
23.07.2022

We just finished celebrating OnePiece Day in the NERD-HQ. Just looking at the numbers of Eiichiro Oda’s franchise is impressive and underlines what an impressive world the Japanese manga-ka created. Over 490 million volumes were sold and Toei Animation’s adaptation is over 1025 episodes long!

The world of Manga is indeed incredible and we have seen many impressive artists over the years it existed. But did you actually know that the medium can be traced back to as early as the 12th-13th century? Manga also influenced its neighboring countries China and Korea to create their very own mediums manhwa (KR) and manhua (CN).

We made an overview of the world of manga and its history, as well as the best manga, manhwa, and manhua by community ranking:

NERDFUSION:
VIRTUAL INFLUENCER.

News from Jung von Matt NERD.
15.07.2022

If you haven’t heard it already, not only is #BLACKPINK making their comeback later this year, but they have also announced another collaboration with PUBG Mobile for later this month.

With this announcement, we have taken a look at Asia, where brands confidently partner with the newest form of key opinion leaders (KOLs): Virtual influencers. While the trend seems to be relatively new for most of us, virtual KOLs existed since the early 90s, emerging from the anime culture in Japan! Ever since virtual stars were part of many different collaborations and partnerships with brands.

We looked at and summarised the most notable virtual influencer activations, collaborations, and partnerships in Asia:

NERDFUSION:
WEB3 LEGAL CASES.

News from Jung von Matt NERD.
08.07.2022

The web3 is always promoted by its decentralization and anonymity, but is this true? Well, it depends on how you look at it.

Listening and talking to the legal expert in web3, Oli Scherenberg, we gained more insights about the actual regulations and limitations of anonymity in the web3 space. "The web3 space is legal as every other space. Some folks seem to have the romantic expectation that the space is unregulated and therefore a legal vacuum. Not the case, sorry to say. Mitigating legal risks in web3, therefore, requires a certain basic legal education. This is why we are currently building an online legal education tool for the web3 community (www.web3lex.io), launching end of August. Feel free to register!"

Together, we collected the most notable legal issues in web3:

NERDFUSION:
NFTS AND SPORTS.

News from Jung von Matt NERD.
01.07.2022

Adidas became the official sponsor of web3’s first football club, WAGMI United! The sports giant is going to design physical and digital merch items claimable for holders.

But this is not the first time big players from the sports world entered the web3 space. In fact, the first one to do so was Formula 1 with their play-to-earn title F1 Delta Time in 2019! And since then a variety of organisations, leagues, and individuals followed, creating their own NFT projects.

We compiled an overview of the most-talked-about sports NFT projects:

NERDFUSION:
PROOF-OF-STAKE BLOCKCHAINS.

News from Jung von Matt NERD.
24.06.2022

Waiting for Ethereum’s upgrade to #ProofOfStake felt like waiting for the next Triple-A gaming title…

Though initially planned to launch in 2019 (!), Ethereum 2.0 will finally go live in August this year! Switching from Proof-of-Work to Proof-of-Stake looks very promising as it will reduce fees, increase transaction speed and lower the computing power.

But there are already man other blockchain running with a PoS system! We made an overview of the most prominent PoS blockchains as of right now:

NERDFUSION:
WEB3 VC INVESTORS.

News from Jung von Matt NERD.
17.06.2022

We were stunned by ex-Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey introducing his plan to build a better and more decentralised web3: The web5! While it will give users full control over their data, web5 will also give more power to individuals, rather than big venture capital firms like in web3, according to Dorsey.

It is definitely an interesting thought Dorsey mapped out, but until first results it’s an ambitious project that we can only wait and see. There are many sceptics around the ex-Twitter CEO’s plans. However, Dorsey has a valid point, calling out the number of VC firms that engage with the web3 space.

We looked at the biggest venture capital firms involved in web3 and made an overview of those with the most unicorns in their portfolio:

NERDFUSION:
NFT USE CASES.

News from Jung von Matt NERD.
10.06.2022

There have been many facets of the hype of NFTs. We saw big corporate brands like Adidas, Nike, Pepsi, and many others who dared to jump into the NFT space. Likewise, we have seen the rise of web3 projects and their visions for the future of NFTs and the web3 cosmos.

But was it all for show or is there actually longevity in what we have seen so far? Well, yes and no. There were definitely brands and projects looking for a quick cash grab while the hype was at its height, but the majority has shown its long-term vision for the NFT space. A variety of use cases were created and showed that NFTs and fields like gaming, fashion, or art can be successfully linked!

We have made an overview of the most-notable NFT use cases in the fields of gaming, fashion and art so far:

NERDFUSION:
THE BEST ISEKAI.

News from Jung von Matt NERD.
03.06.2022

We looked at one of the biggest trends that can be found in the anime and manga community right now: Isekai.
Since the release of Sword Art Online, the genre was continuously found in every season at least thrice and continues to deliver one good show after another.

We made a list of the top ten isekai right now! Maybe some of them catch or already caught your interest!

NERDFUSION:
CHINA METAVERSE.

News from Jung von Matt NERD.
20.05.2022

We made a small deep dive into the Chinaverse and took a closer look at the various possibilities and also challenges China offers and faces in the run of creating a metaverse.
While at first, one may think that China is hindering the development of web3 and the metaverse because of the decentralization aspect, the Chinese tech giants came up with their solutions and strategies to create the first metaverse concepts launched in China.

Here is an overview of the biggest and also upcoming tech companies in China and their strategies.

NERDFUSION:
TOKEN STANDARDS.

News from Jung von Matt NERD.
13.05.2022

It has been an interesting journey for us, learning about the different possibilities in web3 and once again understanding the dynamic developments in the space.

