Lionel Messi to Star...

Lionel Messi to Star in ‘MLS Quest’ Collectibles Series on Sui Blockchain

By Jody McDonald October 29, 2024 In NFTs, Sports, SUI

MLS quest video screenshot — Source: @MLSQuest via X

Major League Soccer has partnered with crypto startup Sweet to launch a new NFT-based fan engagement platform, known as MLS Quest, on the Sui blockchain.
The new platform will feature MLS stars such as Argentinian legend Lionel Messi and allow fans to collect NFTs known as “Key Play of the Game Medallions” that unlock video highlights from MLS games.
If a fan collects all four NFTs associated with a single MLS match they will have completed a ‘quest’ and will unlock rewards such as gift cards, match tickets or signed jerseys.

Welcome to 2021 — the world of the future and the year that major sporting leagues harness the power and potential of NFTs to revolutionise fan engagement! What’s that? It’s 2024? Oh, that’s right. Let me try that again. IT’S HAPPENING AGAIN!

Too much revolutionary fan engagement is never enough and now the latest in revolutionary fan engagement is coming at us hard and fast from Major League Soccer (MLS), the US domestic soccer league. MLS has partnered with the crypto startup Sweet to launch MLS Quest, an “innovative” new NFT-based fan engagement platform built on the Sui blockchain.

The platform is set to feature the likes of Argentinian soccer superstar, Lionel Messi, who plays for Inter Miami. Messi is no stranger to NFTs, having launched his own ‘Messiverse’ NFT collection in 2021.

Collecting is now an epic adventure! Dive into MLS QUEST, where you can collect iconic Major League Soccer plays, complete quests, and win rewards like match tickets, merch, and exclusive collectibles.

Claim your free Key Play of the Game now! https://t.co/ORNUpORncw @MLS… pic.twitter.com/dQH9x4CPZl
— MLS QUEST (@MLSQuest) October 28, 2024

MLS Quest is touted as a free-to-play experience in which MLS fans can search for NFTs known as “Key Play of the Game Medallions” both online and at physical locations across North America, including at game-day events. After medallions are collected they’ll unlock highlights from various MLS matches, which honestly doesn’t sound as revolutionary as I’d hoped.

If one fan is able to find all four medallions associated with a single match they’ll complete a ‘quest’ and unlock rewards such as signed jerseys, gift cards and “exclusive experiences”. Fans will be able to buy, sell and trade their NFT collectibles on the platform’s official website.

MLS Seeking to “Elevate the Fan Experience”

Commenting on the launch of MLS Quest, the league’s SVP of Emerging Ventures, Chris Schlosser, said this latest revolutionary fan engagement platform is set to take MLS fandom to an entirely new — NFT-fuelled — level of excitement:

At MLS, we continuously strive to grow our fan base and elevate the fan experience. With MLS Quest and our partnership with Sweet, we’re excited to offer a unique collectible challenge that embodies our commitment to cutting-edge digital innovation.

Chris Schlosser, Major League Soccer SVP of Emerging Ventures

Fans can get one free NFT collectible by going to the MLS Quest official website, but further NFTs will either need to be collected as part of a ‘quest’ or paid for through the platform’s website. Prices for the collectibles currently start at around US$5.

MLS Quest is built on the Sui blockchain, which the platform claims is a “first-of-its-kind Layer 1 blockchain and smart contract platform designed to make digital ownership fast, private, secure and accessible to everyone.”

Other major sporting leagues have introduced their own NFT-based revolutionary fan engagement platforms over the past few years, the most notable of which is NBA Top Shot which launched in early 2021 on the Flow blockchain.