French trade union criticises Ubisoft Quartz as "a useless, costly, ecologically mortifying tech" Eurogamer.net If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. French trade union criticises Ubisoft Quartz as "a useless, costly, ecologically mortifying tech" Devs unhappy with NFTs. News by Ed Nightingale News reporter Updated on 16 Dec 2021 34 comments A French trade union representing Ubisoft Paris staff members has heavily criticised the company's move into blockchain technology. Last week Ubisoft announced its new NFT platform, Quartz, for unique items in AAA games it promises will run on "energy-efficient technology". However, in a statement shared on Twitter, trade union Solidaires Informatique called blockchain "a useless, costly, ecologically mortifying tech". Watch on YouTube "Ubisoft has recently entered the blockchain and Non-Fungible Tokens (NFT) market. A decision that has been widely criticised by our players, bringing no improvements or benefits to our games," reads the statement. "Many of us in the company feel the same way and say that blockchain is harmful, worthless, and without future." UBISOFT and NFTBlockchain is a useless, costly, ecologically mortifying tech which doesn't bring anything to videogames. pic.twitter.com/H3LPS94Q5y- Solidaires Informatique Jeu Vidéo (@SolInfoJeuVideo) December 14, 2021 To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Manage cookie settings The union states that NFTs bring nothing to the video game industry. "You like dividends, subprimes, financial derivatives, crises, speculation, fast trading, money laundering, etc? This is the assured and unspoken promise of NFT. We are far from the enjoyment of videogames," the statement continues. So far the technology has been used as a "simple shop between players" and blockchain's innovation "is to do the same but inefficiently using energy". The use of NFTs and blockchain technology has been "questioned and denounced internally" at Ubisoft Paris, according to the statement. "We don't have concrete statistics, but in the internal Ubisoft forum, the announcement of NFTs was widely commented on, with something like a five percent ratio of positive comments. The rest were negative," Solidaires Informatique chapter rep Marc Rutschlé told PC Gamer. Rutschlé is a senior designer on Ghost Recon Breakpoint. "[Ubisoft CEO] Yves Guillemot made a video conference this morning to support the NFT project. I am not sure how many people attended the meeting ([Ubisoft Paris is] around 700+-plus people). Some friends checked and found four people who were happy. The rest were negative comments/questions. Devs are not happy." The use of NFTs has been heavily criticised by players and the media, despite more and more developers using the technology. Stalker 2 will include a "metaverse" of NFTs, while EA and Peter Molyneux are also exploring blockchain tech. Become a Eurogamer subscriber and get your first month for £1 Get your first month for £1 (normally £3.99) when you buy a Standard Eurogamer subscription. Enjoy ad-free browsing, merch discounts, our monthly letter from the editor, and show your support with a supporter-exclusive comment flair! Support us View supporter archive More News Google announces cloud gaming Chromebooks less than a fortnight after Stadia shutdown GeForce Now preinstalled. 4 Atari will hold RollerCoaster Tycoon rights for another decade Ups and downs. 7 Lady Dimitrescu will be a tad smaller in Resident Evil Village's Mercenaries DLC Level the playing field. 1 Overwatch 2 suffers another DDoS attack and character roster bugs Mei Mei. 13 Latest Articles Digital Foundry Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090: a new level in graphics performance The Digital Foundry video review - and how the new GPU champion delivers for 4K 120fps gaming. Feature Evercore Heroes wants to wind people up the right way "There's less rage at them, because they didn't end your fun." Google announces cloud gaming Chromebooks less than a fortnight after Stadia shutdown GeForce Now preinstalled. 4 Genshin Impact Path of Gleaming Jade dates, login event rewards Including other anniversary rewards and how to claim them. Supporters Only Premium only Off Topic: Take a minute to appreciate Cookin' with Coolio's incredible scallops recipe. What a great book. Premium only Off Topic: Reading City of Glass in comic form "Where exactly am I going?" Premium only Off Topic: Il Buco is a transporting film about a really big hole Underlands. Off-Topic Netflix handled Sandman brilliantly It was Dreamy. 9 Buy things with globes on them And other lovely Eurogamer merch in our official store! Explore our store