The merger between NFTs and video games is still in its early days, but there are endless possibilities for positive change, according to the CEO of Aleph.im Jonathan Schemoul.
The first company to venture into NFTs is Ubisoft, the French video game developer. They announced in 2021 that they would be integrating with Playable tokens and introducing “Digits” for beta testing on PC versions of Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Breakpoint, where players can purchase rare items like helmets, pants, or guns then utilize them in-game.
In collaboration with Aleph.im, Ubisoft has also been trying to integrate NFTs into console games in an effort to make them more engaging.
The news of this new feature has caused quite a stir in the gaming world. This integration, gamers fear, will most likely increase prices for items inside games and possibly create a pay-to-win environment.
Furthermore, there are worries that the utilization of NFTs will bring heightened centralization because giant firms possess complete control over this market.
These concerns have valid points. When firms attempted to gradually integrate microtransactions and pay-to-play features into games, they failed because they did not consider the gamers’ needs.
For that reason, gamers felt abandoned by the shifting landscape of the video game industry.
The integration of NFTs in video games has been a hot topic lately. Developers such as Team17 called off their plan after receiving negative feedback from employees and gamers, while Ubisoft had an integration dispute.
On a positive note, the use of NFTs could empower gamers with ownership and transferability, giving them better control over their game experience and offering more meaningful ties to those games they play.
For example, if the trade of digital assets in video games is a massive $50 billion industry. If a significant amount of that could be taken and redistributed to the gamers, it could have a massive effect on how we think of video games and their value.
These in-game items could be more than merely digital trophies but actual assets with real value.
