Krafton, the studio behind PUBG, has announced a partnership with blockchain company Solana Labs. It said the deal would see the two companies collaborate on the development, operations, design and marketing of “blockchain and NFT-based games and services.” Solana Labs developed the Solana Blockchain, an Ethereum competitor designed to provide fast transaction speeds at low cost.
The collaboration comes just over a month after Krafton announced its intention to enter the world of blockchain gaming, saying it would partner with Naver Z to build a new Web 3.0 and Unforgeable Token (NFT) project that aims to build An NFT meta-state platform.
Important context for these deals is Krafton’s share price. Its shares have fallen sharply this year in the face of fierce competition from Chinese rivals, which are pouring into its home market of South Korea, under a crackdown from Beijing regulators, the Financial Times noted. In response, South Korean developers are reportedly racing to develop “money-making” games that incorporate blockchain technology to shore up revenue.
The Krafton deal comes at a time when some Western developers have had to publicly distance themselves from blockchain gaming offerings, as fans and developers alike are disgusted. STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl developer GSC Game World has publicly retracted plans to include NFTs in the upcoming game, while Team17 abandoned the NFT project after at least three of its development partners expressed opposition to its plans.
The South Korean studio has yet to announce which of its titles may add blockchain functionality, or if it will be integrated into its flagship PUBG series. The PC version of the game has exploded in popularity after it went free-to-play earlier this year, while PUBG Mobile has surpassed 1 billion downloads. The second free-to-play mobile PUBG game, PUBG: New Nation, was released last year.