Kentucky Fried Chicken X Genshin Impact.
Atari X RTFKT
UNDERCOVER X  Evangelion.

What do these collaborations have in common? They are all delightfully nerdy intersections between pop-culture staples and unlikely brands. High-end sneakers may have started the wave of consumer interest around exclusive limited drops, but now video games, anime, augmented reality and overall nerd stuff are rapidly redefining what's possible in the world of creative crossovers.

Hold on to your NFT's, this is Crossover Tuesday!

1. HUF x Street Fighter Collection

First founded in California, HUF is a skate and footwear-based apparel label that we now know has great taste in video games. Collaborating directly with Capcom, the HUF x Street Fighter collection oozes nostalgic appeal. 

The collection includes beautifully printed apparel, skateboards, and a Shoryuken + Hadouken drink set that any button masher would be proud to own.

Shop the full collection at Hufworldwide.com

2. Lenovo X Demon Slayer

Before you get your hopes up, no, the sword does not unsheathe. All the same, the fan appeal of Lenovo's latest cross-over between the hugely popular anime Demon Slayer is one that pushes the limits of what a gaming chair can look like.

Or should we call this an anime-watching chair? The chair was revealed for the promotion of Demon Slayer (Kimetsu No Yaiba): Mugen train -- an upcoming movie that continues the Demon Slayer saga where season 1 left off.  Don't get too excited about owning one -- only 5 of these chairs have been made and are being given away to promote the movie in Japan. 

This may be the most exclusive anime chair of 2021, which is an unexpected and simultaneously amazing thing toocomphrehend.

3. UNDERCOVER X Evangelion

Some say that fashion is a constant conversation between a generation's need to express themselves visually and the dominant pop culture that influences them. In the case of UNDERCOVER X Evangelion, this idea is in full display.

UNDERCOVER is a Japanese luxury clothing brand that routinely defines what "cool" is across Japan.  A huge hit among fans of the series, this collection somehow manages to make anime fashion sound less like a punch-line and more like a sincere reflection of a new generation's ideal aesthetic expression.

4. Atari X RTFKT

What would a crossover list in 2021 be without at least one NFT?

Legendary video game developer Atari joined forces RTFKT Studio, a company born in the "metaverse" that...

On second thought, why don't we have RTFKT Studio explain what they are in their own words:

"RTFKT uses the latest in-game engines, NFT, blockchain authentication, and augmented reality, combined with manufacturing expertise to create one-of-a-kind sneakers and digital artifacts...RTFKT is known to be creating viral sneaker designs, memes, and collectible exclusives. "

In other words, these aren't "real" physical shoes, but digital ones authenticated through blockchain that accrue massive amounts of value due to scarcity, consumer demand, and that lighting-in-a-bottle FOMO + hype factor.

These limited NTF Atari-themed shoes will also have in-game utility across multiple Atari games and metaverses, but I doubt anyone purchasing them is doing so for an in-game perk.  The value here is that sweet digital drip.

5. Genshin Impact x KFC

Genshin Impact is a smash hit action RPG that uses a "Gacha" style monetization system. Players are encouraged to min-max their power level by collecting rare playable characters and, in the case of KFC X Genshin Impact, fans across China were encouraged to chase rare buckets of chicken.

Trust us when we say that this promotion was a massives success.  KFC's across China experienced a  huge fan turnout that promotion that soon turned Genshin themed buckets into collector items. In order to claim the special Genshi-themed meal, customers had to shout out a specific campaign slogan, much to the bewilderment of KFC locations that weren't a part of the promotion that suddenly found themselves being yelled at by die-hard fans by the minute.