In Dead by Daylight there is currently trouble among the players. The reason lies in an announcement from developer Behaviour. They plan to allow the purchase of NFT models of Pinhead for real money in the future. MeinMMO summarizes why there is excitement about it.
What does NFT actually mean? NFT stands for “Non-Fungible Token” and refers to a digitally protected object. This can be pretty much anything from an image or a model to a clip. They are based on a recorded string of characters that is not interchangeable or copyable.
This means, for example, memes are marked as unique and are therefore traceable to their owner. One can buy such NFTs in certain areas these days, and the principle is also comparable to trading cards.
Now they are also making their way into Dead by Daylight. As the developers have announced, players will be able to buy NFT models of Pinhead from the Hellraiser Chapter in the future.
BHVR states: “Behaviour has collaborated with Boss Protocol for several months to adapt in-game models for use as NFTs, and approved them before Pinhead was released in DbD.”
Players are generally not reacting positively to this step.
NFT for collectibles and “possible” NFTs in the future
What does the purchase bring? According to the developers, purchasing a Pinhead NFT brings “unique digital collectibles and […] additional benefits, such as rewarding certain owners with signed collectibles and other advantages that will be revealed and delivered in the future.”
Moreover, there is still uncertainty regarding the usefulness of the NFTs. Apparently, there will be more NFTs in the future that owners of a Pinhead NFT will have access to. When this will be and what they will be is not specified. (via bossprotocol.io)
It seems there are different rarity levels like in loot boxes: common, rare, and ultra-rare.
How does it work? This is still very vague. The NFT is offered on the Boss Protocol website. There, you will find a description and a roadmap for the NFT’s contents. The NFT boxes must be purchased using blockchain and provide a generated collection of NFTs, which also grants access to content in Dead by Daylight.
It says in the FAQ:
Certain Pinhead NFTs unlock access to Hellraiser collectibles, and all entitle their owners (at a later date) to the free acquisition of additional NFTs (like the Lament Configuration Box). The Pinhead NFT will also grant access to new content (that has nothing to do with Dead by Daylight) in the future. For example, the Pinhead NFT will allow owners to unlock the character in other games that are currently in development.
FAQ, bossprotocol.io
Specifically, one choice of words makes players suspicious. There is talk of “certain Pinheads” that provide access to Hellraiser collectibles. In other words: Not every Pinhead offers these collectibles, so one has to somewhat rely on luck with the purchase and draw the right Pinhead.
Moreover, there is talk of games not even announced yet, in which Pinhead can be unlocked with the NFT. Much remains very unclear and not known in detail.
The Pinhead NFT even has its own dialogue lines with the character’s voice actor. Some players even suspect that Pinhead lost his voice in the game for this reason. BHVR denied that.
Boss Protocol also states:
We believe that NFTs, especially the kind we are working on, are an exciting new type of collectible that can open the door to all kinds of possibilities for providing real ownership of digital content. All NFTs we develop will offer content, physical goods, and unique access, about which we would like to tell you more.
FAQ, bossprotocol.io
The reactions in the community indicate that the NFTs are not such welcomed collectibles.
Players are angry, even a former developer speaks out
Why are players reacting so critically? NFTs have a tough standing among players. They have a somewhat bad reputation, as they have played a role in some fraudulent cases:
- One of the recent cases involves numerous people who invested their fortune in virtual NFT apes. The developer defrauded them of 2.3 million €
- A streamer also discovered that a site was selling his Twitch clips for 590 € – without his consent
- The amount of money that can be made is shown by streamer indiefoxx – who is now selling NFTs for 300 € and more
NFTs must also be purchased with the cryptocurrency Ethereum. This form of currency is regarded as harmful to the environment, as mining cryptocurrency consumes an incredible amount of electricity. Thus, there are numerous controversies and skepticism among players is high.
Additionally, the announcement from Valve circulated that they would remove games from the platform that are based on cryptocurrency and similar techniques. NFTs fall under this. Therefore, there was concern that DbD could disappear from Steam.
At least regarding that point, the developers have stated: DbD will remain on Steam. NFTs are not offered directly in the game, so this is not a problem. Nevertheless, players are not excited at all, as seen in the subreddit for DbD. (via reddit.com)
Here are some voices from the community:
- EtonSAtom: “This whole thing is opaque and damn suspicious, NFTs are generally a scam, […].” (via reddit)
- DavThoma: “Many people are upset about this, and rightly so. Considering how far climate change has already progressed, most people don’t want to support anything that harms the environment.” (via reddit)
- Wild_Smurf: “I think it [the criticism] is less about these NFTs being a scam in particular, but more about all NFTs being a scam.” (via reddit)
Even former DbD developer McLean speaks out on Twitter and criticizes the action:
I am strongly opposed to the spread of NFTs and extremely disappointed that the game I love is associated with them.
via Twitter
However, there are also voices in the community that don’t find it all that bad. For example, epicandetc2234 writes: “It’s okay to be angry about this. I am too, but try not to freak out too much. It really has no impact on the game, but I understand if people still want to be angry on principle. Screw NFTs. I love beautiful trees.”
So far, the developers haven’t commented further on the topic. Whether they will reconsider the NFT initiative remains to be seen.
