Interview with PolkaFantasy’s SDA Mr. Watanabe and Game Advisor Mr. Matsuoka

Self Introduction & reason for joining PolkaFantasy

Matsuoka: [00:00:06] I started a company called Game Culture Association with Okada-san, the former COO of Square Enix’s US corporation. He told me there was an interesting project and asked if I was interested to join. So I asked for more details about this business and soon after I was introduced to a company called PolkaFantasy. I had a chat with the company’s CEO, Alex, who is really into gaming. He is a very interesting person. He has a great passion and enthusiasm for games, and I think his project’s vision is similar to what the world views. I decided to take part in his project because I thought it would be good to do it together.

Watanabe: [00:00:51] Yes, I was introduced by Okada-san the same way, and this is how I joined PolkaFantasy.

About your Career

Matsuoka: [00:01:07] I won Yu-Gi-Oh! Online PC version 3 times, and also won the Rockman.EXE game tournament that Capcom released in Osaka, Tokyo and Nagoya. In addition, I was invited to CoroCoro Comic every year starting from my primary school period until I graduated from high school. Soon after, I joined the CyberAgent Group. I gained extensive experience in strategy WEB media, app producers, and strategy apps. I later founded the Game Association with Mr. Okada. I am also a member of the largest game strategy media organizations in the world.

Watanabe: [00:02:13] I was originally in the Self-Defense Force. After being discharged, I acquired qualifications to be a network engineer, and started my career as one. Following that, I created a lot of social games such as Recruit and Gree. I was involved in the development process of social VR games and arcade games at Square Enix, including the famous game, Million Arthur.

Current Status of PolkaFantasy1 and PolkaFantasy2 game

Matsuoka: [00:03:04] There was once an announcement of company restructuring. And before that, I was not deeply involved as an advisor. I only advised on certain topics such as “how a game company should be developed”, “It is better to integrate such elements and systems to the game”, “How to attract new users”, “Create value for holding an NFT into an advantage as an investor”, “How to build a system that beginners can compete with those above it.” We are proposing a system that will take on challenges and make things go well.

We firmly believe in the system we are making, so please do look forward to it. For the second game, Alex gave us a direction of what he wanted to make. But I had no idea at that time. Watanabe came up with such a wonderful proposal that shows infinite possibility even though it is still in the idea stage. On the other hand, there are regulations, technical problems and security we run into as an NFT game. There are many difficulties along the way. Among them all, I would like to tackle the real problem, how far can we compromise our dream game and make it realistic.

Watanabe: [00:05:30] I joined not too long ago. Regarding PolkaFantasy1 games, I am responsible for the back-end system design. In terms of business, I am mainly involved in the planning of PolkaFantasy2 games. It is almost completed, and we are trying to design something that will surprise everyone without suffering from the current blockchain game market along with other companies. What we are currently struggling with is maintaining a healthy budget.

Matsuoka: [00:06:29] I grew up in a bad culture called Real Money Trade RMT and got caught up with it. Before it became problematic, I sold my Yu-Gi-Oh card and limited data through Yahoo auctions, making tens of thousands of yen a month when I was just a primary school student.

When RMT went viral in the news and was regarded as a problem, I laughed. Eventually, it became more difficult to earn money due to the tightening rules for dealers. Thanks to NFT and blockchain technology, such an era has finally come!

Commitment of PolkaFantasy Game development

Matsuoka: [00:08:13] I agree. Compared to the graphic back in the days, the current graphic is greatly improved. There will be a lot more gorgeous characters, and I hope everyone will look forward to seeing their moves. When the data (graphics) is high quality, the data processing becomes more important. The requirement for system design is much higher in order to make it work smoothly as well as maintaining the security level of the current data assets. We aim to create a new game experience that everyone can enjoy. We are looking forward to the changes with new NFTs. We would be grateful if you could experience it in the future.

What’s the difference between BCG and the normal ones and what’s the fun part?

Matsuoka: [00:09:08] First of all, regarding the PolkaFantasy1 game, the first thing I proposed was a system that was used when Lineage 3 was very popular in the past, and it is an enhanced system.

When the upgrade success rate drops or the upper limit of +10 or +20 is exceeded, the upgrade value breaks, and the weapon itself and the NFT itself disappear. Perhaps if one strengthening continues to succeed, the weapon that was 500,000 will be reduced to zero.

However, I think that the amount of increase in the parameter of strengthening as a compensation weapon that is returned by success and the increase in value is so-called equality. Users might overly upgrade during the gaming experience. We are proposing a “strengthening system” as we know even beginners can start from scratch and enter.

And I want to make it a game that anyone can earn over time, meaning they will earn more by the efforts and time they put in, such as digging up equipment to strengthen it. Diving into the dungeon is the fun part of the old game.

Regarding “Polka Fantasy 2”, the key to the adventure of Square Enix’s <b> Naughty Monster series, to which Mr. Watanabe belonged, was added as a land, isn’t it? The owner of the land will automatically generate the next dungeon, and the drop you can get there will randomly change the stage of value depending on the land.

I think it’s interesting. You can enjoy various changes with the update, changes in value and changes in land.

The biggest difference between a normal game and an NFT game is the weight of responsibility. The development of the game is a huge part of it. And because it is an NFT game, investors are gathering around a lot and are concerned while waiting for the games to be released as they invested way before the game development.

