Astro Boy Gets NFT Cards for Trading Card Game
Tezuka Productions, NOBORDER.z, and J&J announced in partnership with Tottori prefecture’s local government on Thursday that Osamu Tezuka‘s Astro Boy franchise is getting non-fungible token (NFT) cards for the Metaverse-based NFT Duel trading card game. The companies did not announce a release date or prices.
The cards will be themed around regional revitalization. The companies are parterning with Tottori prefecture as the first regional collaboration. The first batch of cards will feature Tottori’s scenic spots, culture, food, and more. The purpose of the project is to restore and support the local economy and domestic tourism industry after they were affected by the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Part of the sales will be donated to local industries.
The cards will be tradable on the Xanalia marketplace.
Astro Boy and other Tezuka characters had NFTs in double jump.tokyo’s blockchain game My Crypto Heroes. The characters’ NFT artwork sold out in December 2021. Auctions for Phoenix and Black Jack NFTs were held in January at OpenSea marketplace.
NOBORDER.z previously announced NFTs based on the Ultraman series.
Osamu Tezuka‘s Astro Boy manga inspired Japan’s first full-fledged half-hour television anime series in 1963, followed by a color television series in 1980 and the remake in 2003.
The French-Japanese animated spin-off series Go Astro Boy Go! launched in October 2019. A joint production between Tezuka Productions and Nigerian television station Chanel TV created a television animation project in 2014.