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- Astar Network secured strategic investment from Animoca Brands to boost Web3 entertainment and Japanese IP integration.
- The collaboration aims to link Anime ID and NFT art with Astar’s Layer-2 blockchain, Soneium.
Amid the new wave of Web3 that is increasingly sweeping across Asia’s entertainment industry, Astar Network has quietly turned heads with a surprising announcement: it has secured a strategic investment from Animoca Brands.
This could be the beginning of a major push to bridge Japanese and Asian pop culture with blockchain infrastructure that has so far felt too technical for the general public.
It’s not just about funding. The collaboration touches on several vital points on Astar’s big map: the development of digital identities, the launch of digital art projects, and plans to launch a special fund to support Asian entertainment IP.
In a way, if Web3 has so far felt like an exclusive party for developers, Astar and Animoca are trying to open the door for artists, creators, and pop culture fans to sit at the same table.
Astar Network is collaborating with @animocabrands, backed by an investment, to bring Japanese and Asian entertainment IP onchain — at scale.
This strategic collaboration unlocks new opportunities for creators and developers to launch next-gen digital experiences on Astar. 🧵 pic.twitter.com/cPbjASc5HA
— Astar Network (@AstarNetwork) May 21, 2025
Anime ID and Art Fest: Blending Culture with Code
One breakthrough that immediately caught the eye was the Anime ID project, a blockchain-based identity system developed by Animoca through Moca Network and San FranTokyo. This is not just a digital ID card—it’s more of a reputation passport that users can use to navigate various Web3 platforms without any hassle.
What if you are active in the NFT community, playing Web3 games, then participating in DAO voting… all can be tracked and curated through Anime ID. Well, this system will later be integrated directly into Soneium, an Ethereum-based Layer-2 network that Astar is developing with Sony.
However, Astar and Animoca are not stopping there. They are also preparing to launch Anime Art Fest, a digital art event that will display Japanese IP works in the form of NFTs. This is where they are really trying to knit Web3 and popular culture together.
Think about it this way, if your favorite anime illustrations were not just wallpapers on your laptop, but could be collected, sold, and even used on various platforms with a fair royalty mechanism for the creators.
Furthermore, the two are currently preparing plans to launch a special fund called the Asian Entertainment IP Fund. They want to help local creators and Asian entertainment IP owners to tokenize their assets and enter the Web3 world without having to go through the winding road that usually only big companies can go through. There is no definite date yet, but interest from institutional investors is said to have started to arrive.
Animoca Brands Expands: From Games to Global Growth
On the other hand, this collaboration is also part of Animoca Brands’ increasingly aggressive global maneuvers in recent months. In early May, they announced a strategic investment in Catizen, a Telegram-based Web3 gaming platform that is also busy preparing for the “Bombie” airdrop on May 20.
According to David Ching, Animoca’s involvement here is not a whim—it’s part of a mutually reinforcing portfolio arrangement. It makes sense that they see Astar as their next strategic partner.
Furthermore, on April 30, they have funded Pencil Finance with $10 million to support a Web3-based education financing program. The focus is on student loans, and this shows Animoca’s intention to expand its business reach into the digital education sector through the Open Campus network.
A bit far from games? Maybe. But the logic is simple: build a community from education, nurture it through games and IP, then scale it through blockchain infrastructure like Astar offers.
Interestingly, CNF also previously reported that Animoca is preparing for an IPO in the United States. Not without reason, because the regulations there are starting to look friendlier, and they clearly want to expand the global investor base.
