It Seems Ubisoft Needs A Fresh Reminder Of The NFT Backlash

When something becomes a source of profit, for better or worse the focus is on making as much money as possible. And at the end of the day, gaming is the same. Even more so recently, as it has become a lot more business-oriented. I do not condemn the desire for profit, but it needs to be justified by quality content, not by some sleazy tactics. So, let me ask you this, what do you think is the most blatant cash-grab attempt in modern gaming?

If you ask me, it has to be the NFTs. Misusage of the live-service formula just to make cash is a close second, but at least good live-service games exist, something I can never say for NFTs. I always found it a shady concept and steered clear of it, but experiencing it in gaming assured me nothing good could come out of it. And I believe this feeling is shared by many of you. Then why are some companies like Ubisoft so dead set on feeding us more NFTs?

Immutable 🤝 Ubisoft's Strategic Innovation Lab

Immutable, the leading web3 gaming platform, is joining forces with Ubisoft's Strategic Innovation Lab to create a new gaming experience to further unlock benefits for players through the power of web3.

This is another significant… pic.twitter.com/x3XvHwP0Zd

— Immutable (@Immutable) November 9, 2023

Ubisoft Is Into NFTs… Again

Just when I thought the NFT craze was over, here comes Ubisoft with a renewed interest in this “modern Ponzi scheme.” Ubisoft has announced a partnership with the Web3 platform Immutable and will continue to support NFT gaming. We don’t know what sort of abominations we’re going to see from Ubisoft in the future, but it is safe to say the gaming company has learned nothing from all the NFT crashes and backlash.

Besides this partnership, Ubisoft has other plans to commemorate this newfound interest too. The first nightmare is Champions Tactics, a new NFT game from Ubisoft. Not many details are known yet, but it is a tactical RPG that is purely PVP. You can purchase heroes in the form of NFTs to battle it out. Do you see how interesting this game is? Whoever has the most cash and fancy unit wins! Yeah, this is what Ubisoft has now.

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byu/mbdtf95 from discussion
inCryptoCurrency

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inCryptoCurrency

I don’t see a speck of creativity in this whatsoever and many people agree. Once you purchase a unit, no one else can. And how long will this “unique heroes” lineup last? Assuming anyone sticks to this that long. When will Ubisoft understand that a game without any soul simply designed to prey on the gullible will never be profitable for too long, and will only incur the wrath of those tricked into getting it? And this is not Ubisoft’s first shot at the NFT scheme, either.

Did Ubisoft Learn Nothing From Quartz’s Failure?

Back when gaming companies thought NFT was the future of gaming and would earn us a ton of money, Ubisoft was among those ready to jump into it. For this purpose, a new platform was created, Ubisoft Quartz. It was to serve as a central hub for all the Ubisoft NFTs. This not only introduced NFTs in Ubisoft’s products but also meant that more of this is coming. As much as I was horrified, I was internally relieved when the enormous backlash arrived.

Dear Ubisoft – F*** You and your NFTs
byu/EvilSpirit666 inpcgaming

Ubisoft thought it was creating a platform to host NFTs, but it ended up “hosting” fans’ unstoppable wrath instead. And why shouldn’t they, it is a flawed and predatory formula that can be downright insulting to players not in possession of the said NFT. Add security concerns on top and you’re practically asking players to throw away their money for the sake of something that can become worth less than scrap in an instant. The backlash and utter failure of this plan were honestly relieving.

Do not support “Quartz”, the new NFT Ubisoft marketplace
by ingaming

I’m just glad it came sooner rather than later and forced Ubisoft to reconsider. After all that backlash, Ubisoft took a rather defensive stance, saying that this was merely an experiment to test the waters for NFT gaming. And thus, the thankfully short life of Ubisoft Quartz came to an end. After Ubisoft admitted this was not working, I thought the worst was behind us and the company learned its lesson, but it seems I was wrong as the nightmare is back.

Were Ghost Recon Breakpoint And Assassin’s Creed NFTs Not Traumatic Enough?

