Source: CNBC

Compiler: Ivans

Gamers are a notoriously skeptical bunch.

In 2017, for example, ELECTRONIC Arts faced a backlash over its decision to make players pay to lock out certain characters in its Star Wars: Battlefront 2 game. Previously, players had to work hard for hours to get this kind of content. Due to player backlash, EA eventually withdrew its plan, with critics describing it as "... Money becomes stronger." Mode.

So it was a bit of a surprise when Ubisoft, the French videogame publisher, released a video this month about its involvement in NFT.

Ubisoft debuted a platform called Quartz that lets players own in-game items, such as helmets, in the form of NFT, digital assets designed to track the ownership of a single item on the blockchain. The feature was added to Ubisoft's Ghost Recon: Breakpoint.

The move infuriated many gamers, who attacked Quartz as a money-grab. Some commenters have also raised concerns about the environmental impact of cryptocurrencies.

Operator Drewski, a YouTube channel with more than a million subscribers, commented that it was a blatant sign of how to squeeze every penny out of the Ghost Recon series, while the platform put very little effort into the game itself.

Although YouTube recently blocked Snacks on Quartz videos, users who bypass YouTube's block by downloading the software were able to find that the Quartz trailer for Snacks is upside down, with only 1,600 likes but more than 40,000 snacks.

A Spokesperson for Ubisoft told CNBC that NFT on Quartz is currently free, and that the company does not take a cut of any secondary market sales. Quartz is experimenting, the spokesman said.

Digits, Ubisoft NFTs, is" A decorative, playable in-game item that has no effect on gameplay. "The spokesman added. In that sense, they are not mandatory. .

To address environmental concerns, Ubisoft said it is relying on a less energy-intensive cryptocurrency network called Tezos.

But Ubisoft isn't the only game company jumping on the NFT bandwagon.

EA CEO AndrewWilson said joining NFT was an important part of the industry's future. Ukrainian developer GSC Game World wanted to integrate NFTs into its upcoming Game STALKER 2, but has now cancelled those plans after a backlash from fans.

NFT is divided in the game industry

Ubisoft's failure highlights the divisions in the gaming community over NFT. Last month, for example, Microsoft Xbox CEO Phil Spencer warned that some moves to bring NFTs to video games felt exploitative.

To be sure, there are aspects of NFTs in some games that feel like exploitation, Geoff Keighley, host of the Game Awards (TGA), told CNBC during a recent conference call ahead of the video game industry's annual awards show.

While Keighley says he likes the idea of game creators making money from royalties sold by NFT, he doesn't want games to be just a platform for making money.

"He added. For me, what I love about games is the world, the story, the experience. I don't want the game to become a transaction. Even the smallest transaction can be a big problem for gamers."

Several cryptocurrency startups are betting that NFT will play a role in the video game world. For example, Axie Infinity is a blockchain-based game that lets users collect and breed called "Axie Infinity". Axies " Kind of like Poké with NFTs; Mon. Axie Infinity is more than just "Axie Infinity". "Paid games"; , also allows players to make money by selling their Axie NFT to other users.

Why blockchain?

Robby Yung, CEO of Animoca Brands, an investor in Axie Infinity creator Sky Mavis, says the business model has changed over the years. Games have traditionally paid for their games upfront by buying cartridges or DVDS, or later downloadable versions, and have largely transitioned to a free-to-play economy. In this model, it's free up front, but there are virtual assets in the game that the player can acquire to enhance and improve the gameplay.

Yung says NFT's approach is innovative because it means players can now take ownership of digital property they buy in-game, and players can then take those assets out of the game and trade them elsewhere. It's a bit like when you bought cartridges for your console as a kid, and you wanted to buy new ones but couldn't afford them, and you sold some of your old games at a secondhand store. With the advent of digital content, there is no such thing as second-hand shops. And now blockchain is making it happen again, where players can deal with content they're no longer interested in or no longer play.

However, while some people are excited about NFT and its potential use in games, it's clear that not everyone is on board.

GeorgeJijiashvili, principal analyst at Omdia inc., said that while NFTs may have a place in video games one day, it still does. "Embryonic stage". . Rushing to provide an NFT without adequate assessment can lead to serious reputational damage.