Ubisoft cools off on NFTs and blockchain, says it’s in ‘research mode’

NFT

Yves Guillemot, the CEO of French gaming big Ubisoft seems to have cooled the rhetoric behind the corporate’s NFT gaming challenge Quartz, noting in a latest interview that it was merely in “analysis mode” regarding Web3 tech integrations.

It’s a comparatively completely different take from different Ubisoft execs up to now, together with chief monetary officer Frédérick Duguet who in October said that blockchain integrations will allow customers to personal and earn content material and the agency needs to “be one of many key gamers right here.”

Throughout a Sept. 10 interview with gamesindustry.biz, Guillemot seems to be strolling a few of these feedback again, emphasizing that at this stage, Ubisoft is primarily trying to uncover how NFTs might be utilized to video games and whether or not they are going to profit players or not.

“We’re very a lot on cloud, on the brand new technology of voxels, and we’re taking a look at all of the Web3 capabilities. We examined just a few issues just lately which might be giving us extra info on how it may be used and what we must always do within the universe of video video games,” he stated, including that:

“So we’re testing floor with some video games, and we’ll see in the event that they actually reply the gamers’ wants. However we’re nonetheless in analysis mode, I might say.”

Ubisoft introduced its first foray into NFTs in December, after launching a beta model of Ubisoft Quartz, geared toward providing players playable NFTs that might be utilized in video games reminiscent of Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint.

The transfer was met with robust pushback from some members of the NFT-hating gamer neighborhood, with some accusing the agency of “milking” each cent potential out of its in style sport franchises by introducing NFTs into the combo.

Nicolas Pouard, the vice chairman at Ubisoft’s Strategic Improvements Lab defended the corporate’s NFT efforts in January, stating: “I believe players do not get what a digital secondary market can convey to them.”

Reflecting on Ubisoft’s NFT rollout, Guillemot says the agency finally didn’t talk the corporate’s strategy to the challenge successfully sufficient.

“We in all probability weren’t good at saying we’re researching,” he stated, including that “we must always have stated we had been engaged on it, and when we’ve one thing that offers you an actual profit, we’ll convey it to you.”

The Ubisoft CEO was additionally questioned concerning the environmental impacts of blockchain tech, one thing which is commonly highlighted by players who usually confuse energy-intensive Proof-of-Work (PoW) chains because the business customary for all initiatives.

Guillemot famous that whereas he’s “very cautious” concerning the environmental impacts of the sector, he’s optimistic that these points will likely be ironed out over time.

“Like so many issues, in the beginning it is not so good as it might be, however like different new applied sciences they are going to discover the correct manner.”