Ubisoft Cools Down on NFTs and Blockchain, Says It’s in ‘Research Mode’

Yves Guillemot, CEO of French gaming giant Ubisoft appears to have cooled the rhetoric behind the company’s NFT gaming project Quartz, noting in a recent interview that it was only in “research mode” regarding Web3 technology integrations.

It’s a relatively different take from other Ubisoft executives in the past, including CFO Frédérick Duguet who stated in October that blockchain integrations will enable users to own and earn content, and the firm wants to “be one of the key players here.”

During a September 10 interview with gamesindustry.biz, Guillemot appeared to walk back some of those comments, stressing that at this stage Ubisoft is primarily looking to figure out how NFTs can be used in games and whether they will benefit players or not.

“We are very much on the cloud, on the new generation of voxels, and we are looking at all the Web3 features. We tested some things recently that give us more information about how it can be used and what we should do in the universe of video games,” he said, adding that:

“So we’re testing the ground with some games, and we’ll see if they really answer the players’ needs. But we’re still in research mode, I’d say.”

Ubisoft announced its first foray into NFTs in December, after launching a beta version of Ubisoft Quartz, with the aim of offering players playable NFTs that can be used in games such as Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint.

The move was met with strong backlash from some members of the NFT-hating gaming community, with some accusing the firm of “milking” every cent possible out of its popular gaming franchises by introducing NFTs into the mix.

Nicolas Pouard, vice president at Ubisoft’s Strategic Innovations Lab defended the company’s NFT efforts in January, stating, “I think gamers don’t understand what a digital secondary market can give them.”

Reflecting on Ubisoft’s NFT rollout, Guillemot says the firm ultimately didn’t communicate the company’s approach to the project effectively enough.

“We probably weren’t good at saying we’re doing research,” he said, adding that “we should have said we’re working on it, and when we have something that gives you a real advantage, we’ll bring it to you. “

The Ubisoft boss was also asked about the environmental impacts of blockchain technology, which is often highlighted by gamers who generally mistake energy-intensive Proof-of-Work (PoW) chains as the industry standard for all projects.

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Guillemot noted that while he is “very cautious” about the environmental impacts of the sector, he is optimistic that these problems will be remedied over time.

“Like so many things, in the beginning it’s not as good as it could be, but like other new technologies, they will find the right path.”