As the metaverse, Web3 and AI are seemingly looking like the future, The Pokémon Company is looking to leverage the nascent NFT space as its next big commodity.
A recent job posting from the company is seeking someone to fill the role of corporate development principal, who is highly knowledgeable in Web3, blockchain technologies, NFT and the metaverse.
The role also requires the right candidate to be deeply connected to a network of investors and entrepreneurs within Web3 and the metaverse and should have “a strong personal interest in the world of Pokémon.”
This upper-level position is mostly about emerging tech and requires candidates to have at least “12+ years with a minimum of 7+ years in corporate development or CVC at a technology, gaming, media, or entertainment company”.
The Pokémon Company has seen staggering success with its various Pokémon titles on Nintendo Switch over the years, a solid partnership that’s looking to go on for years to come. And although Nintendo previously expressed interest in NFTs, the Japanese company never officially made the move into blockchain.
Some fans aren’t very happy
However, the new job posting from The Pokemon Company isn’t very exciting for some fans who have taken to Twitter to express their concerns as one user wrote in response to the job posting, “I think a lot of people [are about to] drop interest in Pokemon. This, to me, as a 10-year player, scares me.”
Pokémon company posted a job opening that encompasses Blockchain, NFT’s and Web3 technologies.
— Pory (@pory_leeks) March 12, 2023
Oh no, please no 😨 pic.twitter.com/p0XrH0Eat3
It’s really no surprise why some fans would show concern considering the NFT, crypto and Web3 space hasn’t been going well for some time, especially after the fall of FTX that led to the subsequent crashing of NFT prices. And as far as the metaverse goes, Meta appears to be losing a lot more than its profit and continues to meet new impediments that hinder its growth.
It hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing for the above spaces, which is why Pokemon fans are expressing concerns that their beloved game franchise is about to make an entrance into nascent spaces that still have a long way to go before reaching global adoption.
Ultimately, the job description does not specifically say whether the company has plans to integrate NFT or crypto into its game anytime soon.
As far as the metaverse goes, Japan is one of the countries that’s making big moves to create a digital future, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see that the Pokémon company is getting ready to bring some of its pocket monsters into the space.
For now, however, nothing is confirmed other than the company’s job posting and until a couple of months down the line, the company’s Web3 and metaverse plans remain under wraps as we anticipate the release of Pokémon Concierge, an upcoming stop-motion Netflix series.
Isa Muhammad is a writer and video game journalist covering many aspects of entertainment media including the film industry. He's steadily writing his way to the sharp end of journalism and enjoys staying informed. If he's not reading, playing video games or catching up on his favourite TV series, then he's probably writing about them.
