Some of you may remember that Ubisoft decided it was time to go public on its NFT intentions with 'Ubisoft Quartz' last month. It was some weird playable NFT thing being added to Ghost Recon Breakpoint, which just looked like an opportunity for expensive cosmetics to us.
Well, apparently, that's because we "don't get it". In an interview with Australian site Finder, two of Ubisoft's NFT bosses discussed the fan reaction to its Quartz reveal trailer. Here's what Nicolas Pouard, VP at Ubisoft's Strategic Innovations Lab, had to say:
"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."
The bosses also said that they expected the negative reaction from gamers. A reaction that prompted Ubisoft to make its Quartz announcement video private on YouTube, due to the amount of dislikes, which are no longer public on the site.
"Well, it was a reaction we were expecting. We know it's not an easy concept to grasp. But Quartz is really just a first step that should lead to something bigger. Something that will be more easily understood by our players. That's the way we think about it and why we will keep experimenting.
We will keep releasing features and services around this first initiative. And our belief is that, piece by piece, the puzzle will be revealed and understood by our players. We hope they will better understand the value we offer them."
We're all for new ideas and developers getting the time they need to experiment, but NFTs in games, we're not sold. It feels a little bit like we're being talked down to as well, although we assume that's not Ubisoft's intention.
Here we go: what do you think about NFTs in games? Let us know in the comments.
[source finder.com.au, via eurogamer.net]
Comments 32
We get it. We also get you're greedy.
Why does this read like someone’s job is on the line?
This guy is so out of touch. Players first worry is that NFT’s destroy the planet? 🤣 No the first worry is that you’ll be exploiting gamers. Don’t let these mouthpieces fool you, NFT’s are not for our benefit, they’re to make incredible amounts of money for Ubisoft etc at our expense.
Let me sell my digital games on in a secondary market, then we can talk about whether I get what that means for me or not! Ubisoft are the absolute worst
Give it 5-10 years and we'll have people buying NFTs to "support the devs".
Oh dear I'm sure these comments will age well. These guys are cruising for a bruising.
So what they're trying to say is that all those 'crap' MTX that we sell you to exploit you and make us rich, well once you have 'finished', you maybe able to sell some back to the current players but if you buy the game 'digitally', you still can't sell that but Ubisoft will still be making millions on these.
Its almost a way to become 'gambling' in the traditional sense, inc RNG Loot Box mechanics (random NFT's that you could 'sell') so literally gambling 'more' real cash thinking that you could get 'some' money back by selling the crap you don't want.
You 'never' own the original item.Its on a server somewhere that could get corrupted or destroyed, losing your 'asset'. It serves no 'Purpose' in the medium of gaming/entertainment and, as Square Enix said, these are not really for 'Gamers who want to have 'Fun', but for Gamers who want to 'contribute' [to Square Enix's profits??)
Wow. This sure makes me really dislike them.
I understand a con just fine...
I like how they are talking about the endgame of NFTs being what the CSGO marketplace has been doing for the past 10 years
Because they’re pointless and idiotic
Oh boy, just wait until you guys see what they have planned for the Just Dance series, its as terrible as you'd expect and geared towards kids. I've always been a fan of most of Ubi's catalog but hate the direction they've been going in.
"Do you guys not have phones"?
Seems very similar to this. If this was said in front of a crowd they get just as booed.
So NFTs are basically DLC/Games in this context, only now we can sell them like we used to sell physical games, and since they say we can resell them they will focus more on DLC and microtransactions....
I think Ubisoft doesn't get alot of things..
It appears that when it comes to gamers Ubìsoft.... dont get it.
But I'll tell what I really wont get.. another ubisoft game.
You mean: We are going to implement NFTs into games whether you like it or not, hoping that there will not be to much pushback, and thats why we are starting small to ease the transition.
Remember this is a good thing besause we belive that this will be highly profitable for us, we sell you a Game or DLC and you can get something back on your investment if you choose to resell it, and of course the best thing about this system is that we get a large cut of the money when you do so!
