The Pokemon Company is moving into NFTs and the Metaverse
It's happening, it looks like it's finally happening. The Pokemon Company looks like it's after every last Gimmighoul, as the gaming giant teases it'll start exploring NFTs and the Metaverse.
Away from the mainline Pokemon games that are set to expand with the upcoming Pokemon Scarlet & Violet DLC, we've seen the likes of the Mystery Dungeon titles, Pokemon Snap, and Detective Pikachu. Is the next big spin-off going to shove NFTs and blockchain down your throat?
Is The Pokemon Company moving into NFTs?
Click to enlargeFollowing the disappointment of Scarlet & Violet, some expect The Pokemon Company to change tack and focus more on spin-offs instead of the core series.
A new job posting on the Pokemon website confirms the company is looking for a Corporate Development Principal, President & Corporate Development Office. While that's a bit of a mouthful, the job description explains a little more about where the Pokemon name could be heading.
Decrypt points out that two requirements stick out more than most. The ideal candidate should have "deep knowledge and understanding of Web 3, including blockchain technologies and NFT, and/or metaverse."
They should also have a "deeply connected to a network of investors and entrepreneurs in the technology sectors above (Web3 and metaverse)." With 12 years of experience expected and a minimum of seven in corporate development, this senior role is clearly looking for someone who knows what they're doing.
The Pokemon Company tackling NFTs is a big gamble
Putting even some of your eggs in an NFT basket is a big gamble, but it looks like this is The Pokemon Company's next plan to monopolise the gaming scene. We recently saw Square Enix double down on its commitment to blockchain after the disastrous launch of Forspoken.
As you can imagine, the news didn't go down well on Twitter. One player fumed, "I'm sorry, but this might be the last straw for me. They can't even finish a fully functional game before release and now they're talking about adding that! Wtf! I love the Pokémon series, but this is too much."
Another grumbled, "I know that the Pokémon company is a corporation who doesn't actually care about the people and puts profit in front of pretty much everything, but oh god oh f**k oh no." A third concluded, "If you still think criticizing this company is toxic after this, you've officially lost the moral high ground."
There were those that were team NFT, while others pointed out that because Nintendo owns a third of The Pokemon Company, those Mario overlords could be next to jump into the Metaverse.
It remains to be seen whether The Pokemon Company is actually sliding into the NFT space or it's just a vague part of the job listing, but either way, expect a lot of players to be angrier than a Charizard when you pull its tail.
