No one expected this news, but Ubisoft has just announced the arrival of NFTs in video games. The first game to benefit from this is called Ghost Recon: Breakpoint.

Ubisoft Quartz: NFTs are coming to video games

For those in the know, an NFT is a so-called “fungible” cryptographic token that represents an authenticated digital object. The uniqueness of these items is ensured by the blockchain and it appears that Ubisoft wants to play a role in the exchange of NFTs in video games to profit from it.

The project was dubbed Ubisoft Quartz and is described by the company as: “A new experience for our players, built on our vision to create a greater connection between you and the gaming world you love.”

This is where you can get points, the first NFT (Fungible Token) from Ubisoft, playable in HD games and based on energy efficient technology.

So these points would correspond to items for the game such as weapons, vehicles, helmets and other pants. The first three items will arrive in the coming days for Ghost Recon: Breakpoint.

What is NFT for Video Games?

Everything and nothing at the same time. Ubisoft clarifies that NFTs will be unique cosmetic items for use in games only. Baptiste Chardon, Blockchain Product Director At Ubisoft, it detailed Ubi’s intentions on the subject.

Added to existing tools, we see blockchain as a way to put the value generated through our engagement in our games back into the hands of gamers and creators.

To do this, Ubisoft uses the Tezos blockchain technology, thanks to which the power consumption of a transaction is equivalent to 30 seconds of video streaming.

“For us, from the very beginning, it was necessary to ensure that this new experience does not unbalance the experience of our players, whether in PvP or PvE. , Ubisoft specifies that the first issues will be free and that the beta of Ubisoft Quartz will allow the publisher to learn and explore how players will interact with each other. It is in fact provided that these NFTs can be exchanged “in a safe and secure environment”.

Features of Ubisoft NFT

• 1 – Limited edition. Each issue is published as part of an edition composed of an immutable number of items. No new issue will ever be added to the current version.
• 2 – serial number. Each digit has a serial number. This serial number is displayed on collector’s items and in-game items. Only you have control of this number.
• 3 – Names of players. Each digit will also be linked to the names of the players of all its past and current owners… “Will bring you fame for years to come!” », Ubisoft specifies.

NFTs in video games? A Technique Still Controversial

Apart from the power consumption used for blockchain transactions, other criticisms aimed at NFTs concern a certain uselessness of the thing. Some players blindly view the advent of NFTs in video games and fear that brands will seize the technology to resell digital goods to vulnerable populations, sometimes at high prices.

For his part, Xbox’s boss publicly displayed his animosity towards NFTs in video games after late November. He saw this as an exploitation of the players, not as a genuine desire to discover new things.

I think we’ll take immediate action on what we see in our catalog that we see as exploitative. We don’t want to see that kind of stuff here.

On Youtube, the Ubisoft NFT presentation video received a lot of criticism. The most liked comment was also from a player who pointed out that Ubisoft is lucky that YouTube no longer displays the number of dislikes on videos. The second most popular comment is more scathing: “Imagine Ubisoft thinking about making games that people love, rather than constantly trying to print money.”, Many of you have also given us a lot of negative feedback on this announcement. Twitter,

Ubisoft clarified that this first step towards NFTs in games was just the beginning. Nicolas Pourd, director of Ubisoft’s Strategic Innovation Lab, explained in early December that “blockchain has the potential to bring greater balance to the developer-player relationship.”

By bringing exclusivity and ownership to virtual environments, blockchain rebalances the relationship in favor of players who have more control over what they are, own, or create, whether it’s their character, the house they build, or their inventory. provides. Every element of their history, in essence, becomes their property. They should therefore be able to be treated like any real-life item, including reselling them and benefiting from the value that results from the time or skill required to produce or obtain them.