Japanese entertainment conglomerate Konami joins the ranks of Megacorps seeking Blockchain talent
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While concentrating on providing web3 and metaverse experiences and looking to incorporate a new non-fungible token (NFT) market, Japanese gaming company Konami is trying to expand its crypto talent pool.
The video game juggernaut is the latest in a long line of household names to express interest in improving NFTs, web3 and metaverse services by looking for new talent.
The company said on Oct. 13 that it is seeking “a broad range of talent” for “systems engineering and service development” related to upcoming metaverse and web3 platforms.
Intending to introduce an NFT trading platform where users can exchange their digital goods in-game, Konami stated that they are engaged in research and development to incorporate “the latest technology” into the games and other content offerings.
Traditional gaming communities are familiar with the company as the publisher of Frogger, Castlevania, Dance Dance Revolution and the Metal Gear Solid series.
The company is currently hiring for various web3-relevant positions as it prepares to enter the metaverse, including systems engineer, programmer, project manager, designer and director.
The selected candidates will be tasked with working on a “unique digital commodity distribution platform” that complies with Japanese blockchain gaming regulations.
Konami has previously entered the NFT market, having introduced several NFTs in January to mark the anniversary of the Castlevania franchise. But alongside Konami, several other traditional gaming companies also made significant inroads into NFTs, so there has also been resistance. The most notable example is Ubisoft’s Quartz platform, which faced some criticism earlier in 2022.
The company was only in “research mode,” Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said while recalling the company’s enthusiasm for NFTs over the past month.
Meanwhile, some players saw the entry of gaming companies into the NFT market as a money grab. There were also environmental issues with the mining process used to extract them. However, most of these issues can be overlooked as of now because Ethereum, which is the blockchain that facilitates the minting of most NFTs today, has recently ditched its PoW mechanism in favor of proof-of-stake.
In relevant news, NFT sales have declined in line with the overall crypto bear market in 2022. NFT sales on OpenSea, the largest marketplace in the world, have declined by 99 percent in recent months from a record high of more than $400 million earlier this year.
The author is the founder of yMedia. He ventured into crypto in 2013 and is an ETH maximalist. Twitter: @bhardwajshash
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