In the tech sector, the year 2022 will obviously be marked by the ever-greater development of blockchain technology, NFTs and metaverse. This is in any case what Yosuke Matsuda, the CEO of Square Enix thinks: in a letter of best wishes, he reveals his plans for the new year, and the three subjects mentioned above will undoubtedly be incorporated in some titles from the publisher. Not sure that the fans are delighted …
In praise of blockchain and NFTs
Indeed, Matsuda’s letter praises blockchain and NFTs: ” The advent of NFTs using blockchain technology has dramatically increased the liquidity of digital goods, enabling a variety of such goods to be traded at high prices and sparking conversations around the world. I see 2021 not only as “Metaverse: Year 1”, but also as “NFTs: Year 1”, given that it is a year where NFTs have been greeted with great enthusiasm by a growing user base. expansion “.
Thus, the CEO of Square Enix expects transactions in digital goods to become “ as familiar as transactions in physical goods “, And ensures that” the progress made in token economies will probably reinforce this trend towards diversification (Editor’s note: video games) “, And considers that” the concept of “playing to win”, which arouses such enthusiasm, is an excellent example of this. “.
From YouTube to the microphone, influencers storm the podcast
Games ” decentralized “For 2022
Yosuke Matsuda went further by making a concrete announcement for the year 2022:
“Whether it’s having fun, making money or contributing, a wide variety of motivations will inspire people to play games and connect with each other. It is the blockchain-based tokens that will allow this. By incorporating viable token savings into our games, we will foster self-sustaining game growth. It is precisely this type of ecosystem that is at the heart of what I call “decentralized gaming,” and I hope it becomes a major trend in gaming in the future. If we call “centralized play” the one-way relationship in which players and game providers are linked by games that are end products, as opposed to decentralized play, then the integration of decentralized games into our wallet, in addition to centralized games, will be a major strategic theme for us from 2022. The basic and elementary technologies to enable blockchain games already exist, and there has been an increase in societal culture and acceptance cryptoassets in recent years. We will closely follow societal changes in this space while listening to the many user groups that populate it, and we will intensify our efforts to develop a business accordingly, with a view to potentially issuing our own tokens in the future. “.
Square Enix’s ambitions are clear: the publisher wants to incorporate NFTs into its games and thus encourage players to invest in their creation. It would thus follow in the footsteps of Ubisoft, which recently launched Quartz, allowing players to purchase NFTs according to their playing time.
Video game players are increasingly interested in blockchain technology. Photograph: Morthy Jameson / Unsplash
Is this really what the fans want?
It is, however, important to note that here, Matsuda is visibly taking the tweezers by not citing any game that could be affected by this news. It suffices to take an interest in the great reluctance expressed by gamers concerning Ubisoft’s platform to understand why… Do players really want to see these technologies appear in their games, especially in cult franchises like Final Fantasy or Tomb Raider?
As Forbes magazine perfectly notes, there seems to be a real gap between “ what seems like a lot of tech executives shrouded in a bubble where they keep hearing that blockchain and NFTs are the next things that will make them even richer, and the reality on the pitch of gamers who want absolutely nothing from all of this in their game, and developers who don’t want to be forced to incorporate these elements into their otherwise perfectly correct titles “.
The trend has already started, and it seems very difficult to stop. For example, the Electronic Arts studio has also revealed that it has a very strong interest in NFTs and blockchain. Above all, non-fungal tokens are seen by many as a first step towards the deployment of the metaverse, a concept that has gained immense momentum in recent months, with now all the big names in the industry gearing up for its launch.