Square Enix is diving headfirst into the uncharted waters of blockchain gaming
Japanese publishers Square Enix are taking several steps to implement the controversial blockchain technology into their games. Squenix has teamed up with blockchain company Oasys, which describes itself as “eco-friendly”. This is due to their less energy-intensive “proof-of-stake” mechanism compared to “proof-of-work” methods such as those used in Bitcoin mining. Oasys’ plans fit with Squenix’s intention to develop tokenized economies built on blockchain in their future games.
Square Enix is just one of a number of game companies that have invested in Oasys’ platform so far. Bandai Namco, Sega and Ubisoft are some of the big ones who have jumped on board to invest in Oasys as “validators”. Squenix and Oasys say their agreement will allow them to “explore the possibility of leveraging user contributions” when developing new games on the blockchain. Oh good day.
The agreement between Square Enix and Oasys is the latest move along Squenix’s highly insistent blockchain journey. In early 2022, company president Yosuke Matsuda released a New Year’s letter that talked about fuzzy new-age technology like NFTs, blockchain, and the metaverse, along with some more sensible cloud gaming. At the time, Matsuda and Squenix didn’t seem to know how to go about achieving that blockchain future. Fooling around with Final Fantasy 7 NFTs for the game’s 25th anniversary didn’t help.
When Squenix sold IP including Tomb Raider and Deus Ex to Embracer Group for $300 million back in May, a statement on the Japanese company’s website claimed that one of the benefits of the sale would be to launch “new businesses by moving forward with investments in fields including blockchain , AI and the cloud”. The partnership with Oasys appears to be one of the first tangible steps towards what Squenix hopes to achieve. I use the word tangible very loosely about blockchain.
I’m not so keen on blockchain and NFT. They spout an Emperor’s New Clothes mentality in the upper echelons of the games industry for one thing. The environmental consequences of some of these technologies also sound pretty dire. But increasingly, it seems like it’s only a matter of time before major publishers decide to shoehorn blockchain into their games. Time to take up curling instead, maybe?
