Azuki, Beanz Creator Reveals Partnership With Line Friends (IPX)
The alpha
- Chiru LabsThe Web3 company best known for being the parent company of popular NFT collections Azuki and Beanz has announced a strategic partnership with digital IP platform company IPX (formerly Line Friends).
- Line Friends – similar to the Hello Kitty and Friends IP – features a world of adorable original characters, including Brown the bear, Cony the rabbit and Sally the chick. The characters were originally created as stickers that Line users could use in their chats.
- Fans and holders can expect co-branded content and merchandise between Beanz and LINE Friends, retail distribution in Line Friends stores, and immersive IRL activations that combine the two worlds.
Dive deeper
What happens when a popular web2 company with millions of users teams up with an equally influential NFT collection? We’ve already seen this trend with collaborations like Yuga Labs and Gucci. We can expect to see even more partnerships emerge as Web3 brands seek guidance from web2 companies for mainstream adoption, and web2 brands turn to Web3 companies for new ideas and innovation.
Now, with this latest collaboration, Chiru Labs and IPX have joined the pack.
For those unfamiliar, Line Friends (IPX) is a global character brand originating from the Line messaging app. While there are around three million active Line users in the US, the app has a more extensive user base in Asia, where it has around 178 million active monthly users across Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan and Thailand, as of 2021.
Since being featured on the app, the Line Friends IP has expanded into a popular product line that includes everything from clothing and accessories to housewares and toys. The brand has also opened various stores and cafes around the world featuring its iconic characters and themed products.
Line has collaborated with popular brands in the past, but this marks their first Web3 collaboration. Both companies will leverage their strengths to their advantage, with IPX contributing its IP build and retail capabilities and Chiru Labs bringing its Web3 expertise.
“Line Friends has collaborated with BTS, Starbucks, Netflix and many more global brands,” said Zagabond, CEO and founder of Chiru Labs, in an interview with nft now. “This collaboration between Beanz and Line Friends is an unprecedented partnership that bridges the gap between web2 and Web3 IP and lays the foundation for community-driven IP.”
What will be next
Chiru Labs says it will start its partnership with IPX through Beanz and Line Friends, with the option to expand the partnership to other IPs within the companies’ respective portfolios. This includes WADE and OOZ & Mates on the IPX side and Azuki on the Chiru Labs side.
“We are eager to unveil an expanded IP business that includes Web3,” Logan Cho, head of Metaverse Business at IPX, said in a press release. “Offers collaboration opportunities for both NFT holders and character IP enthusiasts.”
In addition, Beanz will play a role in Lines Brown and friends Netflix Show, which came out in December 2022. Jay the Bean, a beloved character in the Azuki ecosystem, will be developed into a character.
To celebrate the partnership, an animation of Line Characters and Beanz will appear on the poster above the flagship LINE Friends store in Times Square during NFT NYC from April 12th to April 16th.
The partnership between Chiru Labs and IPX is a big deal for the worlds of Web3 and web2, as it brings together two strong brands with complementary strengths, expertise and a global fan base.
