Dracula now the lesser of evils
The most surprising part is that they weren’t first on the bandwagon, frankly. Publisher Konami, always ready to stumblefuck over its legendary franchises, has revealed a new “Memorial” NFT line based upon its excellent Gothic horror adventure series, Castlevania. The line will be released in time for the franchise’s 35th anniversary.
“Konami Memorial NFT is a new initiative to share content that has been loved by players all over the world, for many years,” the publisher said in a sentence that literally eats itself. “As the company’s first project in this area and with NFTs and blockchain technology in its infancy, Konami will continue to explore new developments and listen to player feedback following this initial collection.”
On January 12, a total of 12 pieces of classic Castlevania artwork will go up for auction on NFT trading site Opensea.
Konami is the latest in a line of publishers to take the step into the blockchain market. By the end of 2020 Sega, Epic Games, and Peter Molyneux had all stated an intent to get involved with the online trend. Ubisoft was the first publisher to take the plunge, announcing its “Ubisoft Quartz” NFT line to immediate criticism from fans and even its own employees. Publisher GSC Game World announced NFT integration for upcoming RPG S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, but immediately walked it back in the face of similar criticism. 2022 kicked off with Square Enix president Yosuke Matsuda saying that his company was interested in looking into games that allow players to “play to contribute“, which raised more than few eyebrows.
The one defining factor of all of the above stories is that all of these companies are clearly aware they’re treading into shady and hostile territory. Each statement is accompanied by a “Fire Exit” get-out line — see Konami’s “will continue to listen to player feedback” above. These companies know they’re entering unpopular and choppy waters. The goal is to make a large injection of cash, quickly, and then try and hit the bricks before too much damage is done to their reputation. It’s a tactic we’ll be seeing a helluva lot of in the coming months.
For more reading on NFTs, blockchain, and how they pertain to video games, check out Jonathon Holmes’ article here.
Chris Moyse
Senior Editor – Chris has been playing video games since the 1980s. Former Saturday Night Slam Master. Graduated from Galaxy High with honors.
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