Konami Enters the NFT Scene With “Castlevania” NFTs

Key Takeaways

Konami has announced that it is auctioning a collection of non-fungible tokens to commemorate its “Castlevania” series.
The offer will include 14 tokens featuring scenes from early Nintendo games, as well as audio files and poster art.
The auction will begin next week on Jan. 12, 2022.

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Konami has announced that it will release a series of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) based on its “Castlevania” franchise.

NFTs Include Game Scenes, Music, Posters

Konami’s “Castlevania” franchise will be the subject of a new NFT series.

Konami’s NFTs will commemorate the series that began with 1986’s “Castlevania” for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES).

The NFT collection includes scenes from various series entries on the NES and its Japanese equivalent, the Famicom. Other tokens in the collection feature original pixel art of Dracula’s Castle, poster art for the Game Boy Advance game “Castlevania: Circle of the Moon,” and audio for the recurring music theme, “Vampire Killer.”

Unlike some non-fungible tokens from game companies, these NFTs will not have any in-game utility. They are merely commemorative collectibles marking the series’ 35th anniversary.

14 different non-fungible tokens are up for auction, and only one copy of each NFT will be available to buyers.

The auction will begin at 5:00 P.M. EST on Jan. 12, 2022, and will last for four hours.

However, it some users are already making offers on the NFTs, which can be viewed on OpenSea. Items in the series have attracted bids of 0.005 ETH ($17) to 0.014 ETH ($48) so far.

Game Companies Are Pursuing NFTs

Konami is one of several gaming companies with an interest in NFTs. Ubisoft, Square Enix, Electronic Arts, and GameStop have all launched NFT products and services or have tentative plans to do so.

However, many of those plans have been met with backlash by the general public, both due to the perceived environmental cost of blockchain mining and to excess hype around NFTs.

Konami has already seen some backlash around its NFT plans, as critics have drawn comparisons to the company’s recent and unpopular shift toward pachinko machines. However, there does not appear to be any organized opposition, and Konami appears to be going forward with the NFT auction regardless.

Incidentally, this news comes alongside an announcement from SEGA, which revealed recently that it may end its NFT plans due to negative reception. SEGA originally announced NFT plans in March 2020.

Disclosure: At the time of writing, the author of this piece owned BTC, ETH, and other cryptocurrencies. 

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