In a brand new interview with Bloomberg, Sega’s co-Chief Working Officer Shuji Utsumi says the corporate is abandoning plans to develop blockchain video games in the meanwhile. In accordance with a GDC survey from earlier this yr solely 23% of recreation builders are inquisitive about utilizing cryptocurrency or blockchain expertise of their video games.
Sega gained’t make blockchain video games however will license some characters for NFTs.
Chatting with Bloomberg Information, Utsumi mentioned that Sega is re-evaluating its use of blockchain, crypto, and associated play-to-earn recreation mechanics as a result of “The motion in play-to-earn video games is boring, what’s the purpose if video games are not any enjoyable?” Whereas it’s shifting away from using blockchain in its top-tier franchises, Sega will enable some characters for use as NFTs, together with Virtua Fighter and Three Kingdoms characters. The corporate can even supply “lesser franchises” to be used in a number of blockchain video games which have but to be introduced.
Though Sega will not embody blockchain in its most high-profile video games Utsumi, who informed Bloomberg final month that Sega isn’t inquisitive about any acquisition talks, didn’t rule out revisiting the expertise down the road. He additionally refused to touch upon whether or not blockchain expertise can be utilized in Sega’s mysterious “tremendous recreation” slate of big-budget releases scheduled for 2026. Regardless of earlier optimism at Sega about using blockchain and different web3 tech, Utsumi informed Bloomberg the corporate is now “wanting into whether or not this expertise is actually going to take off on this business, in any case.”
Regardless of Sega’s hesitance concerning the expertise, different gaming firms could also be going all in on web3 options. It was just lately revealed that Sony patented a system for transferring and buying and selling PlayStation NFTs, exhibiting that console makers might embrace the tech even when builders don’t. The usage of blockchain and different web3 expertise in video games has been a sore spot for a lot of gamers in recent times, resulting in important pushback, but it surely appears it gained’t disappear anytime quickly so long as builders and publishers see potential earnings in its use.