Ubisoft’s recent foray into the NFT gaming space has left many of its developers confused and concerned. Devs reportedly took to the company’s internal social media to voice their frustration after last week’s announcement of Ubisoft Quartz, the company’s new NFT marketplace. Some developers raised concerns about the scheme’s environmental impact, while others questioned the purpose of adding NFTs to games like Ghost Recon: Breakpoint in the first place.
Earlier this month, Ubisoft announced Ubisoft Quartz: a platform where users can buy and re-sell in-game cosmetic items using cryptocurrency. The new scheme is part of a larger industry-wide push to include cryptocurrency-backed NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens) into video games. The main appeal is that by tying these items to NFTs, players will “own” the items they earn in-game. The obvious problem, of course, is the fact that the cosmetic items are only useable in-game. If Ubisoft chooses to close down Ghost Recon: Breakpoint‘s servers, say bye-bye to your NFT tactical mask.
According to Kotaku, many Ubisoft developers are also bringing up similar concerns about the validity of NFTs. One developer stated, “I still don’t really understand the ‘problem’ being solved here. Is it really worth the (extremely) negative publicity this will cause?” A valid concern, considering many users immediately responded with criticism upon the scheme’s announcement. Additionally, other developers raised concerns about the high energy consumption of blockchain technology, even when taking into account “environmentally friendly” alternatives.
All of these concerns exacerbate what is already a PR disaster for the multinational video game company. Over the past year, Ubisoft has gone through a litany of investigations into the company’s culture of sexual harassment and abuse.
[Source: Kotaku]
