Ubisoft's foray into non-fungible tokens for its games was not received with the confetti and fanfare that it had perhaps hoped. In fact, the company pulled its announcement of Ubisoft Quartz from YouTube given the shocking ratio of likes to dislikes. Understandably, Ubisoft was disappointed - not in the failure of its new venture but in the fans who didn't "get" the potential of NFTs.
The company has a point here. Now, now, before you get all riled up, I'm not defending the executives' comments in the interview with Finder. Actually, the concept and execution of NFTs is so deeply convoluted that it's very plausible that a portion of gamers literally had no clue what Ubisoft was talking about with Quartz and Digits.
The second option is that players were aware of what an NFT is and what it entails and shook their heads at the announcement. You might be proud of your picture of an ape, this totally individual and not reproduceable piece of art, but that's not exactly what you're purchasing. The non-fungible part of the NFT relates to the place where the art is hosted. Ergo, if that server goes down, that artwork goes away. Permanently.
Ok, we need a palate cleanser - watch these ridiculous wins and fails from Assassin's Creed Valhalla!
"Quartz is really just a first step that should lead to something bigger," said Nicolas Pouard, vice president for the company's strategic innovation lab, in the interview that covered the shambolic response to Ubisoft Quartz. "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."
One of the Digits available for Ghost Recon Breakpoint players was a helmet. Excuse me, that's not entirely accurate. One of the Digits available for Ghost Recon Breakpoint players who have sunk 600 hours in the game was a helmet. I mean, come on, you two. Surely you can see why your customers weren't that thrilled by NFTs?
"I think gamers don't get what a digital secondary market can bring to them," continued Pouard. "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," concluded the executive. Incredible. Telling your customers that they're not intelligent or farsighted enough to understand that games should be work that generates even more moolah for Ubisoft is an interesting stance. We'll wait and see how this pans out for them.
Featured Image Credit: UbisoftTopics: Ubisoft