Making Janken a worldwide entertainment
※This article is machine translated.
JANKEN, a Play & Earn service launched globally in December 2022.
I interviewed Takeuchi, the chief creative director of the service, and Shinozaki, the leader of UI/UX team, about the real pleasure of the project and working in Cocone.
What is “JANKEN”?
A blockchain game based on the hand game ” Janken ” is said to have originated in Japan and spread around the world after the 19th century.
Original elements are added to the simple ” Janken ” rules to create a deep sense of strategy, creating an e-sports-like worldview. Winning a game of Janken gives you utility tokens, and the ” J-Card ” used in the game can be enjoyed as a NFT to collect.
The game is a Play & Earn and Free to Play service, allowing players to play without having to purchase expensive in-game NFTs. In addition, you can also earn utility tokens and NFTs while continuing to play for free.
Turn JANKEN into entertainment
The goal of “JANKEN” is ” make ” Janken” a global entertainment. Takeuchi and his project team are working hard every day to develop and operate the service so that it will grow into a blockchain service that boasts millions of players worldwide.
You launched in December. How do you feel about it?
Takeuchi：In a market where no one has succeeded yet and within a limited time frame, we have developed a base system for playing rock-paper-scissors-paper, an online matching function, and a mechanism that works with ” MOOI blockchain network. We have found some issues since the launch and are continuing to make improvements, but the game is being played by more customers than we expected, and we are enjoying the response we are getting from countries we have never reached before.
Which countries did you find surprising?
Takeuchi: I was surprised to see people from India and Africa in Brazil.
Shinozaki：It was also surprising that the number one in terms of the number of customers was India.
Your original target was Asia, wasn’t it?
Takeuchi: We thought that Janken would be the main target because of its affinity with people in Southeast Asia. We did not expect India to be No. 1 at all.
Shinozaki：It is strange, isn’t it? When I traveled to India on a “5-year completion vacation” the other day, I asked a local, ” Do you play rock-paper-scissors? I was told ” “I have heard of it, but I don’t play rock-paper-scissors (laughs).
I am wondering what kind of people are playing “JANKEN”.
The world’s easiest blockchain game that anyone can play immediately
How did you decide to use rock-paper-scissors as a base?
Takeuchi：When the blockchain game development project was set in motion, we decided to start with a simple game to challenge the global market. After considering several projects, we chose ” rock-paper-scissors, ” is well known around the world, because we felt it had potential.
Shinozaki：Another point was that “rock-paper-scissors ” was a game that could be understood without explanation.
The rules are the same all over the world, aren’t they? As you two deliver this service from Japan to overseas customers, is there anything you are aware of?
Shinozaki：Because the concept of the game is “the simplest blockchain game in the world that anyone can play right away,” we were conscious of making the game understandable without using many words. We were especially concerned about the sense of tempo, such as whether the UI would allow players to play quickly and stress-free, and we also placed great importance on the “emotional lead-in” from the sensation of touching the service.
Before the launch, every morning I would ask engineers to change the tempo of the app and in the evening I would get a revised version, and repeat the process.
That’s a lot of speed, isn’t it?
Shinozaki：The development cycle was fast.
We worked hard together with the development members over a short span of time, enjoying ourselves every day, saying, ” This is fun! and having fun, we worked hard together with the development members in a short span of time.
How did you come up with the overall design of “JANKEN”?
Takeuchi：We started with an adult image of a night market, but in the end, we designed the game of rock-paper-scissors as if it were an e-sport. It is a sporty image in the sense that it is healthy and both children and the elderly can participate.
The design of the icons is also interesting, with many different patterns.
Shinozaki：Originally, this work was submitted during a separate NFT design call within the company, but the designer gave us various additional ideas that were utilized in “JANKEN”.
It’s a taste that has never been seen in Cocone before, isn’t it?
Takeuchi: We expected that our customers would be more male, and after researching the characters and visuals for the world, we decided on a setting with a small face and a large body.
How are your customers’ reactions on the Discord that you are operating?
Takeuchi：When I received opinions from customers that it would be better to change tutorials and emotes (a function that allows communication like chatting using stamps like letters), and when I saw how customers were teaching each other, I thought Discord’s unique communication was born.
Global Services
What kind of project do you want “JANKEN” to be in the future?
What do you need to do to reach more customers around the world?
Takeuchi：We have been able to reach many different countries, so we are trying to expand our promotions and increase the number of customers. We want to politely tell people that they can earn a lot of utility tokens if they play continuously. I would also like to improve the characters and the world view to reach more people.
For example, the cards we collect as NFT in “JANKEN” are also trying to adjust to the places that are currently resonating. We are trying to create a hit by incorporating Indian designs and thinking about the kind of design that would be appropriate for this country.
The ability to put a country’s flag on your profile is also something that has never been done before in Cocone, and we are experimenting with many small things to make people feel that this is a global service.