We are incredebly exited by the monetization possibilities of NFTs and hope to implement this system as fast as possible, the beginning was DLC, microtransactions and Loot crates, the future is NFTs!
😅.........😱
🤑💲💵💰
"..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."
Oh, so how much can I get for all the bullshyte farcry 5 and generic asscreed games? Not to mention the mediocre games of the year watchdog games? Cause I'm done with those series.
Thank you for making me lose interest in this site.
I think NFTs in general are viewed as a bad idea, not just games. If that is the public perception game companies will have a hard time convincing anyone this is good for their customers. Do they really know if anyone will actually want to resell their digital items when they are done playing? I have no idea but I'm sure people that are into that part of it might answer.
Everywhere in the world wealth is being hoarded, real wages are stagnating, wealth is being transferred into foreign holdings, less and less money is circulating through local economies, inflation is increasing due to surging production costs and increasing demand, the environmental/ecological crisis is increasing healthcare costs while reducing revenue from a variety of sectors, the silicon shortage is increasing the cost of electronics, the developing iron and aluminum shortages are affecting a variety of sectors... and UbiSoft thinks the problem is that gamers "don't get" NFTs? The problem is that UbiSoft doesn't really understand (or care) how the average person's life is changing, or how grifting and skimming schemes based around NFTs is making it worse.
/rant
@jorel262 I only buy digital games now and i would be willing to sell the games that i dont like, i am hoping they only use it for that 🤔 ......
This is all terrible reframing.
We don't need NFT's to have a digital resale market this can be done just the same with a centralised server like Xbox Live. If they were really worried about OUR ability to resell content it would already be happening. They are interested in their cut of resales, and lining their pockets through all the speculation, that is all.
They’re partly correct
I just don’t get NFTs
Bc I won’t spend a dime on that b.s.
We get it. And we don't want it. Maybe we should draw it so they can get it.
"It's not a tool for increasing investor earnings. It's to empower customers to buy and sell things without buying new things from us at all and save money."
-A. Publiclytraded-Corporation.
@101Force The new narrative is that household wages are soaring! It's on every major paper! Keep up with the times!
It would be cool to live in a world where MTXs were meaningful... Season Passes were an easy and cheap way to get quick access to a ton of content you missed... loot boxes were in fact "surprise mechanics"... and NFTs enhanced your gaming experience in some form. Unfortunately, we live in one where none of these exist and corporations say we're the ones who don't understand.
@101Force Shout out. Even here on this website, you have people who just want to beat the corporate narrative, pretending to be against it.
F U C K Y O U
Srsly
Are we really surprised that a company that can’t be bothered to respect its employees would fail to respect its customers?
I didn’t get them, but when someone explained them I really didn’t like them. Apparently you can buy an NFT of a digital football shirt for your team which means you “own” that digitally on a blockchain and you can be invited to events and receive offers.. big wow. What was wrong with the old way of actually owning something tangible?
I don't understand the bad side of NFTs. You don't want to buy so don't.
Oh we get it all too well. You saw people get quick and easy paydays by minting NFTs and wanted a slice of that action.
gamers would like to be able to re-sell their digital goods, but that means their games, and they don't want some terrible 3rd party blockchain platform adding an extra layer of grift to do it.
To everyone complaining and making fun of people and companies trying to shill NFTs keep up the good work! This needs to be a situation where it's not just NFTs in games for the people that want it, but if there's a whiff of them anywhere near then boycott all their products.
A company that makes collectable models that I buy a lot of recently announced they would start selling NFTs, and the overwhelming and immediate response of their existing customers was to tell them to go funge themselves. So they backed down.
Anyone who has or sells NFTs has a massive incentive to hype them up, and further inflate their value since they're a financial instrument that acts solely as an investment. If I recommend a game I bought to you I don't benefit from the increased hype, but with NFTs the hype IS the product as they have no use nor pay any dividends.
Show Comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...