Ubisoft is the first major publisher in the West to embrace the controversial new technology “NFT”. They are introducing it as a microtransaction in their shooter “Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint”. The NFTs are meant to be collectible items with engraved serial numbers that can also be sold.
This is Ubisoft’s plan:
- “Quartz” is to be Ubisoft’s own platform for NFTs, through which Ubisoft wants to incorporate “unique items” into their AAA games. The “NFT technology” is intended to transform the items into limited digital objects that are “certified genuine” and therefore have a certain collectible value.
- The first game to use this technology is “Ghost Recon Breakpoint”: A shooter, that flopped quite badly at launch in 2019, but Ubisoft has continued to work on it since then.
- In the game, the NFTs are supposed to function as “Digits” – these are digital objects. The special twist: The items are not tied to the player’s inventory, but are tradable.
How do the new NFT items work in the game? In a trailer, Ubisoft presents the idea of how “Digits” work in Ghost Recon Breakpoint.
In principle, they are the evolution of “normal” cosmetic items that you acquire in the cash shop. Ubisoft emphasizes that the items will not affect gameplay.
The special thing about the NFT items is that they come with an engraved serial number that can be seen from the outside. The items are also supposed to be sellable, and there should be a digital history that shows who has owned them in the past.
Ubisoft says: “This is just the beginning.”
When will the items arrive exactly? Initially, three items for Ghost Recon Breakpoint are planned to be released on December 9th, 12th, and 15th. You must play Ghost Recon Breakpoint via Ubisoft Connect on Windows, reach Level 5, and be at least 18 years old.
The offer currently applies only to the USA, Canada, Spain, France, Italy, Belgium, Australia, Brazil, and indeed Germany. It is not possible in the UK.
Ubisoft says its technology is “energy-efficient”
This is Ubisoft’s response to the criticism that is sure to come: A common argument against NFTs is often the enormous environmental impact, as NFTs are seen as huge energy consumers and therefore as environmentally harmful.
Ubisoft anticipated the criticism and explains that the technology they use is “energy-efficient”. They employ a technique that is less energy-hungry than Bitcoin or Ethereum. They use “Tezos”.
“A transaction on their network consumes the same energy as streaming a video for 30 seconds, whereas the previous generation of blockchain networks could consume as much energy as streaming continuously for a year,” says the head of blockchain technology at Ubisoft.
What does Ubisoft say is so great about it? Ubisoft lapses a bit into promotional language on the subject:
“Digits are high-quality in-game collectibles with an active utility value. As playable cosmetic items, Digits offer players the opportunity to personalize their experience and complete missions with style.”
Ubisoft
“The day Ubisoft decided to become completely evil”
What is the reaction? The US video for the initiative has 782 likes on over 105,000 views. YouTube has made the “dislike” option no longer visible.
But one user says: Through a plug-in, he can still see the “thumbs down”, and there are already over 13,000 dislikes.
In any case, the comments are negative:
- “This is the day Ubisoft decided to become completely evil.”
- “I don’t even need to see the dislikes; I can feel them.”
- “Imagine if Ubisoft actually cared about developing games that people like instead of just trying to print infinite money.”
- “For me, this is just a signal that they are trying to milk every penny from the “Ghost Recon” brand while investing only minimal effort into the games themselves.”
“One step too far”
Parts of the US press react allergically to the topic of “NFT”. The site Kotaku writes: “Ubisoft is the first major publisher to tarnish its games with NFTs.”
PC Gamer sounds a bit more conciliatory. They simply write: “Ubisoft is starting to sell NFTs in the form of helmets with tiny numbers.”
On Reddit, there is an initial thread titled “Don’t support Quartz, the new NFT Ubisoft marketplace.” The thread has already received over 11,100 upvotes and is a passionate plea that the technology is “customer unfriendly.” It is feared that soon all good cosmetics will only be NFTs – only those who can afford them will be able to have the cool stuff.
The technology would lead to more resources being allocated to cosmetics and not to the quality of games. For years, the gaming industry has been working with loot boxes and microtransactions. NFTs are a step too far.
We have thoroughly addressed the topic of NFT at MeinMMO:
NFT is the new trend in gaming in 2021, companies are worth billions $ – But why?
