Konami Celebrating Castlevania’s 35th Anniversary With New “Memorial NFT” Collection

Konami is celebrating the 35th anniversary of its Castlevania series with a new “memorial NFT” collection. 

More specifically, the company is auctioning 14 NFTs, some of which are just static images, others which appear to be videos. You can, of course, view each right now on their website – no purchase required – but you won’t be able to see how much each is going for as the auctions won’t begin until January 12. 

“Konami Memorial NFT is a new initiative to share content that has been loved by players all over the world, for many years,” a press release reads. “As the company’s first project in this area and with NFTs and blockchains technology in its infancy, Konami will continue to explore new developments and listen to player feedback following this initial collection.” 

Konami says the artworks consist of game scenes, background music, and “newly drawn visuals from across the series’ history.” The company also teases the future of the Castlevania series, citing that it will “continue to support the titles currently available, while also assessing new opportunities for titles that will meet and exceed player expectations.” 

Here are a few of the NFTs Konami will auction off on January 12 – as for what makes these special versus other pieces of art and other videos, that’s up to you: 

Castlevania – Dracula’s Castle Pixel Art

“Orignal pixel art, newly drawn for this collection. This art is based on the Dracula’s Castle map that appears in the original Castlevania game, with the corresponding stages and creatures added to relive the action.” 

Castlevania – Vampire Killer

“The iconic music track from the opening level (Block 1) of the original Castlevania, presented as a video with numerous in-game scenes shown.” 

Castlevania – Highlights

“A highlight movie edited with various gameplay footage, focusing on scenes that are most memorable to Castlevania fans. The movie condenses the records of the legendary vampire hunter, Simon Belmont, and his attack on Dracula’s Castle to 3 minutes and 34 seconds.” 

Blockchain games and NFTs have drawn heavy criticism in the industry thus far due to their part in ongoing environmental damage. The use of cryptocurrencies, which are often used to purchase NFTs, and the mining of said currencies results in millions of carbon dioxide emissions, damaging Earth’s atmosphere, as reported by The Verge. 

At the moment, the use of cryptocurrencies is largely viewed as harmful to the planet. Ethereum, one of the most-used cryptocurrencies, though, is working on something it calls “The Merge,” which it says will “start the era of a more sustainable, eco-friendly Ethereum.” Only time will tell how green Ethereum becomes. Regardless, it seems Konami is set on embracing NFTs and the blockchain in its near future. 

What do you think of this NFT collection? Let us know in the comments below!