I really admire companies like Bandai and Bushiroad. They've built great games and communities around licensed IP that fans love. We're taking our own approach at Azuki by building the TCG and manga together in-house with our own IP. It's a lot of work. We're developing the game while also writing the story and creating the characters. Owning the IP means we can connect the two directly without a separate licensor approving which characters we use, what art is allowed, etc My thesis is that building both together will create a more immersive, community-driven game. You can meet a character in the manga, learn their story, and find them in the game. And that character may be from a holder's pfp, making people from our community part of the world we're creating. Pretty sick imo Here's some of what the team has been working on across both fronts: • AZUKI chapter 2 releases next week • Azuki TCG 1st Anniversary Collection opens for preorder next Tuesday 9am PT • Fractured Domains, our second TCG set, releases November 20 • Garden Arena Regionals announced in NorCal and Florida, with more to come. The Midwest Regional in Peoria is next, and Nationals in Vegas are announced for May 2027 • More holders' characters featured on TCG cards in Set 2 • European expansion starting at SPIEL Essen • Manga reader UX improvements on our site • Working with dope TCG creators like Good Time Society on tutorials and playthroughs • Manga manuscript art prints available now for collectors We're not a huge company with a wildly successful IP (yet). But we make up for it with a small team of passionate creatives and a community who's been a part of this journey since day 1. I wanted to write this post and keep showing more of the work going into both the manga and TCG. Really proud of the team building this. This is only the first chapter (quite literally 😂). Much more to come!