Some ppl think that Azuki isn't doing enough "web3" I think there’s a common misconception on what we're actually building. Azuki was built on the idea that the collectible characters belong to the holders. The NFTs are the 1st edition collectibles of this universe, the original characters of the Azuki IP. We care deeply about the art. It's why Azuki has consistently had sales well above floor for rare traits and aesthetics. Collectors are paying for what makes a specific character special. Today we're building the TCG to take those characters mainstream, followed by the official manga to turn the characters you own into a story millions will fall in love with. These characters started as PFPs. Today they’re used in trading cards played in tournaments. Soon they'll be in manga panels that people read on the train. They'll be loved by fans who've never owned an NFT. That IS web3. We're just doing it our way. The expectation is often that web3 means tokens are at the center of every product, fully onchain mechanics, experimentation at every layer, etc. That's a good fit for some projects. It's not what Azuki is. When we decided to build a TCG, there were holders adamant it should be digital and run on tokens. Despite gaming tokens mooning at the time, we chose otherwise. We knew that the facts were that 1. TCG players hate crypto. and 2. we have a goated team that has the ability to make a physical game that can compete with the best card games on the market. The right move was to build something players actually want and let the IP carry it. I'm glad that we stayed disciplined and made that call. That decision was specific to us given our team, our strengths, our constraints. Every team should lean into theirs. There is no single right way to do this. Going back to constraints for a sec bc it often gets overlooked... If your target audience hates crypto, why tf would you shove it in their face? Really think about that for a sec I've been very clear about what Azuki is and isn't. Read my pinned article. The NFTs are collectible characters and the original IP of the Azuki universe. The team is building a TCG and a manga from that IP. We work closely with the holders who've internalized this path, and that has been one of the most rewarding stretches of the journey. This path allows us to grow and proliferate the characters owned by holders with products that appeal to a mainstream audience. Some will disagree. I respect it. It doesn't change my mind. Azuki isn't built for everyone. It's built for the people who get it. If that's you, come join us. Azuki

Azuki started with art. The Azuki TCG continues that. Characters that began as PFPs are coming to life through the cards, and the gameplay pulls you deeper into the lore and world. Set 1 is going into production and it's all becoming very real. Manga adds the storytelling layer and emotional connection with fans. The story will develop at the pace fans actually want. And on the tech side, we're doing R&D on PBT. Imagine tapping a physical card with your phone to verify it's authentic (& much more). It's a longer term play, but there are real problems in collectibles that only technology can solve. Every day that passes, I get more bullish on this strategy. Core to Azuki has always been three things: art, storytelling, and technology. Now we get to go deeper on all three with way more focus. TCG → manga → anime. The path is clear.