Casio will launch a virtual G-SHOCK campaign designed by members of the company’s community, with the roadmap beginning this month.
Japanese multinational electronics company Casio is bringing its signature G-SHOCK watch brand to the metaverse. These virtual G-SHOCKS will launch on Polygon, the Layer-2 network for scaling Ethereum.
Casio intends to launch the virtual G-SHOCK NFTs via a community process that will accommodate multiple collaborators. The roadmap begins with a collection of 15,000 NFT-based G-SHOCK creator passes that users can claim from Saturday, September 23. Claimants will then have access to a Discord channel dedicated to the project. The initial pre-distribution process will run from September 23 until the 26th and will be exclusive to registered customers with CASIO IDs at the electronics firm’s membership site. Other interested persons may join the distribution process from September 2 to the 29th.
The community and co-creation process will see the watchmaker receive contributions to the G-SHOCK creator pass. Members of the community will also be able to vote for a winner. The design with the highest number of votes will become a part of the virtual G-SHOCK collection.
According to Casio Senior General Manager of Timepieces Takahashi Oh, part of the push for the virtual G-SHOCK is the company’s 40th anniversary:
“At its core, our virtual G-SHOCK was built to be accessible, innovative and inclusive, meaning that user experience must be frictionless and simple. This is why Polygon was the most natural and logical choice for us. The goal is for the company and users to work together and develop the G-SHOCK brand, which celebrated its 40th anniversary this year.”
Purpose of the Virtual G-SHOCK
Oh also said Casio is trying to expand the G-SHOCK brand to create virtual experiences for users. According to him, the company is identifying with the demand for these experiences along with the spread of Web3. The Casio exec also said that “establishing points of contact with previously unreachable segments of the population” is part of the company’s goal.
In a conversation with Decrypt, Oh said Casio is interested in introducing the G-SHOCK to the metaverse and other interactive and virtual worlds. The company believes one of the best ways to do this is to allow the general public to contribute to the creation process. Oh suggested that Casio would like a metaverse where “many avatars wear wristwatches and G-SHOCKS, just like in the real world”.
With the virtual G-SHOCK launch, Casio has joined several other big brands with some presence on Polygon. Last year, Adidas Originals collaborated with Italian luxury fashion brand Prada on an NFT project. The project sought contributions in the form of anonymized photographs to be combined as a single mass NFT design. Each owner of the 3000 submissions retains ownership and receives a percentage of the sale.
In April, Starbucks launched an NFT collection called “The Starbucks First Store Collection”. The collection features elements from the company’s first store, which opened in Seattle’s Pike Place Market in 1971. Starbucks also launched an NFT loyalty program for US customers this year.
Sports betting giant DraftKings launched an NFT marketplace in 2021 with access passes from popular names, including Naomi Osaka and Tony Hawk.
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