Bandai Namco, SEGA among gaming giants eyeing blockchain games
Japanese gaming giants are positioning themselves for mainstream blockchain gaming adoption, and will not be swayed by the section of gamers who oppose crypto and non-fungible tokens (NFTs), an executive from the Oasys blockchain project told Cointelegraph.
Speaking to Cointelegraph at the 2022 Tokyo Games Show last week, Oasys Representative Director Ryo Matsubara emphasized that the project’s major partners such as Bandai Namco, Sega and Square Enix aren’t just jumping on the crypto bandwagon – it’s a long-term vision for blockchain-based Play-to-Earn (P2E) games:
“We have a shared vision of blockchain at the executive level. They don’t [want to] change that policy. They really understand the future use of blockchain. They don’t think about, you know, just the revenue, they want to create the next future [of gaming].”
Bandai Namco has developed beloved titles such as Tekken and Pac-Man, Sega’s most famous title is generally regarded as Sonic the Hedgehog, while Square Enix is the developer of the popular Final Fantasy series.
When asked if these companies want to integrate blockchain technology with their current game franchises, Matsubara suggested that they are initially looking at developing brand new blockchain games instead.
He noted that since this is a completely “new model” of gaming, it needs more time to mature before these big companies will look at broader blockchain integrations with traditional games.
“Once the model is fixed, sustainable and successful, becomes so strong [popular] IP will be added, he said.
Looking at what needs to be improved in blockchain games, Matsubara noted that a “big problem” so far is that many projects are too dependent on the price of in-game tokens. As a result, there is more demand for “speculation” rather than actual gameplay.
He went on to note that there will be an “adjustment” over time as projects work to develop real hype for the games themselves, most likely by improving the overall gaming experience.
Related: The Japanese government issues NFTs to reward the work of local governments
This echoed similar sentiments of the lead community manager at Australia-based game developer and Animoca Brand subsidiary Blowfish Studios Luke Sillay, who was also at the event.
During an interview with Cointelegraph, Sillay emphasized that more people want games that are actually “fun to play” instead of just a hassle to earn tokens.
Oasys’ proof-of-stake blockchain is aimed squarely at gaming and is tentatively set for an official mainnet launch in the remaining months of this year. Matsubara also hinted that games from their major partners are likely to be announced next year.
Looking outside of Japan, major Western gaming companies such as Fortnite developers Epic Games have been increasing their exposure to blockchain gaming recently. Last week, the Epic Games store listed a new free-to-play NFT game called Blanco’s Block Party by Mythical Games.
The move follows comments from Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney in July, in which he stated that his company would “definitely” not follow Microsoft’s Minecraft in banning NFT integrations in games.
