A recent job listing by The Pokemon Company has made the rounds on social media and caused some concern amongPokemonplayers. ThoughPokemon Scarlet and Violetare still experiencing some performance issues, the job listing at one of Pokemon’s main offices has some requirements that somePokemonfans were alarmed by in light of recent trends in the gaming industry.The Pokemon Company has found itself on shaky ground following the recent “Pokemon Presents” broadcast that took place on Pokemon Day in February 2023. While the company continued to make strides into growing the brand,Pokemonfans were miffed thatproblems withPokemon Scarlet and Violetpersisted as DLC was announcedfor the games, and criticized the company for missing an opportunity to bring some mainlinePokemongames to the Game Boy and Game Boy Advance apps for the Nintendo Switch Online service. While the company continues to weather the ire of fans, a recent job listing may not do it any favors in the short term.RELATED:PSA: Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Bug is Corrupting Game SavesOn Twitter, a user named @pory_leeks tweeted a job posting on The Pokemon Company’s international job application page that listed experience with NFTs, blockchain technologies, Web3, and the metaverse. These were listed as part of the job description for a Corporate Development Principal based in The Pokemon Company’s North American office in Washington. Suffice it to say, anything to do with NFTs and the metaverse has not sat well with gamers in recent years. After the tweet from @pory_leeks made the rounds, several users condemned The Pokemon Company for even considering them, and some drew comparisons toSquare Enix and its notorious ventures into blockchaintechnologies.
However, another user, named @LuminaryEm, saw the job listing differently. In their reply to @pory_leeks' post, @LuminaryEm said that the NFTs and blockchain knowledge were only among the qualifications of the job in question, and likely will have nothing to do withPokemongame development. Given the fact that the job is based in Washington and not in Japan, where the primary development ofPokemongames takes place, @LuminaryEm’s claims are not without merit. Only time will tell if any blockchain discussions will be limited to The Pokemon Company boardroom, or if anyfuture products will be developed with NFTs in mind.
As it stands,Pokemongames that are currently being developed are unlikely to have any sort of blockchain integrations in the near future. WithPokemon Scarlet and Violetdue for another patch in April, and otherPokemonprojects in the works, it remains to be seen if anything related to the metaverse will come out of this corporate job posting or not.
