Challenges of Blockchain-based Services Part 1

※This article is machine translated.

Cocone has been developing and operating “avatar apps”.

The company has produced more than 140,000 digital items to date and has sold a cumulative total of 9 billion items (as of January 2022), making it the company that has produced and sold the most digital fashion and other items in Japan.

With the development of blockchain technology, we hope to further increase the value of these digital assets and contribute to the creation of a digital world that our customers can hold with peace of mind. We interviewed employees who continue to take on the challenge of creating a digital world where “sensitivity” can take shape.

– First of all, please introduce yourself, Mr. Suda.

I am the Deputy General Manager and Planning Section Leader of the Meta Business Division.
Originally, as an engineer, I made games that focused on battles and action, but after joining Cocone, I am challenging a new service called CCP (*), which allows customers to enjoy games without parameters.

At present, we cannot disclose details yet, but we are preparing a new service using blockchain, inheriting the blood of the Pokécolo series. We define the “CCP” genre as a service in which “Character” exists, has a “Coordinate” element, and can be “Played”.

Cocone has a major goal of “creating a metaverse of sensitivity.
We believe that one of the key elements of the metaverse is the economic sphere within that world.
Blockchain technology is an effective way to secure the economic sphere of the digital world.
The Cocone Group operates a blockchain network called MOOI Network, and the main theme of the current division is to develop services using this network. Since this is a challenge to a world that does not yet have a correct answer, we are taking on new challenges without thinking too hard, and are thinking daily about what kind of services we can provide using the blockchain.

– Please tell us about your work flow, Mr. Suda.

The day begins with a morning meeting, and what I consider most important at that time is to share everyone’s thoughts.
This way, everyone understands what the issues are and what needs to be done.
Since the project is in the process of working on a new production, we need to communicate frequently to make any decisions.

Work tasks and directions are decided on the assumption that the members’ brains are in sync. Personally, I think it is better to summarize the members’ opinions while keeping the direction we are headed only, rather than deciding something alone. Since the number of project members is small, I sometimes do planning, sometimes coordinate each division as a leader, and sometimes conduct interviews.

We don’t spend a day in a particularly set flow, but rather, our workflow is to do what we can to keep the project moving forward while being exposed to new things each day.

– What is important to you as the Meta Business Division?

It’s a “challenge.”
We are in a situation where we are building services toward a place where there are no answers, so we are not afraid to try everything.

Of course, any project may not be that different, but I think the Meta Division is where the challenge is felt more strongly. In order to create a service that uses new technology, I often think about what elements of what Cocone has cultivated so far should be incorporated and what elements should be subtracted.

It is scary to take something negative from something that has been accumulated over the years, but the entire business unit is working to create something new, and we are all taking on the challenge every day.

– What do you think is needed for services using new technologies?

As I mentioned in my self-introduction, I originally worked as an engineer making action and other games.
For example, items have parameters, and equipping them makes you stronger and gives you an advantage in the game, as generally envisioned.

When I joined Cocone and became involved in CCP services, which mainly focused on items without parameters, I wondered why customers were satisfied with the service, and I thought that identity was important.
First there is self-satisfaction, then the need for approval within the community.
Cocone’s services have carefully nurtured this point for more than a decade.

Furthermore, when I think about what is needed in the new digital world, I believe that “satisfaction” is necessary. Discovering how to incorporate “satisfaction” into our services and challenging ourselves to do so is what I find interesting.

– How do you see the Meta Business Division and Cocone growing in the future?

Many companies are talking about creating a metaverse, and we don’t know what kind of things will be created in the future, but among them, Cocone has declared that it will create a “metaverse of sensibility”.

What is needed for this may be an economic area or a rewarding experience.
In the case of Web3 services, it will not be a monopoly for any one company to provide something, but rather, it will be something that everyone decides on, communicates, and creates together.

Personally, I hope that Cocone is participating there and growing together with many people and companies.

– What kind of people would you like to work with? Please send us a message!

I would like to work with people who take the initiative and communicate with their own spirit.

In order for the organization to move forward with a group of people who are not waiting for instructions, but who move on their own while synchronizing their brains, we first need people to lead, but each member who has grown up will become independent and become the next leader.
I believe that the creation of many such organizations will lead to the strengthening of Cocone, and I would like to invite those who are aware of such a movement to join us. Cocone has an environment that does not hinder people from taking on new challenges.

I feel that this is a company that will let you challenge what you want to do, so if you have a strong desire, this is a place where you can give shape to what you want to achieve.
Including these things, I would like people who can think about how to inherit or change the good aspects of the organization, such as what we have accumulated so far and the quality of the people we gather, to come to Cocone.

The word “challenge” was mentioned many times in this interview.

At Cocone, we have an environment that allows us to not only take on the challenge of new technologies, but also to challenge ourselves to do anything we want to do.