Japanese watch giant Casio enters NFT sphere: details

Japan-based watch manufacturing brand Casio has decided to connect with the younger generation of customers. Casio has launched an NFT series with eight digital artworks created in partnership with Astar zkEVM. Based on Japan’s gaming culture, Casio’s NFTs will be made available on Astar’s Yogi Origins game. In recent years, Japan has come forward to show its support for the Web3 sector, particularly under the leadership of its tech-friendly Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

A layer-2 blockchain for Ethereum, Astar zkEVM uses zero-knowledge proofs to increase scalability and reduce transaction costs. Announcing its partnership with Casio on X, Astar zkEVM informed community members that these NFTs will be available within the ‘Yoport’ tab of the Yoki Origins game. Essentially, Casio has not launched its NFT series on traditional NFT marketplaces like OpenSea and Magic Eden.

“In celebration of 50 years of Casio watch heritage, we are thrilled to announce the launch of exclusive commemorative NFTs inspired by iconic Casio watches. Minting Method: Unlock adventures with gacha and reveal mechanics,” the blockchain platform said in its announcement.

These are associated with some benefits for NFT holders. Ten holders of the NFT will get the chance to purchase limited edition original G-Shock watches. Additionally, owners of these NFTs can also receive ASTR tokens worth JPY 10,000. At the time of writing, one ASTR token was trading at JPY16.40 kraken crypto exchange,

“Please note, the number and content of winners are subject to change. Stay tuned for the announcement of the winner,” Estar Network said.

This is not the first time that Casio has stepped into the Web3 arena. In 2023, the watch brand partnered with Polygon to launch a collection of 15,000 free-to-mint G-Shock Creator Pass NFTs. At that time, Casio also launched its G-Shock NFT into the metaverse.