이 기사는 2022년 02월 11일 08시04분 thebell에 표출된 기사입니다

Krafton, the company behind the global hit "PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds," is expanding into the non-fungible token (NFT) space with partnerships with Seoul Auction Blue and Naver Z, with its ability to produce a variety of virtual content making the game developer appealing to its partners.

Krafton and Naver Z, the operator of the metaverse platform Zepeto, inked a memorandum of understanding earlier this month to work together to develop a platform that combines the metaverse with NFTs, according to industry sources.

The partnership is aimed at generating synergies between the Zepeto platform and Krafton’s NFT technology. The two companies also plan to launch a joint venture.

Naver Z confirmed it signed an MOU with Krafton to collaborate in the NFT business, adding that their partnership is in the very early stages “with no detailed discussions”.


The MOU comes just two weeks after the game developer struck a partnership with Seoul Auction Blue, a pioneer in the blockchain art space, to collaborate on avatars used in NFT-based games.

What made Krafton appealing to Naver Z and Seoul Auction Blue as an NFT partner is its ability to produce a range of game content.

Krafton has five game studios under its belt – Bluehole, PUBG, RisingWings, Dreamotion and Striking Distance – with each studio specializing in specific types of genres. They work both separately and together, offering developers a perfect environment to experiment with technologies related to the metaverse and NFTs.

“Bong Lee, Seoul Auction Blue’s chief executive, reportedly was impressed by Krafton’s technology and its ability to develop a wide range of game genres,” an industry insider said. Lee is known for his deep knowledge of the blockchain.

Seoul Auction Blue will collaborate with Krafton’s Bluehole Studio, the developer of popular MMORPGs like Tera and Elyon, which are expected to create great synergies with NFTs.

The global background of Krafton’s developers has also increased its attractiveness to Naver Z, which is looking to expand its global presence in the metaverse. In its latest effort to secure top-tier talent, Krafton acquired US video game developer Unknown Worlds Entertainment for $750 million in October last year.

“More than 90% of both Krafton and Naver Z’s users are from overseas markets, so the two companies have lots of room to collaborate with each other,” an official at Krafton said. (Reporting by Hyun-ji Sohn)