NFTs and Extended Reality: The Future of Fan Experience

NFTs, extended reality and fan engagement: the future of the fan experience

Overview

New generations no longer want brands to tell them a story — they want to live it. In this MERGE Madrid panel, four leaders in extended reality and Web3 explain how NFTs, virtual worlds and digital identity are redefining the fan experience in sports and entertainment, removing friction to reach audiences of billions.

What you'll learn

• Fan engagement with NFTs: how an NFT works as an access pass to tokenized communities, not as speculation
• On-chain digital identity: the four pillars of belonging: identity, memorable experiences, social participation and real ownership
• Extended reality and immersion: how virtual and augmented reality amplify the physical experience instead of replacing it
• Monetization models: initial sale, royalties and loyalty for brands, startups and community creators
• Reducing Web3 friction: simplified wallets, card payments and mobile-first UX for non-technical users
• Cultural home and global reach: how to reach millions of fans who will never set foot in the stadium

Session summary

Moderator and guests: Vicky Basán (Inmersiva XR, Spain's Extended Reality cluster) moderates Álvaro Monzón (Deusens), Alan Cura (Guardian of the Val) and Manu Cabrera (Cabila).

Experiences you live, not just hear: Álvaro Monzón (Deusens) explains that every generation demands more from brands; virtual and augmented reality create fan experiences that connect and break borders, without replacing the physical (in his words, no one takes away the wine and the ham).

The NFT as a pass, not speculation: Manu Cabrera (Cabila) presents NFTs as a club membership with three pillars —funding, loyalty and ownership— noting that around 10% of web2 followers end up becoming community holders.

On-chain identity and belonging: Alan Cura (Guardian of the Val) describes the fan passport and the cultural home concept to let supporters live the before, during and after of every match; he works with the Argentine national team and its 210+ million fans.

Removing friction: the panel agrees on abstracting complexity (wallets, seed phrase, payments), betting on mobile-first apps and dropping the jargon: the day blockchain becomes transparent to the user, we will simply call it the internet.

Market potential: ahead of the next World Cup, while tens of thousands will attend in person, billions will engage digitally; on top of that, Gen Z and Gen Alpha already consume entertainment in virtual worlds like Roblox.

Watch the full panel

Watch the full panel recording on MERGE's YouTube channel, featuring Deusens, Guardian of the Val, Cabila and Inmersiva XR on NFTs, extended reality and the future of fan experience.

FAQs

What is fan experience with NFTs and extended reality?
It is a new model of relationship between brands, clubs and fans that combines digital assets (NFTs), virtual worlds and on-chain identity to deliver belonging, immersive experiences and real benefits, beyond traditional advertising.

What are NFTs used for in sports and entertainment?
They work as an access pass to tokenized communities: they fund creators, build loyalty with exclusive perks and grant real, portable ownership of the asset, instead of being pure speculation.

Does the digital experience replace the in-person one?
No. According to the panel, it complements and amplifies it: it removes geographic barriers and connects with fans who could never attend in person, but it does not replace the emotion of the physical event.

How is friction reduced for non-technical users?
With simplified wallets, credit-card payments (even if crypto runs underneath), mobile-first apps and avoiding Web3 jargon, so that blockchain technology stays invisible to the end user.