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Square Enix is the second major publisher and producer to openly recognize the NFT industry. After Ubisoft paved the way, now the Japanese studio responsible for the Final Fantasy brand emphasizes its huge interest in new trends.
Square Enix has been under a lot of criticism recently, all thanks to the introduction of a higher standard of prices for PC games , an increase in the price of one of the previously announced productions , as well as offering exclusive missions in the digital version of Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin .
However, players may have another reason to express their dissatisfaction. In a New Year’s message, the CEO of Square Enix confirmed that the company is enthusiastic about NFT and blockchain – Yosuke Matsuda hopes that the indicated elements will become the “main trend” in games.
NFTs are unique units of data stored on a blockchain (a form of digital ledger) that users can buy and sell – for example, these can be digital, unique items for a character.
The head of Square Enix listed NFT, metaversum, cloud and cryptocurrencies as the main directions for the gaming industry, which the company plans to look at and develop.
Matsuda believes that blockchain-based titles “have the potential to enable the self-sustaining growth of games” as they can promote the concept of “play to earn” . The Japanese are considering creating their own cryptocurrency, which will appear in the next positions of the producer and publisher.
“I realize that some people who ‘play to have fun’ and who currently form the majority of players have voiced their reservations toward these new trends, and understandably so,” he wrote. “However, I believe that there will be a certain number of people whose motivation is to ‘play to contribute,’ by which I mean to help make the game more exciting.“
The CEO emphasizes that the community was not encouraged to play in any way, but now productions may become even more attractive due to the user-generated content that can be sold.
“I believe that this will lead to more people devoting themselves to such efforts and to greater possibilities of games growing in exciting ways. From having fun to earning to contributing, a wide variety of motivations will inspire people to engage with games and connect with one another.“
“It is blockchain-based tokens that will enable this. By designing viable token economies into our games, we will enable self-sustaining game growth. It is precisely this sort of ecosystem that lies at the heart of what I refer to as ‘decentralized gaming,’ and I hope that this becomes a major trend in gaming going forward.” added Matsuda.
A representative of Square Enix confirmed that, among others, NFT will be the “main strategic direction” of the studio and in 2022 we will witness clear actions of the company. In developing this sphere, however, it will be indispensable to listen to signals from the community.
