Square Enix want an NFT and blockchain future Rock Paper Shotgun Support us Join our newsletter Visit our store Sign in / Create account If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. Square Enix president says NFTs and blockchain are the future of fun Contribute to a token economy! Have a good time! News by Ed Thorn Senior Staff Writer Published on Jan. 4, 2022 72 comments Square Enix have ushered in the new year with a joyous message for those who play games to "have fun". Sorry, but those who "play to earn" are key to their business model going forwards. NFTs, blockchain, and the 'metaverse' are the future of fun. Whatever that means. In a New Year's letter, Square Enix's president Yosuke Matsuda expressed the company's enthusiasm for eye-rolling tech like NFTs and blockchain and the metaverse. He does touch on cloud and AI gaming, but a large portion of his gushing is reserved for "token economies". Watch on YouTube Matsuda acknowledges that the majority of those opposed to "play to earn" trends are people who "play to have fun". Even so, he believes that those who "play to earn" are key to their dystopian future. Namely that these players will let them leverage user-generated content (UGC) and monetise it through blockchain tokens. He says that the lack of rewards for UGC is "one reason that there haven't been as many major game-changing content that were user generated as one would expect". Thing is, if we're talking about those who "play to contribute", like modders for example, then it's not so much the lack of rewards that's the issue here. Obviously Squeenix dont consist entirely of Final Fantasy, but let's take this series as a prime example of their limited mod tools and mod support. The main Final Fantasy XV mods you'll find are dresses. Compare this to games like Skyrim, Half-Life, or Minecraft, where players can create entire new questlines, game modes, and silliness. Through blockchain-based tokens, Squeenix hope to "enable self-sustaining game growth" and create an ecosystem they refer to as "decentralised gaming". Riiight. To be honest with you Matsuda, I'd rather have "fun" playing your games. What isn't fun is spending Fantasy Tokens on a jpeg of a non-fungible Chocobo that's partly responsible for messing up planet Earth. Obviously, this all sucks. But what sucks even more is that Squeenix are aware it sucks. Matsuda knows that many players don't want it to happen, but they're going ahead with these plans anyway. It couldn't be clearer that this is for the benefit of the company more than the players. So, what is Matsuda's plan? Well, he doesn't seem to know either. He doesn't explain how they're going to nurture this token-y ecosystem or fire up the 'ol self-sustaining engines. He simply says that the company "will keep a close eye on societal shifts in this space while listening to the many groups of users that populate it, and ramp up our efforts to develop a business accordingly, with an eye to potentially issuing our own tokens in the future." It's all a load of investor-pleasing buzzwords. Sadly, Squeenix have joined a growing roster of video game publishers who believe that NFTs, the blockchain, and the many metaverses are part of the future of gaming-or a future beneficial to them, at least. Ubisoft, EA, and Take-Two all expressed their interest in the misery. Peter Molyneux's upcoming game is a "blockchain business simulator", too. And Epic bought Harmonix to work in their metaverse. Please, make it stop. More News Jack King-Spooner's next handcrafted game has a teaser demo out Judero brings chat and action in the Scottish Borders Alice O'Connor 17 hours ago 1 If you were hoping for any Overwatch 2 balance changes then you'll have to wait until season two The next season begins in December CJ Wheeler 18 hours ago 3 The Dead Space remake will chuck random Necromorphs at you as you wander the Ishimura In space, no one can hear you proper bricking it CJ Wheeler 18 hours ago 8 Valve register mysterious new Neon Prime trademark in the US It doesn’t seem to be for a particularly colourful Steam Deck CJ Wheeler 20 hours ago 11 Latest Articles What are we all playing this weekend? Well? Alice O'Connor an hour ago 22 Past Wordle answers Here's an archive of previous Wordle words Ollie Toms 2 hours ago 1 Wordle answer today (Saturday 15 October) Hints and the answer to today's Wordle word Rebecca Jones 9 hours ago Overwatch 2 hero tier list Which are the best heroes in Overwatch 2? Ollie Toms 16 hours ago Supporters Only You're probably better than me at One Many Nobody You go on without… uh, you? Sin Vega 17 hours ago Supporter podcast - The Nate Files episode 13: dry bones Bad science is also FUN science! Alice Bell 18 hours ago Japanese dating show Love Wagon has surprising parallels with Yakuza and Persona My new obsession Ed Thorn 2 days ago If you're hankering after Bayonetta 3, Valkyrie Elysium might be a good substitute It's not out on PC until next month, but the console demo has been a surprise charmer Katharine Castle 1 week ago 4 We've been talking, and we think that you should wear clothes Total coincidence, but we sell some clothes Buy RPS stuff here