PUBG Maker Krafton Partners with Solana Labs to Get into Blockchain-Based Games and Services

Krafton, developers of the popular Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) battle royale game franchise, have announced a partnership with blockchain platform Solana Labs. The partnership will allow Krafton to build blockchain games and services on Solana, which suggests that the company may soon introduce cryptocurrencies and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) into its games. The move is in line with Krafton’s previous announcements that it is working on developing Web 3.0-based technologies for its games, including the PUBG universe and its Indian offshoot, Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI).

PUBG on the blockchain: what Krafton has to offer

Speaking about the partnership with Solana Labs, Hyungchul Pak, Web 3.0 Roundtable Lead at Krafton, said: “Krafton will continually look for ways to work closely with blockchain companies like Solana Labs as we move towards building our Web ecosystem. 3.0. As one of the best global high performance blockchains with high speeds and low fees, Solana represents the best of the Web 3.0 ecosystem and its technologies. Through this collaboration, Krafton will have the information it needs to accelerate investment and blockchain-based experiences.”

Jonny Lee, head of gaming business development at Solana, also added, “We’re seeing more and more gamers looking for online games, and game companies that are quick to respond to this demand will set themselves up for continued success.”

Such a partnership could lead to the integration of Krafton games into the Solana blockchain, which could subsequently allow players to make in-game transactions with cryptocurrency tokens such as Solana’s own SOL. This can also lead to the use of NFTs in the game.

NFTs are digital works of art and virtual assets with an underlying digital signature, which makes them unique on the Internet. Game development companies have recently switched to NFTs, offering in-game items as NFTs and therefore making them collectibles that can be sold or auctioned off later in exchange for payments with crypto tokens. This, in turn, may allow players to treat in-game NFTs as more important assets than they are today.

Companies like Ubisoft have already been talking about bringing in-game NFTs or digital artwork to games, and Krafton’s partnership with Solana seems to be progress in that direction.