What does Ubisoft’s crypto plans mean for the studio’s games?
Ubisoft singled out its plans for making blockchain games in its earnings release. According to the publisher’s press release, Ubisoft is giving “the global leader in branded blockchain gaming”, Animoca Brands, funding for blockchain and NFT games. In addition to this, Ubisoft is also one of the founding members of the Blockchain Game Alliance. Ubisoft has also been one of the most staunch supporters of the said technology for years. With Ubisoft CFO Frédérick Duguet referring to the blockchain as a “revolution” during the earnings call, one can’t help but wonder what it means for future Ubisoft titles. So far, Duguet and Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot appears to have conflicting statements. The latter indicated that Ubisoft might utilize blockchain technology in its games down the line. On the other hand, the former confirmed that Ubisoft wants to invest in companies that are involved in blockchain technology, while it works on its games. It will be interesting to see the outcome of Ubisoft’s latest move. We reckon it won’t endear more audiences to them. Blockchain and NFTs, as well as every related technology, have been the subject of much controversy in recent years. Many critics have decried the negative environmental impact of the said technology while others believe that the NFT industry is a sham that’s prone to scams. If it’s any consolation, Duguet did address the importance of learning what kind of impact its investment will have on the environment and that the publisher is still in the very early stages. But if you’re curious to find out what the future of Ubisoft games could look like, all you need to do is to look at Animoca Brands’ games. In other news, Ubisoft recently announced its plans to launch a live-service Assassin’s Creed game in the future. The publisher also recently delayed the next big The Division 2 update and Ghost Recon Frontline beta, the latter of which indefinitely. We also learned during the same earnings call that Ubisoft is going to launch more DLCs for Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla before its current fiscal year ends on March 31, 2022.
