[Written in partnership with Pixaworks, but the editorial team had full control over the content.]
Malaysian comic publisher Kadokawa Gempak Starz (KGS) is now joining the non-fungible tokens (NFT) movement by introducing its Gengkey NFT collection.
For the current series, KGS has launched 20 card designs from its total of 100 planned designs, all featuring characters from their popular Gengkey comics.
Each pack will include 5 collectible cards, 4 of which will have static designs and 1 with a rare or super rare animated design.
At the moment, only 1,010 card packs have been released for RM10.10 each, and KGS plans to release 4 more batches soon. Upon purchase, buyers will receive a serial number and serial key via email.
In order for buyers to redeem the NFT card pack(s), KGS is working with TRART, an international platform that converts physical artworks into digital assets for collectors to purchase with TRART coin. Essentially, it’s an NFT marketplace.
Boosting the value of IPs
KGS was originally established as Art Square Creation in 1994 and is known for its publication of Gempak, an info-comic magazine that showcased local comic artists and shared news about the global animation, comics, and games (ACG) industry.
In 2015, the company was acquired by Japanese media conglomerate Kadokawa Corporation and was thus rebranded to KGS in 2016.
Meanwhile, TRART is a new venture launched by INCH SKY, a game-based and technology-based solutions provider in Malaysia.
TRART is currently connected to the Flowchain blockchain, and states that it aims to connect to the Ethereum and WAX blockchains in the near future.
Tapping into the NFT ecosystem is one way KGS hopes to diversify its products. In an interview with Vulcan Post, the company shared, “We want more people to eventually own our assets and the digital world will be the future for the new generation.”
“As more people get to know our intellectual properties (IPs) and own them, we hope to leverage our IPs’ value via NFTs, and eventually, this will increase the value of each IP too.”
In the pipeline for more NFT collections by KGS include audio, video clips, games, and collaboration works, to name a few. For these NFTs, KGS is targeting its fans who grew up with the comics, art collectors, and investors.
Buyers purchasing the first batch of card packs here can redeem their NFTs by heading to TRART, signing in or creating an account, clicking on the redemption button, and keying in their serial number and serial key.
Once that’s done, purchases can be checked under “Packs” and the NFT card pack can be unpacked. To view all of one’s cards, simply click on “Collection”, and to view all other cards available, click on “Gallery”.
NFTs in brief
An NFT is a form of crypto asset that uses blockchain, a digital public ledger of transactions, to record ownership details and provide proof of authenticity.
What sets NFTs apart from other digital creations is that NFTs have unique identifying codes, making them one-of-a-kind and thus limited edition.
This means that one can claim ownership (but not necessarily the copyright) over an original digital asset (be it an image, video, artwork, audio clip, etc.) to keep or sell, as opposed to simply saving or downloading copies of the asset.
The NFT movement has been picking up in Malaysia after it first blew up overseas in March 2021. Now, Malaysia boasts local NFT artists too, with some names including Katun, Red Hong Yi, Ronald Ong, and more.
Its popularity could be attributed to how NFTs can be an extremely lucrative project for artists, as was seen with Katun’s sale of 2 of his NFT collections for about RM1.6 million in just 24 hours.
With more players taking notice of NFT’s potential, we’ve had the launch of Pentas.io, a Malaysian NFT marketplace, and local app development firm Agmo Studio also appears to be creating its own NFT marketplace too.
These will serve to boost the visibility of Malaysian artists and their works across the globe, and this benefit is one reason why many crypto enthusiasts see NFTs as the future of digital art.
- You can learn more about the Gengkey NFT collection here.
- You can read more crypto-related content here.
Featured Image Credit: Kadokawa Gempak Starz