Animoca Brands Corporation Ltd's alliance with Japanese entertainment corporation SHIBUYA109 will bring the famous entertainment district to the metaverse.
The partnership will establish a dedicated land In The Sandbox, where virtual tourists have the opportunity to buy original NFTs and play mini games.
SHIBUYA109 aims to partner with more companies in Japan and the main Shibuya district in order to rent buildings and offer advertising space.
"We were among the first to focus on the metaverse and NFT, and have been preparing for it since April 2021,” said SHIBUYA109 Entertainment Inc's representative director Ayumi Ishikawa.
Due to travel restrictions caused by the global pandemic, the tourism industry has suffered around the world. SHIBUYA109 hopes to attract virtual tourists to experience a piece of Tokyo’s culture.
The expansion of the metaverse continues to grow too, as Animoca introduced K-pop to the virtual world last week.
Read: Animoca Brands to bring K-pop to the metaverse
Ishikawa said the company planned to collaborate with various artists and characters and hoped the project would help people become interested in the metaverse and NFTs.
Co-founder of The Sandbox Sébastien Borget said SHIBUYA109’s land was poised to become an epicentre of culture in the metaverse.
“We'll work with their team on making this famous location and Japanese culture globally accessible to everyone in the metaverse, as an iconic place where lifestyle, music, fashion, and socializing match up."
- By Duncan Bailey