Animoca Brands Japan, a strategic subsidiary of Animoca Brands, has just announced an initiative to support the expansion opportunities in Japan for web3 projects from overseas. As the first step of this initiative, NFTs usable within the blockchain game Nine Chronicles M, currently played in around 150 countries, will be made available for purchase and trade on Coincheck NFT starting today, 3rd April 2024.

In this article, we will cover everything you need to know about why Animoca Brands Japan is supporting web3 and blockchain gaming projects attempting to enter the highly competitive but hugely successful iconic Japanese gaming scene.

Why Gaming in Japan?

Japan, the iconic homeland of gaming giants like Nintendo and Sega, is experiencing a renaissance in the global gaming industry, fueled by the emergence of web3 technology.

The country is known for hundreds of classic titles and IPs, ranging from Super Mario to Sonic The Hedgehog, Street Fighter to Tetris. Moreover, Japan was a pioneer in video gaming crazes, the birthplace of cultural phenomenons like Pokémon and Tamagotchi which were among the first Intellectual Properties (IPs) to cross the divide between digital and physical realms. 

Foreign companies and projects seeking to enter the highly competitive Japanese gaming market face several challenges resulting from Japan's unique laws, business practices, language barriers, and other factors.

Japan's unique entertainment culture, including anime, manga, and games, which are considered to have a high affinity with web3, has demonstrated strong appeal in the country and presents attractive opportunities for overseas companies and projects. 

Role of Animoca Brands?

Animoca Brands Japan, established in 2021 as a strategic subsidiary of Animoca Brands, has since its inception supported the global expansion of Japanese IP and content in web3, and now the company is also leveraging its capabilities to aid the expansion of international IP within the Japanese market. 

In March 2024, Animoca Brands Japan and KDDI Corporation ("KDDI") announced a new partnership for a collaboration between Mocaverse, and αU (Alpha U), the metaverse and web3 service by KDDI.

Animoca Brands and KDDI aim to provide a more seamless and interoperable experience for the "web3-curious" to enjoy web3 games, culture, and entertainment globally. KDDI is one of the largest telecommunication providers with over 31 million users in Japan. The partnership also included integrations with Blowfish Studios' web3 game Phantom Galaxies.

With the latest initiative announced today for Nine Chronicles M, Animoca Brands Japan affirms its commitment to serve as a bidirectional bridge between Japan and the world for the web3 domain.

Rise of RPG Nine Chronicles 

The play-to-earn web3 gaming sphere is making notable strides so far in 2024. Nine Chronicles, an idle RPG, has continued its ascent to popularity with over 60,000 daily active unique wallets this past March. Let's dive into the data the latest data from DappRadar.

250K Plus Downloads

South Korean developer Planetarium Labs, whose PC-based RPG, Nine Chronicles, took the gaming community by storm. Earlier this year, the developers announced their plans to expand to mobile, culminating in the launch of the new game, Nine Chronicles M. The mobile game generated increased anticipation with over 220,000 pre-registrations leading up to its launch on November 22nd.

Fast forward three weeks and Nine Chronicles M had already surpassed 250,000 downloads on various app stores. Notably, the game's combined performance, considering both the original Nine Chronicles and the new mobile release, has resulted in an all-time player high of 115,603 monthly active users, spread across more than 150 countries. Japanese players have exhibited the highest retention rates among the diverse player base.

Over 200 Million Transactions

Nine Chronicles is a fully on-chain, open-source, and 100% decentralized RPG game. Boasting players from over 150 countries, the game has witnessed 202.4 million transactions since its inception. September statistics revealed an average Daily Active User (DAU) count of around 35,000 further solidifying its global presence. Notably, the game recently earned recognition as one of the top five performing games worldwide in the 2023 3Q Blockchain Games Report, a publication by DappRadar and BGA Games. 

Impressive $32 Million Funding

The mobile version of Nine Chronicles is available on both Google Play and the Apple Store, with support for in-app purchases, aligning with Planetarium Labs' strategy to introduce web3 games to a diverse user base. Backed by a $32 million funding round last year, Planetarium Labs has been making strides in web3 gaming. Alongside Nine Chronicles M, the company recently introduced Verse8, an open-source decentralized roguelike RPG protocol, and Immortal Rising 2, a web3 competitive idle RPG game.

NFTs for Nine Chronicles M

Planetarium’s De: Centralized Cat (D:CC) NFTs, which are utilized in PC/mobile RPG Nine Chronicles M, will be available on Japanese marketplace Coincheck NFT from 3rd April. The De: Centralized Cat NFTs are in-game items that can be utilized both as a profile image and an avatar for the character used in the game. Staking the NFTs also allows holders to earn the NCG cryptocurrency and create and power up in-game pets.

A total of 300 NFTs will be available for sale, at an expected starting price of 0.06 ETH. Following the sale, the NFTs will then be tradable on Coincheck’s NFT exchange. Users wanting to purchase one must register an account with Coincheck first.

Disclaimer: The information provided here is for educational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Investing and trading carry risks, and decisions should be made after consulting a qualified financial advisor. The views expressed are solely those of the author and do not guarantee future results. Users are responsible for their own investment decisions and should conduct thorough research.