We are also considering holding other events in accordance with the calendars of various countries, and hope to resonate with the sensibilities of our customers in various countries.
What do you find challenging about being in Japan and working on a global scale?
Takeuchi：I have experience in developing services for the Asian market at my previous job, so I think I understand global trends. However, design is a sensual thing, and compared to the past, we can get information on global fashion through SNS. I am trying to take on challenges while incorporating various things in the process. I can’t make something if I think it won’t work or if I am unsure about it. I am creative without fear of failure.
When it comes to global expansion, there are many things to be concerned about, aren’t there?
Shinozaki：I think that in terms of UI/UX, what is easy or difficult to use is the same for people in any country. It is enough if the base is solid, and I think we need to be very careful about what we do and what we communicate.
Feeling like a youth once again.
We would like to ask you about your experiences away from the service.
Ms. Shinozaki, you were originally in charge of ” Pokecolo ” and from there you got involved in a completely different genre of business, didn’t you?
Shinozaki：”I was the leader of the UI team at “”Pokecolo””, so I was worried about the remaining members after I transferred to “”JANKEN””.”I felt relatively fresh because I thought that the UI would be fine now by strengthening recruitment and strengthening the organization.It feels like I changed jobs while working at the same company (laughs).
It was a completely different genre from the services I had been involved in, the company was new to the blockchain challenge, and everything was a new experience. The team, which initially consisted of only a few people, grew little by little, so I felt like I was once again in my youth.
Takeuchi：Ms. Shinozaki, you were at the forefront. At first, I think you had a scary image of crypto assets, but you were the first among the members to purchase NFT.
Shinozaki：I am the type of person who learns through physical contact (laughs).
You have challenged yourself with new services and built teamwork from the ground up.
Shinozaki：Yes. Many of the members of this project had just joined Cocone, and we were all working with each other for the first time, so we were conscious of communicating with each other first. Let’s play board games together! and get together.
Takeuchi: When you play games or have a meal, you get ideas that are hard to come up with at meetings, including “J-Card.”I think Shinozaki created that atmosphere.
Do you have anything in particular that you were conscious of when you were team building?
Takeuchi: Since the team had many leaders, or rather veterans, we had to guide them with a buffer in order to create a UI and world-building that had no right answer. Some wanted us to create the finished product first, while others wanted us to leave it to them.
What is Cocone’s character?
Have you ever thought that it was like Cocone in the construction of the system?
Shinozaki：We have had a very large number of new members in the last two years or so.
When I asked some of the long-time employees who joined us last year why they ultimately chose Cocone, they told me it was the “people. The people are kind, and everyone uses the office in a clean environment. They said they were surprised to see that after washing their hands in the bathroom, everyone wiped the area around the sinks with a towel.
I have been with the company for a long time, and many of the original members are kind to me, which probably makes the new members kinder as well.
We care about each other, don’t we?
Takeuchi: In a good sense, there is no one who is bossy, and the people are energetic and close to each other. It is easy to talk with the company’s top management, which I think contributes to the kindness and care of the company as a whole.
Shinozaki：In the beginning, the company grew while everyone was working together on manufacturing, so there were not many “big shots” in the beginning. We consulted with each other as we worked, and I think this has taken root as part of our culture.
Takeuchi: Another thing that I felt was unique to Cocone was the designer’s ability to produce.
At the beginning of the project, we were thinking about the tonmana of the game and the worldview, but the product planning designer joined the project halfway through and soon “J-Card” us. It didn’t take long for the designer and illustrator to understand our worldview. I felt the strength of Cocone.
A Place of Opportunity
Lastly, please give a message to those who are interested in Cocone.
Takeuchi：We are about to start various projects and services as a company, so I think this is a great opportunity for those who want to communicate something on their own. We are trying to see how we can compete globally and incorporate new elements based on CCP, a service that has been running for more than 10 years and is one of Cocone’s strengths. If you want to challenge yourself with ideas, stories, and other fresh things, this is the place for you!
Shinozaki：There are many people at Cocone who are willing to listen to us, and we have an environment where we can keep trying new things.
Also, because there are so many women in the company, there is a good understanding of how to work according to life stages, so I think you can work the way you want to work.
So this is a place where you can use the skills and experience you have accumulated so far.
Thank you!
Positions are as of the time of the interview.
JANKEN” is a global service based on blockchain that challenges the gaming and design that has never been seen in Cocone before.
This interview showed that Takeuchi and Shinozaki respect each other and have been leading the team.
The fundamental feelings of ease of understanding, design, and enthusiastic enjoyment are the same throughout the world.
In order to make people feel this feeling more, one of the most exciting aspects of this project is to refine the design and in-game elements of this simple game of rock-paper-scissors.
We hope you will find this article interesting as well.
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