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Off of the heels of the Big Head Origins launch on Air Max Day- the .SWOOSH team is back with the latest chapter in their Air Max 1 collection.
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Originally revealed as a cosmetic item in the Fortnite Item Shop, the “Big Head Mode” continues the celebration of 1990s video games. Releasing as a bundle with the “Big Head Origins” via Fortnite makes sense when you start to understand the history of the Big Head game mode- and how their stories are interconnected.
The highly acclaimed game Golden Eye 007 popularized the Big Head game mode on the Nintendo 64. By mashing a long set of button inputs into your controller- every character in the game would suddenly have giant heads and arms. To the developers of Golden Eye, this cheat made the characters reminiscent of Donkey Kong characters. Thus, the game mode was dubbed “DK Mode”. This nickname is where the threads begin to connect, not only between both gaming franchises, but with .SWOOSH’s Big Head Air Max One pack.
The “Big Head Origins” celebrated the beginning of where this beloved game mode would go. The vibrant colors and the unique character designs created a legacy now revered 25 years later. The “Big Head Mode” Air Max 1, though, is expanding on that idea- whilst celebrating one of the most successful video games of all time.
GoldenEye took a beloved movie franchise and turned it one of the most influential video games ever. Released in 1997, the shooter genre of video games was not the unmovable force it is today. Nintendo and Rare Limited, the developers of the video game, showed how the genre could succeed on consoles. GoldenEye paved the way for the hilarious Halo betrayals you could pull off on your friends. Golden Eye set the blueprint that would eventually lead us to sleepless nights of capitalizing on Call of Duty’s Double XP weekends.
GoldenEye’s success comes full circle when you consider the fact the “Big Head Mode” Air Max 1 first appeared via the Fortnite Item Shop. The success of Epic Games’ magnum opus could be traced back to Golden Eye paving the way for it- and the .SWOOSH and Fortnite partnership are seemingly celebrating that with its inclusion in the game.
Now, the “Big Head Mode” is trading the Fortnite playing field for the pavement.
After much anticipation, the The Nike Air Max 1 “Big Head Mode” is expected to release next week.
The sneaker features a sleek black satin upper reminiscent of a classic Bond, James Bond, suit. Much like the “Big Head Origins”, the “Big Head Mode” Air Max 1 features several details around the sneaker that tie back to the iconic game. The AM1 tongue has been reengineered with extra padding for a luxurious feel- and to serve as a reminder to the character’s oversized heads. The insole features crosshairs, while a “Rated E” tag settles behind the tongue to remind us that Air Max is for everyone. Meanwhile the heel features abstract “Nike Air” branding that is encapsulated by lines symbolizing the health and armor bars that helped your character continue the fight within the game.
The latest chapter from .SWOOSH celebrates one of the most iconic games of all time. GoldenEye changed the way shooters were perceived- and opened the doors to a plethora of possibilities for the genre. Though the era of the Big Head game mode essentially out of favor, the comical relief it brought was celebrated several times in the years since GoldenEye released. It was adopted by several big AAA titles including: Gears of War 3, Batman Arkham City, NBA Jam, and even appearing in the Tony Hawk Pro Skater franchise.
The Nike Air Max 1 “Big Head Mode” will release via a preorder window that will open on April 7th at 10 am EST. This release will be exclusively available to .SWOOSH members, with a four month shipping turnaround time expected. Pairs will be one per person while supplies last. You can sign up for a .SWOOSH membership here.
Stay up to date on this release and more via the SoleSavy DROPS app. There you can find the latest news details as well as release info and raffle management.
