It took the Pokemon Company one small hiring post “requirement” to send web3 into a spiral of wishful dreaming. Are Pokemon NFTs coming? Is there a Pokemon Go P2E game? Will we finally collect and have ownership over our favorite pokemon cards?
First of all, CHILL.
Nothing official from the Pokemon website or accounts has been said. The only official thing is a hiring post, which you can read all about here. In a nutshell, the listing states that the firm is seeking a “Corporate Development Principal” who must possess “deep knowledge and understanding of Web3, including blockchain technologies and NFT, and/or metaverse”.
That specific qualification is driving web3 wild, and almost starting world war 3. Ok, I’m exaggerating but the hype is real. Some are more than into Pokemon’s venture into web3 and others are just passionately against it.
What’s exactly going on? Let’s get down to it!
Beware of Fake Pokemon NFTs
You have to REALLY be careful about fake Pokemon NFTs. Pokemon did not release anything in web3 YET, and this is the best opportunity for scammers to take advantage of our Pokemon love. There are a few collections on OpenSea with the Pokemon title, of which none have ever been released by the official Pokemon company.
In early January of 2023, someone already took advantage of our Pokemon-loving hearts. Hackers managed to hide malware in a fake Pokemon NFT game through a phishing website. Instead of buying a Pokemon NFT, people were actually downloading a remote access tool that allows hackers to take control of their devices. This tool could help the scammers control the computer’s mouse and keyboard, access the system’s file management and history, and even allow them to install additional malware. Really cruel.
If there is any web3-related content for Pokemon you’ll hear it from their official links first. You can also hear about it from credible sources on Twitter such as Elena Daily Threads or yours truly Chainwitcher. Here’s the official Pokemon Twitter, stay safe!
Community Reactions
Allegedly, Pory_Leeks is the first account to notice and tweet about the web3-related requirement in Pokemon’s job listing. The community is torn in their reaction to the possibility of Pokemon NFTs ever happening. Some are over-excited, and some are rather disappointed.
Pokémon company posted a job opening that encompasses Blockchain, NFT’s and Web3 technologies.
Oh no, please no 😨 pic.twitter.com/p0XrH0Eat3
— Pory (@pory_leeks) March 12, 2023
Feel free to scroll through the replies on this thread, but I’ll give you a brief summary of the sentiment. We can put them into three categories:
- Super excited, Pokemon is innovating!
Pokemon cards are the fittest to become NFTs, it makes the most sense. Especially with Pokemon Go’s VR experience, many believe it’s fit for the metaverse. So mostly, people are excited about the potential of Pokemon characters and narratives through games and as THE digital collectibles. Some even dream to have actual ownership over their favorite Pokemon characters. Imagine owning copyrights over Pikachu. But, let’s not get our hopes that high. - Skeptical to the bone about Pokemon’s success in web3.
Many seriously doubt how a big name like Pokemon can make it in web3. Some think it’s just a money-grab opportunity as many web2 names have failed like National Geography and Porsche. How can the Pokemon Company hire the right person with the RIGHT wbe3 knowledge? - I HATE Blockchain and NFTs, so I HATE Pokemon NFTs.
This is definitely our favorite type of reaction. To be fair, this type of hate comes from stereotyping NFTs as being “over expensive ape JPEGs”, which at this point we can just ignore. No one really knows what an NFT is, nor understand that we KNOW you can screenshot our JPEG. NFTs have great potential, the blockchain is a breakthrough technology and web3 has a bright future. But don’t bother, this will fall on deaf ears until the right time comes.
Pokemon, Let’s Go!
The possibilities are endless for a successful Pokemon NFT adoption! For example, Pokémon’s “gotta catch ‘em all” monster-collecting premise could be an ideal fit for NFT-based games or even collectible digital assets. It actually makes a lot of sense if a Pokemon game enters the metaverse. Especially as it would bring its unique brand of gameplay that involves searching for, capturing, training, and battling virtual creatures into the emerging world of Web3. Sounds pretty familiar… Yes, Axie Infinity.
While there has been some criticism of how Pokemon might approach web3, we need to sit back and relax for a while because NOTHING OFFICIAL HAS BEEN RELEASED YET! So, be very careful of scams.
Also note that whoever lands the new role will be tasked with “corporate strategy” responsibilities, including advising the executive leadership team. So it is most likely that Pokemon is merely exploring the possibilities of Web3, and might take several if not many, years to venture into web3! For the time being let’s stop being so pessimistic about web2 names making it in web3, didn’t you see the success Starbucks is having with their NFTs?