Crypto enthusiasts rejoice as gamers show skepticism
Ubisoft, the game’s publisher behind triple-A titles such as Assassins Creed and Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon, have announced Ubisoft Quartz. An NFT marketplace platform running on the Tezos blockchain that lets players purchase and receive in-game items in the form of NFTs, which they can own, sell, and trade.
Ubisoft will initially launch Quartz in beta on December 9th. The NFT marketplace will only support the PC version of Ghost Recon Breakpoint, the latest release in the tactical shooter franchise. In the future Quartz is likely to expand to more games, while support for gaming consoles could potentially be an option.
The news had a positive impact on the price of XTZ, Tezos’ native token. The token saw increased demand, shooting up over 37% in the last 24-hours.
Ubisoft is no stranger to crypto or blockchain, having openly supported and invested in blockchain game startups over the last couple of years. Now, it plans to take operations to the next level in becoming the first major game publisher to fully embrace NFTs. Moreover, Ubisoft has already worked with numerous crypto startups through its Entrepreneurs Lab accelerator program and supported leading blockchain game projects like Axie Infinity, Nine Chronicles, and NBA Top Shot.
Ubisoft is calling its NFT drops Digits and plans to release free NFTs for early adopters on December 9, 12, and 15, with further drops planned for 2022. Quartz is due to launch in beta on December 9 in the USA, Canada, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Brazil, and Australia. Additionally, only players who have already reached XP level 5 in Ghost Recon Breakpoint can access the NFT drops. Potentially, this could cause a rush of players to the platform.
Players will also need to be at least 18 years old to create a Tezos wallet for use with the game. The game itself carries an 18+ age rating, so that shouldn’t be a problem.
Crypto enthusiasts rejoice as gamers complain
While the news is certainly positive for the blockchain and NFT space, the gaming community isn’t quite so happy about the announcement, showing early signs of skepticism. The above video trailer about Quartz appeared on Youtube on December 7, 2021, with angry gamers quick to communicate their feelings in the comments section. However, there does seem to be a thread of misunderstanding running through the comments that indicate some gamers have no idea what NFTs can do for them as players, and not just for a game publisher’s revenues.
About Tezos
Tezos can output around 200 transactions per second, while Ethereum supports 15 transactions per second, and Bitcoin only 4,6. Tezos’ Proof-of-Stake mechanism also requires significantly less energy and cost to operate, making it an ideal alternative platform for building eco-friendly blockchain applications. The fast transaction speed, low gas fees, and the self-amending features of the blockchain make it very flexible in terms of dapp development. At the same time, its green credentials place it favorably as a network for in-game NFTs.
In their announcement video, Ubisoft puts lots of focus on the little environmental impact their new NFTs have. In recent months video game consumers have ridiculed blockchain and NFT technology for being ‘energy-consuming, world-destroying, Ponzi schemes’. A type of hate-driven by millions of dollars going into JPEG trading on the Ethereum blockchain. However, in gaming NFTs have utility, and these assets exist on less-energy consuming or environmentally friendly blockchain solutions like Tezos, Wax, and Flow.
Play-to-Earn
In November, and for the first time, play-to-earn dapps surpassed $1 billion in NFT trading volume, growing 71% month-over-month. Blockchain-based metaverse projects became as valuable as ever; the market cap for virtual world dapps reached an all-time high, surpassing $4.6 billion at the end of November. There’s a shift occurring in focus and attention as big game developers eye up play-to-earn game mechanics as a way to bring more people into the industry, harness collective creativity, and decentralize operations at some level. 2022 is going to be very interesting indeed.
The above does not constitute investment advice. The information given here is purely for informational purposes only. Please exercise due diligence and do your research. The writer holds positions in ETH, BTC, ENS, FTM, IMX, FLOW, GRT, OMI, GALA, and CDC.
