Interest

Pokémon Company Opens Job Listing Requiring Blockchain, NFT Knowledge

Siliconera reported on Tuesday that The Pokémon Company International opened a job listing for a Corporate Development Principal. One of the requirements is "deep knowledge and understanding of Web 3, including blockchain technologies and NFT, and/or metaverse."

Although the job description does not make reference to Web3, the role "drives innovations by building a platform to test big ideas and sources and build relations with co-development partners outside TPCi."

The new job listing is not an official statement of corporate direction. Last December, The Pokémon Company International filed a lawsuit against Pokémon Pty Ltd, an Australian company advertising its unlicensed non-fungible token (NFT) game "PokéWorld" under the name Kotiota Studios. The Pokémon Company added that it and Nintendo have decided not to launch Pokémon NFTs.

Square Enix, on the other hand, has made its interest in blockchain games explicit. In the company's Financial Results Briefing released on February 3, president and representative director Yosuke Matsuda revealed that blockchain games will release during or after the third quarter of fiscal year 2024. The statement was in response to a question about the company's approach to sustainable growth. Matsuda also said that major title launches will be spread across the third quarter of fiscal year 2025 and beyond.

Matsuda previously revealed in January that Square Enix has "multiple" blockchain games, or games that use non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and cryptocurrencies, in development based on original intellectual properties (IPs). He also stated that Square Enix is focused on devoting aggressive investment and business development efforts to blockchain games. In addition, the company is engaged in global sourcing from an investment perspective.

Square Enix unveiled the story-based NFT collectible art project Symbiogenesis on November 3. The project will launch in spring 2023. Symbiogenesis revolves around the themes of monopolizing vs. sharing. The story features characters of various races and jobs, and it will feature six chapters and sales of about 10,000 NFT artworks. The project will be available in English and Japanese. Square Enix is partnering with LGG, a large NFT gaming guild in Japan, to market the project.

Square Enix is selling figures of Final Fantasy VII characters Cloud, Tifa, and Aerith with NFTs. Customers who purchase the digital plus editions can redeem digital versions of the figure as well as a certificate of authenticity.

Sources: Greenhouse, Outline of Financial Results Briefing by Square Enix Holdings via Siliconera (Link 2)