Today, Animoca Brands Japan announced a step towards expanding opportunities in Japan for Web3 projects and companies from overseas.
The first move will make ‘De: Centralized Cat’ (D:CC) NFTs available on the Japanese non-fungible token marketplace Coincheck NFT. The NFTs can be used as in-game items in the popular Web3 game Nine Chronicles M, which currently has players from over 150 countries.
Nine Chronicles M is an RPG game owned by Planetarium Labs, a Web3 gaming company based in South Korea. The D:CC NFTs, which will be available on Coincheck NFT starting today and can be used in the game as account profile pictures, avatars, or staked to earn tokens. According to the report, there are only 300 D:CC NFTs available for the price of 0.06 ETH.
Animoca Brands Japan is a subsidiary of Animoca Brands, a Hong Kong-based game software company and venture capital firm founded in 2014. It started as a mobile game developing company, before pivoting to Web3 gaming in 2018. It has since become one of the biggest names in the space.
Animoca Brands Japan was established in 2021 with the goal of bringing Japanese IP and content to Web3. Its focus is on helping Japanese companies, sports teams, publishers, brands, athletes, and artists bring their IP into the world of Web3. Now, it appears the company is also looking to help bring international IP to the Japanese market, serving as a bi-directional bridge between Japan and the rest of the world for Web3 IP and domain.
Because of Japanese law, language barriers, and business practices, it is often difficult for foreign companies to enter the Japanese market. However, Web3 has been growing in popularity on the island nation, which boasts a strong gaming and entertainment culture, and a tradition of manga and anime art that lends itself nicely to Web3 technologies.
Animoca Brands Is a Powerhouse in Web3
The move from Animoca Brands Japan to facilitate the sale of NFTs from a foreign company is a big deal, especially for Web3 companies and brands looking to expand to the Japanese market. But this isn’t the first time we’ve seen Animoca Brands innovating in the space. At Rarity Sniper, we’ve covered dozens of articles about Animoca Brands over the years. Here are three recent stories.
First, in November, Animoca Brands partnered with Ubisoft to help foster the renowned gaming company’s Web3 initiatives. To kick things off, Ubisoft’s latest game ‘Champions Tactics: Grimoria Chronices’ was integrated into Animoca Brands’ Mocaverse and will also become part of its Web3 Frequent Player Program.
Next, also in November, the popular NFT project Cool Cats partnered with Animoca Brands and San FranTokyo to market Cool Cats throughout Asia and Japan. One project born from the collaboration will see Cool Cats IP interwoven with Japan’s manga tradition by producing a standalone story called a manga one-shot.
Finally, in September, Animoca Brands Japan partnered with Gryfyn, Honda, and GET Protocol to release a collection of NFTs at the FORMULA 1 Honda & Red Bull event in Japan. The NFTs were distributed to participants in a raffle for a chance to win tickets to the F1 Japanese Grand Prix 2023.
As Animoca Brands continues to expand its reach, Japan appears to be a key part of its Web3 strategy. Today’s release of the De:Centralized Cat NFTs from Animoca Brands Japan is another sign of the company’s global Web3 ambitions. At Rarity Sniper, we’ll be on the lookout for any updates to the story.