Final Fantasy Maker Square Enix Reveals Its First Ethereum NFT Game

Having developed and published some of the most successful video game franchises of all time, including Final Fantasy and Tomb Raider, Square Enix has increasingly turned attention to Web3— and now the Japanese firm has unveiled its first game that will make use of NFTs: Symbiogenesis.

Announced today, Symbiogenesis is described as a “digital collectible art experience” anchored by NFT artwork, which works within the game and can also be used as a social medium profile picture (PFP). It is an entirely new franchise for Square Enix, rather than an expansion or spinoff of existing IP, and is currently slated to launch on Ethereum spring 2023.

Instead of a robust, immersive traditional video game experience, Symbiogenesis is described as an online, narrative-driven platform that contains interactive elements. Players will control their NFT-based character while “unraveling” a mystery by completing missions that revolve around issues of monopolization and distribution of resources, according to an official description.

An NFT is a blockchain token which can serve as a deed of ownership for a unique item, often for digital goods such as artwork, collectibles, and interactive video game items. In this case, Square Enix will sell a variety of characters as PFP artwork that can also be connected to an online gaming experience.

Square Enix first signaled interest in the Web3 space in early 2019, when president Yosuke Matsuda pointed to blockchain technology as a potential key component in future games. In March 2020, the company led a $2 million investment round in metaverse games The sandbox.

Square Enix first entered the Web3 space in 2021 with the Japanese-only launch of NFT “digital stickers” for the anime and video game franchise Million Arthur via the LINE blockchain platform, in collaboration with Web3 studio Double Jump.Tokyo. Later that year, the publisher noted growing ambitions in the blockchain spaceincluding NFT powered games.

Earlier this year, Square Enix sold out a number of franchisees (including Tomb Raider) and studios for $300 million, in part to fund additional Web3 efforts. Also this year, Square Enix announced plans to bring the Dungeon Siege series into The Sandboxand start NFTs related to collectibles of Final Fantasy characters embossed on Enjin’s Polka dot-based platform.

As with other traditional video game publishers and developers entering the Web3 space – such as Ubisoft and Team 17—Square Enix has faced significant fan backlash.

Some players have vocally opposed NFTs due to the presence of crypto scams and the expectation that publishers will use them as a way to extract more value from players. Critics have also cited the environmental impact of Ethereum NFTs that the complaint is effectively killed of the network recent merge upgrade.

Symbiogenesis is no different, and this morning’s announcement has already been met with grumbling from RPG fans. The IP trademark had previously leaked ahead of today’s announcement, and is widely rumored to be a remake of the popular 1998 game, Parasite Eve, or a new entry in that series. Instead, it is a brand new Ethereum NFT game.