When Ubisoft announced plans to introduce NFTs into some of the studio’s more popular games back in December 2021, the playerbase instantly made their anger known. The announcement trailer for Ubisoft Quartz still sits at around 95% dislikes, and the company only managed to sell 18 out of 3,000 NFTs in the first month of the service, equating to less than $2,000. Despite this embarrassing display and open player hostility, Ubisoft clung to the plan, reporting that they would continue with Quartz come hell or high water. Now, a month into 2022, the company is sticking to its guns, now resorting to condescending to its audience as it marches forward with a service no one wants.
In an interview with Finder, an Australian financial site, Ubisoft’s Strategic Innovations Lab VP Nicolas Pouard addressed the ongoing negative feedback with less than negative concern.
“Well, it was a reaction we were expecting,” Pouard said. “We know it’s not an easy concept to grasp. But Quartz is really just a first step that should lead to something bigger.
“[The negative feedback] is part of the process, I would say. It’s a reaction we are accustomed to. I think it’s great because it shows how engaged our players are and how passionate they are about their hobby and gaming in general. And looking at that, I think it’s reassuring somehow. It shows that our players love what we do and love Ubisoft’s ability to offer good games. So that’s cool.”
Pouard then tried to explain why NFTs would be good for players in the long run while also questioning their intelligence and foresight.
“I think gamers don’t get what a digital secondary market can bring to them. For now, because of the current situation and context of NFTs, gamers really believe it’s first destroying the planet, and second just a tool for speculation. But what we [at Ubisoft] are seeing first is the end game. The end game is about giving players the opportunity to resell their items once they’re finished with them or they’re finished playing the game itself.
So, it’s really, for them. It’s really beneficial. But they don’t get it for now.”
Did you hear that, everyone? This is for you. Quit kicking and screaming and just let the blockchain wash over you. It’ll all be over soon.
