Ubisoft has officially unveiled Champions Tactics, the first game from the developer that will utilize blockchain technology. The gaming industry has been slowly leaning into this trend, with other companies like Square Enix and Sega also pushing web3 into future projects.
The crypto space has been slowly leaking into the gaming industry for some time now. Despite rough periods for NFT and various cryptocoin users over the last year, several major gaming developers are still keen to see if there is a future for things like blockchain within the world of video games. Ubisoft is set to become one of the first AAA studios in the world to fully immerse itself in this world as it has recently unveiled its very first title that will utilize blockchain technology, Champions Tactics.
The first teaser for Champions Tactics: Grimoria Chronicles hit the internet recently and will likely generate a decent amount of talk within the crypto space, especially among those hoping to see a resurgence after the massive plummet in the value of things like NFTs. The description of the first teaser describes Champions Tactics as a "brand new PVP Tactical RPG experimental game." The video itself doesn't give any further information as to what exactly that description entails, or how the blockchain tech factors into that.
The blockchain that Champions Tactics will run on is called Oasys. The website for Oasys describes it as a "revolutionary, decentralised blockchain video gaming platform that puts real power in gamers and developers’ hands." The platform has partnerships that extend outside of Ubisoft to other major companies like Square Enix, Sega, and Bandai Namco. All of these companies have projects in the work that will utilize Oasys in some form or another, but Ubisoft is the company that seems currently most ready to push its blockchain game out the door.
Many gaming companies are attempting to push into web3 at the moment, promising an industry future full of blockchain implementation, but those promises have been met with negative feedback from many. Companies like Square Enix have angered fans by minting NFTs in the past, and the new CEO seems even more intent to continue to push the developer towards this kind of technology. Really, whether the blockchain has any future in the industry will ultimately come down to whether or not it can be utilized in a game that players actually want to play. Champions Tactics may be the last word on this, or it may just be the prototype that is built on top of in the future.
Champions Tactics: Grimoria Chronicles is currently in development for PC.