Japanese confectionery brand launches its own metaverse 

Bourbon Corporation, one of Japan’s major confectionery makers, just launched its own candy-land themed metaverse, the Bourbon Metaverse on June 29. Users can access and wander the 3D space created to reflect the appeal of the brand and the attractions of Kashiwazaki City in Japan, where the headquarters of the company is located. 

The Bourbon Metaverse is a virtual community space described by its developers as a family-friendly metaverse meant to promote learning and fun. The world of the metaverse was created with a candy-land like concept, with locations such as Biscuit Chocolate area, Gummy Candy Area and Rice Cracker area. 

On the other hand, part of the metaverse includes a recreation of the Bourbon Corporation’s headquarters, which users can enter and explore. On top of the building there is a panoramic view of Kashiwazaki City, with attractive landmarks of the city marked with arrows. Clicking on these can take you up close to explore the locations which exist in real life. The world map also includes “outer space” where the brand’s anime-styled mascots can be seen. 

No registration is needed to access the Bourbon Metaverse, as it’s only required to input your approximate age, gender and a nickname. Creating an avatar is simple and consists of merely choosing one of two default available avatars, though collecting coins present in the metaverse allows you to unlock other avatars, including secret ones. Within the metaverse, you can move your character around, take pictures, play quizzes, draw capsule machine prizes and interact with other users via chat box. 

The idea of a confectionary maker creating an entire metaverse just to promote its brand might seem bizarre to the Western world, as the idea of Hershey making a Hersheyverse or Häagen-Dazs having their own Icecreamverse seems absurd, but corporations in Japan are quite open to utilizing the newest and trendiest means to advertise themselves, so no one is surprised even if a trade and commerce company uses a bubbly anime-styled music video commercial and similar forms of advertisement.  

One must also mention that Japan’s confectionary market is the sixth largest domestic market in the world so corporations need to be innovative if they want to stay afloat among the fierce competition. At the same time, in Japan, a company’s reputation in society is crucial for success, and businesses that show disregard for the community are faced with harsh criticism, so Bourbon creating a peaceful metaverse that teaches users about the city and local attractions may also be interpreted as their way of trying to build a reputation as a business that contributes to society.