According to a South Korean media outlet, Krafton – the well-known online game developer and distributor – made an indirect investment in the interactive virtual world – the metaverse.
The sources revealed that Krafton made an investment in ZEPETO, a Korean metaverse (3D virtual space) service. Experts believe that Krafton has made a serious commitment to the metaverse business.
Krafton Invests In Metaverse Tech
Krafton, the leading video game distributor, made an outstanding move towards the metaverse in July and the confirmation came just now, with no big promotion or hints. According to Krafton’s representative, the investment in Naver Z is valued at 5 billion Korean won (approximately US$4.2 million).
Naver Z, a subsidiary of Naver Corporation – Korea’s major web portal – has developed the social application Zepeto, which includes a 3D character design feature based on the player’s own face, as well as a set of facial expressions.
Krafton Inc, formerly Bluehole, was founded in 2007 by Chang Byung-Gyu, as the company behind one of the biggest blockbuster games in the gaming industry, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, or so-called PUBG. This cult game is well-known among gamers..
By the end of 2020, PUBG Corporation, the creator of PUBG Mobile, has officially merged into Krafton Inc. This is the company behind titles such as Tera and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds. Following this move, Krafton will completely manage PUBG Corporation under the new name: PUBG Studio.
This is a promising sign for PUBG fans.
The merger of PUBG Corporation (now PUBG Studio) with Krafton provides new development opportunities for this company, giving them more flexibility when scoping the direction of games, typically PUBG.
From 2017 to the present, the battle royale game series has grown significantly and has remained one of the mainstay game lines.
What To Expect For Future Online Games
It’s undeniable that NFT games are one of the year’s biggest trends. It becomes a topic of discussion and is embraced by a large number of people. However, as with other digitalization trends, the bloom comes with a slew of risks.
The most obvious point is that today’s NFT game projects are expanding at an alarming rate, despite the fact that quality cannot be guaranteed.
Even some projects are drawn solely to push prices, thereby benefiting the distributor through the tricks. Remember that the benefits of NFT games are primarily derived from the value of the converted virtual currencies. And guess who influences the value – the distributors, obviously.
In conjunction with the explosion of blockchain applications in modern life, NFT games based on Blockchain technology are gradually taking shape across South Korea.
The marketplace was noticed and grew in popularity. While the P2E format is appealing, it is only a component of the game and is not a determining factor in the development of NFT games.
In essence, the core value of gaming is entertainment. Because so many game projects are focused on making money, the entertainment value has vanished.
A boring game with poor rewards, not to mention the risk of collapse due to market fluctuations, all of these factors raise concerns in the gaming industry and make it difficult for NFT games to become mainstream.
As a result, in order to survive and develop blockchain games, we must invest in technology, human resources, and the project’s core values. Only then will blockchain game projects be sustainable, rather than just a temporary wave to fade away.
Long-term, NFT games will not be a passing fad but will have the potential to become a stable market in the future.
Many global technology experts and firms have recognized and regarded blockchain as a pillar in the technology industry, alongside artificial intelligence or the internet of things. Krafton demonstrates that the future of NFT games and the metaverse is worth the wait.