If it was a brand new venture by Ubisoft, I probably wouldn’t have been annoyed that much, but this nightmare came at the cost of beloved IPs, which, regardless of their present state, were dear to me and I was heartbroken to see them fall prey to these nasty tactics. The first victim that Ubisoft chose to promote this Quartz initiative was Ghost Recon Breakpoint. But, fans didn’t take “fancy NFT helmets to drain your pockets” very well, and I believe the backlash was necessary to deliver a message.

NFTs are great and we should all… I can’t do this. Even though I was lucky enough to get this free vest from Quartz, the fact that Ubisoft has implemented this system astonishes me.
byu/pieisgiood876 inGhostRecon

I generally support a less aggressive solution, but this was the need of the hour. What’s worse is that it didn’t stop there. Ubisoft also tried to massacre Assassin’s Creed and the creative Rabbids IP with this NFT nonsense, but that wasn’t very long-lasting. With all this, you can get an idea of how many times Ubisoft tried the same stupid move and was met with a harsh reception every time. Is that not enough of a sign that this is not the way to go?

My response to the guy buying the new NFTs
byu/PrestigiousZombie531 inGhostRecon

Yet, here we are. It seems there’s no persuading someone when it comes to making money. What frightens me is what else will Ubisoft ruin with this fool’s errand. Next Assassin’s Creed will be NFTs galore? An NFT-infested Prince of Persia? The thought is enough to give me nightmares. I admit Ubisoft is no longer what it once was and its games have become tediously monotonous, I’ll still take an even more bloated Valhalla over all this NFT foolishness.

NFTs Are Nothing More Than A Dead End; When Will Game Companies Realize?

I’ve said this before and will say it again, NFTs are NOT the future of gaming. Gaming aside, even others have realized this and learned their lesson. Just take a look at this formula. A unique digital product yours to keep? Over time that product will become useless, and the market crashes that rendered a huge majority of them worthless is proof enough. Additionally, how long will the “uniqueness” of these products be maintained?

Take hint Ubisoft, we don’t want these in our games
byu/xbox-fan inRainbow6

You own a digital item, congratulations. What will you do with it when it becomes scrap? Moreover, what about security concerns? Become a victim of a breach and that’s it, you lose all of your money in this scam. And gaming companies thought this could work in a game? It’s even more problematic in this case. Over this, I can even justify microtransactions, at least everyone can get a particular item. With NFTs, one person can monopolize the entire game.

I can still have more fun in a live-service game, in NFTs once a person gets an item, it’s his no matter how important it is to the game. In fact, can you even call it a “game” at that point? There is not a shred of fun left in a soulless project like this. When Square Enix came up with Symbiogenesis, this was precisely what it was, a cash-grab with no dignity or originality. Can these companies tell me one NFT game that is even mildly successful and hasn’t crashed yet? Then why the obsession?

Please, Keep Existing IPs Away From This NFT Mania

When I see all this, I’m once again reminded of how Ubisoft fell from grace over time. These IPs deserve better than to be ruined. Take a look at Assassin’s Creed for example. Ubisoft turned it into an RPG mess that is only Assassin’s Creed in name. Similarly, put Far Cry 3 and 6 side-by-side and you’ll see for yourself that the IP is not even a shadow of its former self. Still, at least they were still proper games and not an NFT marketplace.

Ubisoft is the king of mediocre.
byu/JoshuaKhan0208 inpcgaming

What scares me the most is how Ubisoft might try to massacre these gems in its quest for “NFT money.” Although I’m completely against NFT gaming, if Ubisoft intends to pursue it as a separate entity rather than dragging its existing IPs into it, I’ll still be okay with it. I can just pretend the NFT games don’t exist and continue to enjoy the ones I like. But the fact that there’s a lot more chance of the company utilizing the popularity of established franchises is the true horror.

And why go for NFTs in the first place when you have a solid lineup that is incredibly popular and will do well among gamers? Assassin’s Creed is a fan-favorite and the company has Prince of Persia for old-school players. On top of that, my favorite Ubisoft IP, Rayman has been dead for quite some time now, so why not use it appropriately? (Please don’t ruin this one) Alas, all Ubisoft cares about is the same NFT nonsense destined to crash and burn.