Former Nintendo Boss Wants This Franchise To Embrace NFTs
It seems as though the conversation around blockchain, crypto, and NFTs in the gaming space isn't going away anytime soon. As other video game companies attempt to figure out a way to implement these ideas and monetization strategies in their games without massive backlash, former Nintendo boss Reggie Fils-Aimé has said that he is a believer in the technology. Companies like Ubisoft caused an uproar around NFTs in games, but during a SXSW panel, Fils-Aimé stated that he thinks blockchain and NFTs are the future of gaming.
"I say this as a player where I may have invested 50 hours into a game, 100 hours into a game, or there are some games where I've invested 300 hours... when I'm ready to move on to something else, wouldn't it be great to monetize what I built?" Fils-Aimé said.
While he no longer works at Nintendo, Fils-Aimé used "Animal Crossing: New Horizons" as an example, saying that after he was done playing the game, he could sell his island to another player, earning money based on the time and effort he put into the game. Unfortunately, gamers aren't too happy about these comments.
Gamers aren't convinced by NFTs and the blockchain as the future of games
In a Reddit post discussing Fils-Aimé's comments, fans expressed the different reasons why they don't want NFTs or blockchain implemented in games. One fan said that they just want to relax in a virtual world and not have to worry about any markets or money, saying the "Animal Crossing: New Horizons" turnip market was even too much for them. Another fan pointed out that even if a gaming company wanted to have a real-money marketplace within a game, that could be done without NFTs or the blockchain, similar to the auction house "Diablo 3" launched with.
"Blockchain is stupid and bad for the environment. I get that you want money, but there are better ways. Continuing to make a non-blockchain Animal Crossing, for example. That's a great way to make money," radewagon wrote.
Fils-Aimé did end his thought by saying that whatever the implementation of the blockchain and NFTs into games is going to be, it needs to make sense from a player perspective. Considering all the pushback against these things in games, it doesn't seem like any company has figured that out just yet.
Nintendo continues to dominate the non-NFT marketplace, though. "Nintendo Switch Sports" players are throwing controllers into TVs like its 2006 — and having a great time doing it — and "Mario Strikers: Battle League” releases next month.