G-SHOCK Enters the Metaverse with The Sandbox
There was a period of time in 2020 and 2021 when it felt like you couldn’t have a conversation with someone without hearing about cryptocurrency, the blockchain, or the metaverse. I mean, Facebook literally changed the name of the company to reflect what all signs pointed to being the future of the internet. Of course, watch brands got involved as well, with a variety of projects that sought to integrate watches (physical objects) with the digital world. I actually purchased a watch during that time period that, unbeknownst to me when I handed over the credit card, came with an NFT. The watch is gone, but somewhere on the blockchain, I guess, is an NFT tied to my watch and my watch alone.
Thankfully, in my opinion, metaverse mania has slowed a bit in the watch world. It’s been a while since I saw a press release that really touted any sort of blockchain specific features. But last week, some news from G-SHOCK caught my eye. It’s not a new watch release, but rather the implementation of a new virtual G-SHOCK themed world in the metaverse, produced in partnership with The Sandbox.
The Sandbox. I’ve learned, is a blockchain-based open world game that launched in November 2021. The Virtual G-SHOCK in The Sandbox project is effectively a G-SHOCK themed Sandbox experience, where you can purchase an avatar to play as based on classic G-SHOCK watch designs, play games that take you through G-SHOCK history. According to the brand, the gameplay involves “shock resistance inspired survival races,” a combination of words I didn’t know was possible to string together until this very moment. Of course, players will be given the opportunity to purchase a variety of digital collectibles along the way.
As part of the game, players can purchase a robot-like avatar inspired by DW-5600, DW-6900, GA-110, GA-2100, or the GA-V01. Because each avatar is a unique digital creation, there are a limited number that can be minted. So, I guess there’s a possibility that you might end up with a rare one, and that its monetary value could skyrocket, allowing you to sell it and buy any number of real G-SHOCK watches.
I have always been deeply skeptical of the metaverse concept – people like Mark Zuckerberg told us that we’d all be effectively living in the metaverse by now, right? And watches, which are anachronistic in the way they continue to appeal to us even though they are technologically irrelevant, are a strange way to entice people. This announcement coming four years or so after that initial period of hype around metaverse related products feels almost comically mistimed.
That said, I’ve never been accused of being on the cutting edge of technology or gaming, so maybe I’m the one who has miscalculated an interest in this type of thing. Let us know in the comments: will you be signing up to participate in the G-SHOCK Sandbox? Before you decide, more information can be found here.
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