Basketball highlights from Dapper Labs’ NBA Top Shot collectibles platform are now available via physical vending machines in Japan, thanks to a collaboration with Web3 marketing firm 24karat. As part of the initiative, basketball fans and hopeful collectors can engage with AIICO smart vending machines situated in train stations and commercial centers from Hokkaido to Okinawa, adding Top Shot NFT moments on the Flow blockchain to their collection with their mobile phones.
“It’s exciting to see fandom and true ownership crossing back and forth between digital and physical realities,” Flow Chief Architect Dieter Shirley told Decrypt. “What better place to kick this off than Tokyo, where vending machines are a major part of culture. This is a glimpse of how collectibles fit into our everyday lives; on-chain and on-street.”
Collectors hoping to acquire Top Shot moments from the machines will not need any knowledge of crypto or blockchain to get started. Instead, after finding a pack they’d like to purchase on the machine, users are directed to scan a QR code with their mobile phone, which automatically creates a Flow-supported wallet to house the collectibles within.
After, users can finish the purchase using credit card or mobile payment options on their supported device, like Apple Pay or Google Pay. Initially, 24karat co-founder Seth Luan said that users can buy a mystery box that contains a moment from the “Climb: Chance Hit Mini” pack. “We’ve designed it as a fun and simple entry point,” said Luan. “Users won’t choose specific moments, but will instead receive one at random upon purchase.”
Packs will be sold for 1,000 yen, or around $6.70. In the future, collectors might be able to use crypto tokens to purchase packs from the smart vending machines, but for now the focus is keeping it simple for users with popular fiat payment options. “At this stage, our focus is on accessibility—making it easy for anyone to participate, even without prior Web3 experience,” said Luan. As for other future initiatives, he said the “possibilities are endless.”
“In addition to exploring deeper collaborations with the Flow team for experiences, such as moments that are only available on the vending machines,” he added, “Future updates may introduce additional gamified experiences such as stamp passports, instant buyback options, and peer-to-peer trading.”
Following the initial rollout, 24karat intends to expand the initiative with limited-edition collectibles, interactive campaigns, and special giveaways later this fall. NBA Top Shot, which offers video NFTs of officially licensed highlights from the National Basketball Association, launched in 2020 and saw surging demand in 2021, helping propel the NFT craze that spawned leading brands like Bored Ape Yacht Club and Pudgy Penguins in the process.
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