AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS – Feb. 9, 2022 – KRAFTON, Inc., creators of the globally popular PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS battle royale game, announced it entered a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with NAVER Z to develop a new Web 3.0 and non-fungible token (NFT) project aimed at building an NFT metaverse platform. NAVER Z is a subsidiary of NAVER and runs Asia’s largest metaverse platform ZEPETO, which has garnered more than 290 million users worldwide. In this virtual world users can interact with others with their own 3D avatars using AR technology.
In the creation of this NFT metaverse platform, KRAFTON will use its experience in creating online games like PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS and relevant technology to develop a user-generation content (UGC) creation tool and also build a high-quality virtual world using Unreal Engine. NAVER Z will tap into its experience designing and running the ZEPETO to manage the metaverse service and its surrounding community and social services.
“This partnership between KRAFTON and NAVER Z is bolstered by each company’s unique expertise and shared global focused as they look toward a future driven by NFTs and metaverses,” said HyungChul Park, Lead of Web 3.0 team at KRAFTON. “By combining KRAFTON’s existing technologies and research on how to build scalable Web 3.0 creator-driven ecosystems with NAVER Z and ZEPETO’s experience and capabilities, we’re confident we can build a high-quality UGC-driven open metaverse that stands apart from other services and vitalizes the global creator economy through NFT technologies.”
Further solidifying KRAFTON’s embrace of NFT and metaverse technologies, this partnership comes shortly after the company recently announced it made equity investments in Seoul Auction Blue ($2.5 million USD) and XBYBLUE ($4.1 million USD), as well as signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to develop non-fungible token (NFT) oriented projects.
While information about KRAFTON and its products can be found at https://www.krafton.com, the company will share additional details about its partnership with NAVER Z in the future.
KRAFTON, Inc. is a collective of independent game development studios brought together to create innovative and engaging entertainment experiences for gamers across the world. The company consists of PUBG Studios, Bluehole Studio, Striking Distance Studios, RisingWings, Dreamotion, and Unknown Worlds, each with its own unique expertise.
KRAFTON is responsible for premier entertainment properties including PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS, NEW STATE MOBILE, The Callisto Protocol, TERA, and ELYON. As a technology-driven company that boasts world-class capabilities, KRAFTON seeks to expand its areas of business beyond games to multimedia entertainment and deep learning. For more information about KRAFTON, please visit www.krafton.com.