One of the topics that came across very often and also more recently through Azuki is the development of token standards and innovations in the web3 space.

Therefore, we decided to share the most commonly used fungible and non-fungible token standards in the space:

NERDFUSION:
YUGA LABS’ OTHERSIDE.

News from Jung von Matt NERD.
06.05.2022

We all were super hyped and excited about Yuga Labs’ newest project: Otherside - the metaverse that might outshine previous "powerhouses" Sandbox, Decentraland, etc.

But what followed was nothing that anyone could have expected. The biggest mint in the history of the NFT space was a disaster. Even though Yuga Labs decided to change from a Dutch auction to a flat price sale right before the mint, everything went downhill as the record-breaking mint turned into a gas war and millions and millions of dollars were burned in gas fees during the process.

NERDFUSION:
K-POP GIRL GROUPS.

News from Jung von Matt NERD.
29.04.2022

K-Pop has been hyped and loved by Westerners long before the wave and it has only gotten stronger ever since. Though the K-Pop industry is heavily boys-led, we’ve recently seen a broad variety of girl groups taking the lead and dominating the field with artistry and skill. Just looking at the top 15 groups in the Brand Value Ranking of the Korean Institute of Corporate Reputation, 8 of them are female!

That’s more than enough reason for us to make an overview of the best girl groups in the K-Pop industry right now.

NERDFUSION:
NFT AIRDROPS.

News from Jung von Matt NERD.
22.04.2022

When talking about NFTs, one of the first things that come to mind next to community and status is utility. Every project that one invests in, should have great utility aspects. And there is one utility aspect that everyone, especially we NERDs, is always looking for airdrops.

As we are all interested in airdrops, we have made an overview of the most-talked-about NFT airdrops so far.

NERDFUSION:
METAVERSE VIRTUAL FW.

News from Jung von Matt NERD.
13.04.2022

We have made an overview of the most notable activations and experiences of the first Metaverse Virtual Fashion Week.

From March 24 to March 27, we have seen around 70 brands, artists and designers at the event, creating multiple experiences for visitors who not only could watch the presented designs or outfits, but also purchase them for real life benefits!

Though, experiencing some troublesome experiences due to lacking development and hardware issues, it was maybe the first step to something bigger and more meaningful for the metaverse.

NERDFUSION:
GERMAN GAME AWARDS.

News from Jung von Matt NERD.
04.04.2022

It’s award season! On Thursday the Deutscher Computerspielpreis (DCP) (German Computer Games Awards) was awarded. A prize that is not only important for the games industry, but for society as a whole, because the DCP is also a good indicator of the state and health of the games industry in Germany.

Here are the winners of 2022.

NERDFUSION:
UPCOMING ANIME.

News from Jung von Matt NERD.
25.03.2022

Anime rose up from being a niche genre to an influential mainstream category over the last decade. It was long overdue for the genre to reach the surface of mainstream, and thanks to streaming services such as Netflix and Disney+, making anime easily accesible to everyone and eventually catapulting anime to higher heights. But the hype train does not just stop here. The line-up for 2022 is full of shows and movies that the community is beyond excited for. Here is our list of the 10 most hyped anime shows and movies in 2022.

NERDFUSION:
NFT SCANDALS.

News from Jung von Matt NERD.
11.03.2022

Be nerdy, be careful: We NERDs are all intrigued by the metaverse, web3 and the opportunities that are arising - especially with NFTs and all its opportunities! But there are not only opportunities. There are risks as well. NFTs can be a powerful but also harmful tool. 99% of the projects should be treated with care and researched properly before diving into them. There are lot of scams and a lot of greed too! Here are the most remarkable ones.

NERDFUSION:
CHINA & GAMING - A CLASS.

News from Jung von Matt NERD.
21.02.2022

Last time we had a first look into the facts & numbers of the world’s biggest gaming market. Today’s deep dive is about the multifaceted market and the rise of prestige games from China. Which gaming titles you should have heard of and which ones you definitely have to look out for?

NERDFUSION:
CHINA & GAMING.

News from Jung von Matt NERD.
11.02.2022

With our colleague Martin in China we will start to explore pop cultural trends in Asia. What are the most influential drivers? The most influential people? What role does gaming and fandom culture play and how has it evolved over the year? Today we'll start with a short deep dive into the Chinese Gaming Culture! Have fun with the numbers, the facts and the names.

METAVERSE INFUSION:
DAO FUNDAMENTALS.

News from Jung von Matt NERD.
04.02.2022

"Cryptoculture" is making its moves. The most notable ones are not just about #NFTs but also #DAOS! But what exactly is a Dao? How does it work and what are the biggest ones to look at? Check our latest nerd piece for nerds.

METAVERSE INFUSION:
NFT MARKETPLACES.

News from Jung von Matt NERD.
28.01.2022

Everyone talks about purchasing, selling and collecting NFTs - But where do you acquire them? What are established marketplaces and which blockchains are supported?

We took a deep dive into the most interesting platforms, providing an overview of their unique features and possibilities.

METAVERSE INFUSION:
NFT PFP’S.

News from Jung von Matt NERD.
18.01.2022

The hype about NFTs is keeping everyone busy. It’s like the wild wild west and well: it’s so complex.

That’s why we broke down the most important aspects of NFTs - also providing you an overview of the most expensive projects.

METAVERSE INFUSION:
VIRTUAL REAL ESTATE.

News from Jung von Matt NERD.
12.01.2022

With the metaverse, people don’t only purchase profile pictures, but virtual properties.

But how does it actually work? Where do you buy? What are the platforms? How much does it cost?