Konami Digital Entertainment—the Japanese gaming giant behind franchises like Metal Gear Solid, Silent Hill, and Castlevania—announced Thursday that it will launch an NFT platform called Resella on the Avalanche blockchain.
The infrastructure platform aims to make it easier for companies to integrate blockchain technology and issue NFTs, both for games and other types of applications. According to Konami, Resella eliminates the need for users to open an external crypto wallet or handle cryptocurrency at all.
The company touted Resella's “user-friendly marketplace experience” in a press release, and said it will allow transactions in Japanese yen for domestic users, with plans to accommodate global users as well. Powered by Avalanche's technology, Resella will not charge users gas fees to transact with its tech.
"By democratizing access to Web3-related technologies, Konami Digital Entertainment aims to foster an inclusive environment wherein businesses across various sectors can harness the potential of blockchain innovation," the release stated.
‘Web3 Gaming Sucks’, Says Avalanche, Daring Gamers to Look
“Web3 gaming sucks.” It’s a common refrain amongst many gamers who have thumbed their nose at the growing space, but it’s not something you’d expect the team behind a prominent blockchain network to recite around one of the industry's biggest events. But that’s exactly what Ava Labs did last week at the Game Developers Conference, where the phrase was plastered all over the massive Avalanche Gaming booth and across banners that could be seen from all over the expo hall and as attendees went down...
Konami envisions Resella enabling various digital experiences, such as using in-game NFTs as event tickets or unlocking exclusive content across different platforms. Resella will be built on an Avalanche subnet, or a dedicated instance of the network, providing Konami with additional customization features and other potential benefits compared to the mainnet.
Several other major game publishers have also been building in the blockchain space. Assassin’s Creed maker Ubisoft, for example, is set to publish its first original game Champions Tactics: Grimoria Chronicles this year on the Oasys blockchain, and has launched other projects and collaborated with various chains over the past few years.
9 Must-See Trailers from the Xbox, Ubisoft, and Summer Game Fest Events
While E3 itself might be a memory, many of the traditions around the late, once-iconic gaming expo are still in place. It's June, and big publishers are showing off the goods they have coming up in the next couple of years. Microsoft, Ubisoft, and others have shown off games at both their own shows and at broader shows like the Summer Games Fest in recent days. The showcases this year ranged from lackluster to surprising—especially for Microsoft, who brought a huge slate for its showcase after a...
Meanwhile, Final Fantasy creator Square Enix has an Ethereum-based narrative game called Symbiogenesis that launched in late 2023 and has pursued other efforts in the industry, plus Sega has brought some of its properties into Web3 through collaborations.
Editor’s note: This article was written with the assistance of AI. Edited and fact-checked by Andrew Hayward.