Back then, creators didn’t have to worry about that! But I have to bear in mind that striking a balance between creating the dream game and fulfilling investors’ wishes is just not easy. Also, I started a company called the Game Culture Association, but there are many issues in the Japanese gaming industry and culture, and now the law is just not in place yet. What do you think? I am always conscious of whether to cut into the Japanese market, create a foundation, and expand it to the world.

Watanabe: [00:12:43] Well, I think that the cores of the game will not be changed a lot, but I think it can be roughly divided into two types, and from the player’s point of view, many blockchain games are not good enough to play for a much longer term. I feel that. Meanwhile, from the investor’s point of view, it is difficult for them when the game becomes too complicated. So it is difficult to come up with a title design that can satisfy both parties. The new game got us thinking — how to balance different points. The in-game dynamic is quite different. The actions of investors and players are largely divided, so I hope that both parties will be satisfied. I am making it with the hope that it will deliver a wonderful experience. Is that the biggest difference between BCG and the normal ones?

About the sense of speed in the crypto industry

Matsuoka: [00:13:48] Oh, yes. For me, when I suggested to Alex about big competitions out there in the market with such a span, it’s a really fast-paced industry. About half the speed which is not even half a year but three months. I was surprised to hear that. I think we are at the stage where a lot of BCG was born and developed with a longer timeline. Great inflation is coming, the technology for gaming and the speed of development are also increasing. The nuances of words are mostly around how sustainable this could be. But let’s not neglect the infinite possibilities of gaming, AI, etc here in this industry. I think everyone is different, but I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of things can be built with the current modern technology of Japan and the world in this genre of NFT games.

Watanabe: [00:14:58] I felt that the speed of evolution in games in this era after the mass adoption of smartphones was quite fast. At first, the games played on the web version became more and more common on native apps. Now, there is a home video game machine. The quality has changed quite a lot. I think NFT games will be evolving even faster. And I mentioned earlier that I was writing a project, but when I looked it up in another language, I was wondering what I was using. As for that part, there are a lot of things that are not inferior to smartphone games, such as being a very different console as a title rather than simply being a blockchain game. So, how to resolve that is an issue for me now. The biggest thing I want to do is to think of something that can be differentiated in such places, be it games and actions, so it will not be just another graphic game.

Future vision of Game Industry

It’s a place that leads to my upbringing,

You aimed to create a platform that connects people with games.

As a background

Not limited to “Rockman” and “Yu-Gi-Oh!”

When I participated in various game tournaments, I became a rival, became a comrade, and went to the national tournament, like “Let’s meet again next year at the national tournament”

Honestly, I don’t care about the national tournaments, and I was spending my elementary school days playing games with everyone until 6 am the night before. It is a great treasure to be just an amateur gamer and a strong rival who can compete evenly.

I once dreamed of creating a platform that connects people, and it’s the title of one game, but I actually made an app that can match 200,000 people a day. There are also people who actually get married on the app!

What I’m aiming for now is to be able to do that in all games. I’d like to create something like a platform or something with a world view, but it’s really difficult to have such a dream app. Because various game companies are competing in pricing. I’m competing with users. Connecting people in all games is the ultimate unification of the game industry. However, there is a new term “Web-san”, it is where a community is emphasized. Perhaps I am always passionate about illustration art, and I’m sure that such a platform will be made one day. However, it doesn’t mean that it can’t be done unless someone makes it, so I want to give it a shot! I am enthusiastic about it.

Watanabe: [00:19:28] Yes, I agree! Most importantly I want to do something that I am really interested in.

I think it will be the same for home use, smartphones and blockchain. It’s important to be able to share as much as possible with the customers, not just for your own joy. It’d be a good idea to execute.

I think you can get such opportunities through NFTs or charity work. It is an era where people who can make such things a job and open up a new life, also play games on the side. I think it would be a great pleasure to be able to experience.

For users who are looking for the PolkaFantasy game Launch

Matsuoka: [00:20:26] Since the beginning of the year, a couple of famous advisors have joined us from renowned game development companies that have created many well-known games in Japan. To have them in the team and responsible for the game development, I believe we can expect more.

Watanabe: [00:21:46] We have a number of experienced developers who are experts in developing games in new programming languages. We have largely improved the visual effects, as well as the frontend and backend system by working with them. We are working hard together as a team. Moreover, we will announce more information in the future, please follow us closely on our official social channels.

About PolkaFantasy

PolkaFantasy is the world’s first Japanese ACG-dedicated blockchain ecosystem, with its unique NFT marketplace, NFT wallet and multiverse games.

We bring only the top-notched artwork to PolkaFantasy NFT Marketplace where Japanese artists and creators can connect with supporters. We deliver the best immersive experience to users that they can discover, trade, and interact with any digital collectibles and game assets.

Within the holistic ecosystem, PolkaFantasy is a metaverse with mystical GameFi and play-to-earn mechanisms. We created a never-before-seen land system where lands can be used across the magical realms of PolkaFantasy. With further gaming details, PolkaFantasy is going to change the current dynamics of GameFi and bring forth a new future to the world of blockchain.

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Linktree: https://linktr.ee/Polkafantasy
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Aimée Marketplace: https://twitter.com/PF_Marketplace

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Blog (Japan): https://note.com/polkafantasy
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