Square Enix has unveiled a set of collectible NFT trading cards to mark the 25th anniversary of Final Fantasy VII.
Released on March 31st, the Final Fantasy 7 Anniversary Art Museum Digital Card Plus series contains 207 cards. Featuring beloved characters and scenes from the original Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy 7 Remake, and the extended Final Fantasy 7 continuity, each pack contains six physical cards and one digital card that can be redeemed for an NFT (via VGC (opens in a new tab)). The product will set you back ¥440, which is roughly $3.30 / £2.68 / AUS$6.07
Non-Fungiable Tokens (NFT) are digital assets often visualized through images that are allegedly impossible to duplicate. Owners of NFTs can trade assets with each other, often for real-world money.
This isn’t Square Enix’s first foray into NFTs. The Japanese video game giant recently released a trailer for new role playing game Symbiogenesis, which promises “narrative unlocked NFT entertainment,” including a marketplace where players can trade their NFTs.
The NFT market has been controversial in its own right environmental impact (opens in a new tab) and the many fraud and malware issues surrounding the storage and protection of these online assets. In fact, the environment surrounding the trading and production of NFTs is sufficiently fragile for Valve to decide ban games that deal with cryptocurrency or NFT trading. Given that NFTs incur significant environmental damage when users exchange them within a precarious and unregulated market, we would advise against to believe the hype.
Do you hear the cries of the planet?
It is deeply ironic and rather sad that Cloud, Barret, Tifa and co. used as a vehicle for NFT distribution. Final Fantasy VII is a famously anti-capitalist and pro-environment title, following the trials and tribulations of a group of eco-terrorists as they attempt to save the planet from a megalomaniac wannabe god and the greedy mega-corporation that created him.
These tradable items seem strikingly at odds with the values and morals baked into Final Fantasy 7
The world of Final Fantasy VII is, much like our own, defined by a stark contrast between the haves and the have-nots. In the battle for the latter group, it seems extremely unlikely that Cloud and co. would be especially pleased to hear that a large conglomerate is using their likenesses to manufacture and sell NFTs. Deep inside, Final Fantasy VII is about resisting corporate greed and living sustainably with the world around us.
Although there are attempts to produce more environmentally friendly NFTs, in their current state, these tradables seem strikingly contrary to the values and morals baked into Final Fantasy VII. Square Enix seems to have little grasp of the deep irony at its core Final Fantasy VII NFT project. Using a group of anti-capitalist eco-terrorists to promote a collection of environmentally damaging goods seems almost worthy of an April Fool’s joke in its bizarre incongruity. Unfortunately for us, this year’s April Fool’s Day has come and gone.
