Konami Now Hiring for Metaverse and Web3 Roles, New NFT Platform

Konami announced Thursday it plans to hire “a wide range of talent” to develop new web3 and metaverse experiences in a press release. Moreover, the company also intends to launch a new platform that lets users trade their in-game NFTs.

Konami to Launch a New Platform that Allows Trading of in-game NFTs

Japanese entertainment giant Konami said it plans to make a large number of hires to support “system construction and service development” of new web3 and metaverse experiences, the company wrote in a Thursday press release. The move comes as Konami searches for fresh talent to develop a new platform that allows players to trade their in-game non-fungible tokens (NFTs)

“We have been conducting research and development to incorporate the latest technology into games and contents, and plan to launch a service where players can trade their in-game NFTs (digital items) through a unique distribution platform using blockchain.”

Recruitment of WEB3 and Metaverse Development Personnel

Konami describes the new service as “a unique digital item distribution platform” where users can use their NFTs as in-game items, but also take part “in fan communities and events, and interact with other services and communities to further expand the user experience.” To make this possible, the Tokyo-based company is hiring talent for a number of positions including system engineer, programmer, project manager, and designer, among others.

The move comes several months after Konami bagged more than $150,000 from selling pieces from its ‘Konami Memorial NFT collection’ to mark the 35th anniversary of its horror action-adventure video game series Castlevania. One of the NFT pieces from the collection, Dracula’s Castle Pixel Art, sold was sold for over $26,000.

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Crypto Winter Taking a Toll on NFT and Metaverse Interest

Konami’s announcement takes place amid a difficult period for the NFT and metaverse spaces as a broader downturn in crypto markets weighed on investors’ interest in virtual spaces. This marks a sharp U-turn from 2021 when NFT sales hit record highs.

As a result of the downturn, NFT sales totaled just $3.4 billion in Q3 2022, down 68% year-over-year. The decline is even steeper when compared to January 2022, when NFT sales peaked at $12.6 billion.

The bear market forced many metaverse giants to cut costs, including Facebook owner Meta, which announced a hiring freeze after its shares plunged over 60% year-to-date. Facebook rebranded to Meta a year ago to focus on developing metaverse experiences.

Given that many companies still invest in the metaverse despite the ongoing downturn, do you believe the market growth will accelerate in the long-term? Let us know in the comments below.