• Near Foundation signed a strategic partnership with WEMADE, a global web3 game company
• Multi-faceted Web3 business collaborations to drive mainstream adoption
• Centering on Korea Hub, Near Protocol attracts major game companies to its ecosystem

SEOUL, South Korea, March 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Near Foundation announced a strategic partnership with WEMADE, Korea's representative global web3 game company, at the Game Developers Conference (GDC), attended by game industry officials worldwide.

Near and WEMADE will jointly support initiatives to increase mutual brand awareness; invest in research and collaboration on cross-chain; host more community events like hackathons and boot camps; and scout for potential Web3 business opportunities and nurture the next generation of Web3 developers.

WEMADE, which has signed a business agreement with the Near Foundation, is leading the mass adoption of blockchain technology based on more than 20 years of game development experience and various business know-how. WEMADE also launched advanced blockchain services through its mainnet 'WEMIX 3.0'. The notable success of global versions of and , which combined the blockchain economic system with the intuitive fun of games, created a sensation in the global blockchain game market.

"WEMADE and Near share a similar vision of enabling and accelerating the mainstream adoption of blockchain to create a future of near limitless potential use cases and benefits for all of us across many different areas of our daily lives," said Shane Kim, CEO, WEMIX and Vice President, WEMADE. "In order to achieve that vision, we must make it easier, faster and more cost effective for developers to onboard off-chain apps, organizations and startups, and are confident that this partnership with NEAR Protocol is ideally positioned to do so."

Commenting on the partnership, Marieke Flament, CEO of the NEAR Foundation, said: "We're thrilled to be partnering with WEMADE as part of our shared vision towards a decentralized future for the gaming industry. By joining forces, we are confident in our ability to accelerate the development of cutting-edge solutions that meet the growing needs of gamers and developers in the Web3 space."

Near Korea Hub, which oversees the business development of Near Protocol in Korea and Asia, played a key role in this partnership. Centering on the game industry, Near Korea Hub is actively collaborating with companies converting and expanding their business areas to Web3 and now presents meaningful results.

"Near Protocol is a relative latecomer to the Korean market, but it is moving most aggressively to pioneer the Korean game market," said Scott Lee, General Manager, Near Korea Hub. "We are showing meaningful results with Korean game companies and plan to collaborate with various game companies soon. Based on the differentiated technology of Near, we will create lasting synergy in solid alliances with Korean game companies that lead the global game industry."

Press Contacts

Luis Shin / Manager
NEAR Korea hub

About NEAR Foundation

The NEAR Foundation is a Swiss non-profit that oversees the governance and development of the NEAR protocol, a high-performance blockchain that is designed to be super-fast, incredibly secure, and infinitely scalable.

The NEAR team comprises world-class engineers and business development experts who have built a blockchain mainnet that is highly usable, scalable, and environment-friendly.

NEAR Protocol has been recognized for its technical capabilities and has attracted investment from leading investors such as a16z, Coinbase Ventures, Multi Coin Capital, and Hashed. It also manages an ecosystem fund of $800 million to enhance the NEAR ecosystem.

About NEAR Korea Hub
NEAR Korea Hub is a multi-function regional hub that manages the overall business in Korea and East Asia. Specifically, NEAR Korea Hub supports project onboarding, fostering developer community, marketing, and more.

About WEMADE
A renowned industry leader in game development with over 20 years of experience, Korea-based WEMADE is leading a once-in-a-generation shift as the gaming industry pivots to blockchain technology. Through its WEMIX subsidiary, WEMADE aims to accelerate the mass adoption of blockchain technology by building an experience-based, platform-driven, and service-oriented mega-ecosystem to offer a wide spectrum of intuitive, convenient, and easy-to-use Web3 services.