Ever wondered how different the world of NFTs is in Japan? Well, today we are lucky enough to be joined by two great guests, Takuya Kitagawa and AT, to give us some real, first-hand insight into the overlaps and contrasts that are happening with regard to the burgeoning scene. We have a great conversation unpacking some basics about our guests’ entry into the NFT space, and what initially drew them in. From there we look at the major hallmarks of what is popular right now in Japan, and how this compares to the rest of the world, before talking about important aspects of the field such as influencer and celebrity marketing. Takuya and AT then spend some time illuminating the inner workings of Nannda, and some more general thoughts on game design, and we finish off our chat by considering which types of games appeal to different Japanese demographics and why. Join us to hear it all!
Key Points From This Episode:
- Our guests’ paths into working in the NFT space, and their initial excitement about it.
- Insight into the state of the Japanese scene right now.
- Thoughts on the current NFT projects that are having success in Japan.
- Contextualising differences in the Japanese market and some reasons for popularity.
- Influencer marketing of NFTs and the main drives for demand.
- The culture of big celebrity endorsement for brands and how this figures into the NFT landscape.
- Barriers to entry that are influencing the Japanese market right now.
- Comparing the mechanism at Nannda to other examples of play-to-earn.
- Risk and reward in the two different approaches to game design.
- The importance of the social dimension to games to increase engagement and difficulty.
- Japanese audiences’ attitudes towards different types of games.
- Favourite NFT picks from Takuya and AT!
Tweetables:
“Influencer marketing itself is big in Japan, YouTubers are big, TikTokers are big. But this actually hasn’t come to the NFT world yet.”
“Japanese audiences play any kind of game, individual oriented game or a social game. Either way works. If it is a more individual game, you typically have to do more campaigns.”
“When I see the Nouns community evolving really well, I get really excited, seeing that maybe that is the future of NFTs.”
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
