More than one major company is going meta: Nike appears to be gearing up to offer its branded sneakers and apparel in virtual environments.

The company filed a trademark application for its signature swoosh logo and “Just Do It” slogan in “downloadable virtual goods, namely, computer programs featuring footwear, clothing, headwear, eyewear, bags … for use online and in online virtual worlds.”

The trademark seems to lay the groundwork for Nike-branded apparel in the metaverse and other digital environments.

While the metaverse is receiving extra attention due to Facebook’s rebrand to Meta and focus on virtual technology, Nike has been exploring digital goods for at least two years.

• In May 2019, Nike’s Jordan Brand partnered with “Fortnite” to produce character skins wearing Nike sneakers.
• Nike filed a patent for “CryptoKicks” in December 2019, which would link physical shoes with an NFT to verify ownership. The patent also included technology to combine two sneaker designs into a new one.

The company’s real-world goods have been affected by supply chain issues. Nike could lose up to 160 million pairs of shoes due to factory closures in Vietnam, which supplies around half of its shoes.

The company saw revenue rise 12% year-over-year to $12.2 billion in the fiscal quarter ending Aug. 31.

Fresh off its rebrand from Facebook, Meta announced last week it is acquiring VR fitness company Within.

Within makes VR workout app Supernatural, a subscription fitness app for Meta-owned Oculus Quest. The program offers coached workouts, games, music, and VR environments. On Oct. 26, it added boxing to its catalogue.

Within has raised $56.6 million, primarily from its most recent funding round, a $40 million Series B in July 2017. Temasek and Emerson Collective led the round, which was joined by WPP, Macro Ventures, and existing investors Andreessen Horowitz, 21st Century Fox, and Raine Ventures.

The company also lists Endeavor-owned agency WME, LiveNation, and Vice among its investors.

“We believe fitness will be a massive success in VR,” Meta said in an announcement of the Within acquisition.

• Meta is believed to be working on a smart watch with movement and biometric-tracking capabilities.
• In June, the company acquired virtual esports company Big Box VR.
• It acquired Ready at Dawn, maker of movement-focused VR game series “Lone Echo,” in June 2020.
• In November 2019, it bought Beat Games, maker of the popular VR workout game “Beat Saber.”

Meta plans to release an Active Pack for its Oculus Quest 2 headset next year to make the hardware better suited to intense workouts.

Seattle broke ground on its new arena in December 2018, and last year, Amazon purchased naming rights for an estimated $300 million to $400 million. Last month, Climate Pledge Arena hosted the Seattle Kraken’s first-ever NHL home game.

The $1.2 billion arena’s goal is to become “The World’s First Net Zero Carbon Arena.” The facility’s name comes from Amazon’s Climate Pledge initiative, which promises to reach zero net carbon emissions by 2040.

The arena, also the new home of the WNBA’s Seattle Storm, has a long road ahead to achieve its goal.

• Tim Leiweke, the CEO of Oak View Group — which owns 51% of the building — says the return on investment is not obvious, and it will take work to see the building meet its targets.
• “I believe our fans and sponsors will respect us and the rewards will come, but you’ve got to lead first and take your chances,” said Leiweke.

The team broke the NHL’s sales record for a new jersey’s first five days, selling nearly $1 million worth of merchandise in its first preseason game.

The venue’s emissions will be counted at the end of each year, and together Amazon and Oak View Group will offset any carbon produced by purchasing credits in environmental restoration programs.

Samsung helps power much of the video game industry, leading to unprecedented profits for the world’s largest chipmaker.

The Korean tech giant will be investing $206 billion over the next three years, with a focus on the chip production so essential to its business.

• Last year, it signed a multimillion-dollar deal with Nvidia to manufacture chips for the PC hardware and gaming company.
• The company agreed to a strategic partnership in June with AMD to produce graphics cards geared toward gamers.
• It partnered with Nintendo to produce the new OLED Switch, which features a Samsung-made panel.

Samsung posted record third-quarter revenue of $63 billion this year, a 10% increase compared to a year prior. The company saw profits reach $13 billion in Q3, a 26% increase year-over-year.

The results were driven by Samsung’s semiconductor division, which benefited from demand for computing chips amid a global shortage. The segment nearly doubled its operating profit to $8.6 billion, up from $4.8 billion in Q3 2020.

In August, Samsung said it is planning on mergers and acquisitions to build its position in the technology sector. The company hasn’t made a major acquisition in four years.