If you’ve been online at any point in the last few months, you’ve no doubt heard all sorts of talk about blockchain and NFTs, and now even game publisher Ubisoft wants to get in on the act. In a recent earnings call, Ubisoft CEO Guillemot detailed the French publisher’s plan to become a key player in the NFT-Blockchain space by developing earning games.
Basically, play-to-earn games are exactly what they sound like – by playing the game, players will be able to earn NFTs/cryptocurrency. While it’s not a concept that other major publishers have embraced, Ubisoft may be the first to notice it. As opposed to actually earning currency, the idea behind Play to Earn is to allow players to earn and own content.
Ubisoft plans to experiment with earning games in the near future
“As you can see, this industry is constantly changing, there are many new revolutions. We see blockchain as one of those revolutions,” said Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot. “It will mean there will be more money to earn, allowing more players to actually earn content, own content, and we think this will drive a significant growth for the industry.”
Guillemot also added that Ubisoft is working with smaller companies on the blockchain to map the space and figure out exactly how to impact the industry. Steam recently took a stance on blockchain, crypto, and NFTs by banning them from their platform, but Epic, on the other hand, has been quite receptive to the idea.
The Epic Games Store has opened the door to cryptocurrencies and NFTs on its digital storefronts, so maybe there really is a market for this in the gaming industry. Ubisoft has reportedly been exploring blockchain for some time now, and the Strategic Innovation Lab has been experimenting with cryptocurrencies and blockchain since 2018.