Pringles is hiring for a Metaverse ‘NPC’ position

The ‘once you pop, you cannot stop’, chip-maker Pringles is venturing into the Metaverse by hiring a candidate for US$ 25,000 to fill the role of an NPC, or ‘non-player character’ in Train Sim World 2. The winner will come from a sweepstakes, and declared on July 11.

The investment in Train Sim World 2 marks Pringles’ first step into the Metaverse. 

Meanwhile, the sweepstakes are part of the ‘Stay in the Game’ marketing campaign run in partnership with UK-based advertising agency Gray London. The campaign aims to ‘pay tribute’ to gamers dating back to the early 1980s.  At the heart of the campaign ‘is a Pringlesonic Chip – an 8-bit depiction of a potato chip created in binary code sound.’ 

The NPC position was open for applications until Jul 6, applicants can apply by posting a selfie or video along with a caption on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook stating why they would be the perfect fit for the position. They were also required to tag @Pringles_UK and add the #PringlesStayInTheGame  hashtag when creating the post. 

Companies have been working towards developing their Metaverses and hiring for roles to fill in the space in increasing numbers. This trend has picked up ever since Mark Zuckerberg rebranded Facebook as ‘Meta’ with ‘Horizon Home’ as the early concept of its Metaverse. Zuckerberg had said he hopes to spend the next several years elevating users to ‘an embodied internet’. 

Microsoft is one example, who has been developing its own version of the Metaverse dubbed Mesh for Microsoft teams. Its take on the Metaverse is ‘the ability to bridge the digital and the physical worlds.’ and combines virtual work spaces to enable remote interaction and work. 

Meanwhile, Xbox has created the Xbox Metaverse that showcases  a museum of Xbox highlights. This includes important dates of Xbox’s milestones, such as specific launch dates of console games, and slip ups, such as the Red Ring of Death. Users can also view other players’ avatars in the Xbox Metaverse. 

Photo: Pringles