Konami is now hiring for Metaverse and Web3 roles, new NFT platform

Konami announced Thursday that 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 will allow users to trade their NFTs in-game.

Konami is launching a new platform that allows trading of NFTs in the game

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

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

Recruitment of WEB3 and Metaverse Development Personnel

Konami describes the new service as “a unique digital 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 variety of positions, including systems engineer, programmer, project manager and designer, among others.

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

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Crypto Winter Takes a Toll on NFT and Metaverse Interest

Konami’s announcement comes amid a difficult period for the NFT and metaverse space as a broader downturn in crypto markets weighed on investor interest in virtual spaces. This marks a sharp turnaround from 2021 when NFT sales reached a record high.

As a result of the decline, NFT sales totaled just $3.4 billion in Q3 2022, down 68% year-over-year. The decline is even steeper 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 shares plunged more than 60% so far this year. Facebook changed to Meta a year ago to focus on developing metaverse experiences.

Given that many companies are still investing in the metaverse despite the ongoing slowdown, do you think market growth will accelerate in the long term? Let us know in the comments below.

About the author

Tim Fries is the co-founder of The Tokenist. He has a B. Sc. in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan, and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Tim served as a Senior Associate in the investment team at RW Baird’s US Private Equity division and is also a co-founder of Protective Technologies Capital, an investment firm specializing in sensing, protection and control solutions.