Developers everywhere are reacting to NFT speculation
Everywhere was shown during Gamescom Opening Night Live earlier today, where it was presented as “blending together gameplay, adventure, creativity and discovery in a multi-world experience.” Unsaid was that it appears to use blockchain or “Web 3.0” technology, which has attracted criticism from various quarters in the gaming industry.
Shortly after Opening Night Live ended, several users took to Twitter to note that developer Build a Rocket Boy has several open positions for a blockchain team. This lends credence to speculation that Everywhere, which promises to “redefine how players connect with each other and the digital world around them,” may contain non-fungible tokens [NFTs] in a way.
is an NFT game. Just be aware. #Gamescom #gamescom2022
— Slim Thiccens (@ChefLuBu_ATL) 23 August 2022
NFTs have been a hot topic as boosters have worked to gain greater acceptance of the technology. It’s being touted as a way to create truly unique items that can then be bought and sold in-game, potentially creating a new “play-to-earn” model. Opponents have noted the outsized environmental impact of blockchain technology, as well as its focus on monetization over actual gaming.
Despite the backlash, money has flowed into blockchain efforts, with former Days Gone producer John Garvin among those spinning up new studios based on the technology. Team 17 and GSC Game World, meanwhile, have been quick to back their NFT ideas.
Everywhere is being developed by Edinburgh-based Build A Rocket Boy, which was founded by Rockstar and Grand Theft Auto developer Leslie Benzies. Benzies hasn’t said one way or the other whether Everywhere is an NFT game, though they do talk about Everywhere’s goal being to “push the boundaries of what a video game can be.” Fans have been speculating what Everywhere could be for a while now, with the teaser trailer offering the first glimpse of Benzies’ mysterious new game.
In response to the speculation surrounding Everywhere being an NFT game, Build a Rocket Boy responded with the following statement:
We are seeing some conversations about NFTs/Crypto prompted by some of our open positions on our website.
These are researcher positions, as we don’t like to reject new technologies just because others haven’t found a solution for them yet. We’re building Everywhere on Unreal Engine 5, not the blockchain. We are creating a new world for gamers, where we come together to play, watch, create, share and much more!
We hope this helps clear up some of the speculation surrounding this topic.
Everywhere wasn’t the only game revealed during Gamescom Opening Night Live. Other games shown at the events included Dead Island 2 and Hogwarts Legacy, with Sony also revealing a brand new DualSense controller. You can read the full summary of Opening Night Live here.
Kat Bailey is a senior news editor at IGN and co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Do you have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.
