Square Enix president Yosuke Matsuda spent much of his January 1st letter discussing the company’s intention to grow its footprint in the world of blockchain-based gaming in 2022, noting that he hopes “this becomes a major trend in gaming going forward.” He acknowledged that NFTs will continue to be controversial for players in its customer base, but that the company will continue to move forward despite these reservations.
“If we refer to the one-way relationship where game players and game providers are linked by games that are finished products as ‘centralized gaming’ to contrast it with decentralized gaming, then incorporating decentralized games into our portfolio in addition to centralized games will be a major strategic theme for us starting in 2021,” wrote Matsuda. “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. 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.”
Square Enix’s first public use of NFTs took place last spring when the company partnered with a blockchain startup called Double Jump Tokyo. That announcement, too, appeared to spark concerns about Square Enix’s direction.
Recent coverage from the gaming press indicates that some Square Enix fans are less than pleased by the pronouncements, which is perhaps unsurprising given recent negative reactions to mainstream game-makers toeing the NFT waters.
(All information was provided by The Block)
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