Konami is the latest games publisher to launch an NFT push

Castlevania publisher will auction off retro-themed artwork this month, with more to come

Konami is the latest video game publisher to push the sale of its own NFTs.

On Thursday, the Metal Gear and Silent Hill firm announced that it would be auctioning off a “Konami Memorial NFT collection”, featuring 14 unique artworks from the Castlevania series, celebrating its 35^th anniversary.

The full collection will be put up for worldwide auction on marketplace OpenSea from January 12, 22:00 (UTC). Details of all 14 artworks can be found on Konami’s official website.

Konami calls the Memorial NFT initiative just the “first” project it has planned in this area. “With NFTs and blockchain technology in its infancy, Konami will continue to explore new developments and listen to player feedback following this initial collection,” it said.

On Castlevania video game plans, Konami said on Thursday it will “continue to support the titles currently available, while also assessing new opportunities for titles that will meet and exceed player expectations.” VGC previously reported that the company has a large-scale Castlevania game in development.

NFTs are unique non-interchangeable units of data stored on a blockchain (a form of digital ledger), which effectively allow users to own, buy and sell digital items such as in-game items or artwork.

Many game companies have already started selling digital items as NFTs such as Ubisoft, though this has attracted criticism from some due to the format’s high carbon footprint and what many perceive to be cynical implementation.

Square Enix was the most recent high-profile games publisher to express its enthusiasm for the technology trends.

In a New Year letter published during the holiday break, president Yosuke Matsuda committed to making blockchain and NFT games a part of its games portfolio.

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Matsuda’s comments were criticised by some corners of the games industry. However, they appear to have gone down well with the market.

The president’s letter triggered an eight percent jump in Square Enix’s share price earlier this week – its biggest single-day increase since last August – during the first day of trading in Tokyo since its publication.

In his letter, Matsuda said he believed that blockchain games “hold the potential to enable self-sustaining game growth” by pushing a “play to earn” concept.