Gaming companies are always looking for new ways to engage with gamers and energize their players. Ubisoft has decided to do this by venturing into the world of NFTs. Although for many, NFTs are strange pieces of digital art that people spend an inexplicable amount of money on, strong communities have formed around them.
Ubisoft's NFT project, termed Ubisoft Quartz, turns in-game cosmetics into collectible NFTs, allowing players to have truly unique assets to show off with. However, Ubisoft's announcement of their NFT support has not been universally well-received. While some see Ubisoft Quartz as an innovative way for gamers to own their in-game assets, others see it as another means for gaming companies to exploit gamers.
What are NFTs?
NFT stands for non-fungible token; a weird word, but it has taken art and tech circles by storm. NFTs are a form of cryptocurrency, much like bitcoin, and they make use of blockchains. Blockchain helps to verify the uniqueness of NFTs through the way they store information. Data is housed in groups known as blocks, and each block has a set capacity. When a block is filled, it links to previous blocks to form a chain. With this chain of blocks, there is an unbroken, unique timeline of information that cannot be reversed. It is this immutability that makes an NFT non-fungible, meaning that it cannot be replaced with an identical asset.
NFTs are useful for content creators who wish to sell non-replicable art in a digital landscape. Those who purchase an NFT know that their asset is unique and only one of its kind exists, making them attractive to collectors. In much the same way that limited-edition sneakers or Hot Wheels model cars can sell for astronomical prices, NFTs from established artists or public figures can be auctioned off for a lot of money. In 2021 alone, an NFT by the digital artist Beeple sold for $69.3 million.
While the idea of spending thousands or even millions on pixelated cats and monkeys may seem strange to some, in some ways it is no different than the sale of physical artworks — in addition to having a nice piece of art, they can also serve as investments, as they can be resold for a profit.
What is Ubisoft Quartz?
Ubisoft Quartz is a new platform from Ubisoft which aims to provide NFTs that can be purchased, traded, and collected. However, the company has put its own spin on it: Ubisoft claims that its NFTs are both playable and energy-efficient. According to Ubisoft, the NFTs are environmentally friendly because Tezos will be used, which is a blockchain that claims to consume less power than blockchains used by other cryptocurrencies. Though the NFTs can be used in-game, Ubisoft claims that they are purely cosmetic.
These NFTs, which Ubisoft calls Digits, will be integrated into various Ubisoft games. The first game to support Digits is Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint on PC. To use Digits in the game, players must be over 18 and must reach experience level 5 in-game. Digits launched on December 9, and free ones can be picked up on December 9, 12, and 15 for those who wish to be the first to jump on the bandwagon. Among the first Digits to be released is the Wolf Enhanced Helmet A, which can be claimed by accumulating global playtime of 600 hours or more, and Wolf Enhanced Pants which can be acquired by completing 100 hours of global playtime.
Part of Ubisoft's selling point for Digits is that they are unique and released in limited editions, making them an exclusive product. To ensure that each Digit is unique, they will come with a serial number, and they are capable of remembering the name of the owner for years. Ubisoft Quartz is not available in all regions yet.
Why is Ubisoft Quartz Controversial?
Upon launching the announcement trailer for Ubisoft Quartz, the video received a mountain of dislikes, leading to Ubisoft delisting the video. Hence, while Ubisoft may be excited to launch this project, not all gamers feel the same way.
Many players fear that Ubisoft may be starting an unfavorable trend within gaming. With NFTs, gaming companies will have yet another avenue to monetize gamers and entice them to pay for additional bells and whistles for games that they have already purchased. Much like microtransactions, some simply see it as another instance of capitalistic influences encroaching into the gaming experience. However, due to the limited availability and uniqueness of each NFT, and the fact that they can be traded, they have the potential to be far more expensive than typical microtransactions.
The lack of regulation surrounding NFTs makes them an easy means of money laundering. Furthermore, they have the potential to have a disastrous effect on the environment. The regulation and verification of blockchains consume a lot of power, which causes NFTs to potentially have a large carbon footprint. Although Ubisoft argues that its Digits are environmentally friendly, prerequisites like requiring players to accumulate over 600 hours of gameplay may negate the energy-saving measures the company has taken.
There are some possible benefits to Ubisoft's Digits. Unlike most microtransactions, they can be sold, which means that gamers who own Digits have an asset of value. Consequently, if players get bored with their current Digits, they can always sell them off to someone else. However, this could lead to games becoming a monetary investment for some who have no interest in games but wish to collect and resell rare NFTs at exorbitant prices.
Already, other companies have voiced interest in implementing NFTs. This includes Electronic Arts, which has claimed that NFTs are an important part of gaming's future. While the idea of NFTs in gaming is still a polarizing concept, it seems that they have already wormed their way into the industry. Whether they will be accepted or rejected wholesale by gamers has yet to be seen.
Ubisoft Quartz is currently only available in the US, Canada, Spain, France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Australia, and Brazil.