Game News
The latest trend in gaming is the emergence of non-fungible tokens, more commonly known as NFTs. Several of the industry’s largest publishers have shown interest in them including Square Enix. The Square Enix CEO Yosuke Matsuda even posted a letter explaining his stance on NFTs and what they mean for the future of gaming.
According to Matsuda, NFTs are a good thing for gamers although not necessarily for all gamers. He states that those who play games “to have fun,” have a right to be concerned. However, the audience for NFTs is not these individuals but instead those who play games “to contribute.” More specifically, he means players that “help make the game more exciting.”
What is Matsuda on about?
Matsuda believes that the introduction of NFTs can provide a platform for gamers who are “motivated strictly by such inconsistent personal feelings as goodwill and volunteer spirit.” Of course, this isn’t true and is likely a cover-up to disguise the real reason AAA publishers like Square Enix are so interested in NFTs.
A non-fungible token would effectively allow players to own digital assets in the games they play. They could then sell these assets for profit or flip them for other items. Theoretically, these items could be in-game cosmetics, experience boosts, or just about everything in-between.
This system would massively benefit publishers as it would drive demand for digital goods that only they can distribute. These publishers would effectively gain control of a market that millions would be trading in. This is the real reason that AAA publishers are so interested in NFTs.
It’s unfortunate but attitudes like these are typical of most AAA publishers. After all, they exist to make money for shareholders and executives. Games are merely a convenient medium to achieve this. For the sake of all of us let’s hope that the industry continues to stand strong and NFTs never establish a meaningful presence in gaming.
