• Pokémon Company International is looking to develop a metaverse experience for its franchise.
• A job listing for the position of Corporate Development Principal includes deep knowledge and understanding of Web 3, including blockchain technologies and NFTs.
• Fans are divided over the plans, with some voicing concerns that it could lead to a drop in interest.
Pokémon’s Metaverse Plans Divide Fans
The Pokémon Company International recently posted a job listing for the position of Corporate Development Principal, sparking debate among fans about plans to develop a metaverse experience for the franchise. Many fans voiced concerns that this could lead to a drop in interest in the long-running series.
Job Listing Requirements
The job listing detailed a role to develop “brand new Pokémon experiences” via “unique technologies” and requires sourcing and researching potential strategic partners, assessing technological trends, and designing and building a platform to house the project’s development. The successful candidate must have over 12 years of work experience, with at least 7 years in corporate development or corporate venture capital at a technology-, gaming-, media-, or entertainment-related company. In addition, they need deep knowledge and understanding of Web 3, including blockchain technologies and NFT (non-fungible tokens).
Pokémon Co.’s Interest in Web3 & NFT
Nintendo remained silent on Web3 and NFTs throughout 2021 as their popularity grew exponentially. However, during an investor call in February 2022 Analyst David Gibson said: “We do have interest in this area…we feel the potential in this area, but we wonder what joy we can provide…” With the recent job listing, it looks like Nintendo is committed to exploring how to provide this joy within their Pokémon franchise.
Fans Concerned Over Plans
In response to the job listing announcement many fans expressed concern that their beloved franchise was heading into unfamiliar territory involving extreme price volatility and scams – sparked by recent high-profile cases such as FTX’s collapse – without providing them much benefit or enjoyment. @pory_leeks who reports on Nintendo news stated “Oh no please no” while other commenters agreed with his sentiment saying it would likely cause an overall drop in interest within their fanbase which would kill off future installments of the series entirely.
Conclusion
Only time will tell if Nintendo will be able to deliver these unique experiences within their Pokéworld successfully or not; whether fans approve or not remains up for debate however one thing is certain – web3 & NFT integration has become increasingly popular within gaming & entertainment circles thus far so there’s no telling where things may go from here!
