Ubisoft is the newest game company to set its sights on NFTs as a means to snatch more money from the hands of its devoted playerbase. Unsurprisingly, the vast majority of people are not pleased with this development. On the new announcement trailer for the Ubisoft Quartz platform, billed as “the first platform for playable and energy-efficient NFTs in AAA games,” over 15,000 people have left a dislike, while a measly 800 smashed that like button. If Ubisoft cared what the vast majority of players wanted, they would pull the plug on this project and siphon the money somewhere more useful, but that’s unlikely. Even with only 5% of players happy about this new endeavor, it looks like the NFT menace continues.
The first title in the Ubisoft library to get the NFT treatment is Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon, which will launch in beta with these new additions this week. Players will be able to acquire ‘Digits,’ which are collectible weapons, vehicles, and other pieces of in-game equipment. These will be released as parts of limited ‘Editions,’ which will each be comprised of a selection of cosmetic items. Each of these ‘Digits’ has a serial number and comes with a certificate of ownership. These can be viewed by other players, who will likely proceed to point and laugh. Of course, these will be buyable and sellable.
Ubisoft added a tone-deaf explanation to this completely unnecessary version of the game. “Digits are a new way to experience cosmetic items, combining the fun of playing with AAA quality assets and the thrill of owning NFTs that represent unique, collectible pieces of Ubisoft game worlds,” said Nicolas Pouard, the vice president of Ubisoft‘s Strategic Innovation Lab. “Our long-term efforts led us to understand how blockchain’s decentralized approach could genuinely make players stakeholders of our games, in a way that is also sustainable for our industry, placing back into their hands the value they generate through the time they spend, the items they buy or the content they create online.”
Giving back to the industry is something plenty of gamers would love to do. But through NFTs? That’s not the play.
