While the French video game giant Ubisoft is going through a particularly stormy period, marked by successive delays, massive restructurings and disappointing results, the company has just launched with the greatest discretion a title entirely built around blockchain technology.
It has now been three years since Ubisoft expressed its interest in blockchain games. After some timid initiatives like the Ubisoft Quartz platformintended to market digital objects in the form of non-fungible tokens (NFT), the group seems to have finally decided to take the plunge by launching his first real web3 project.
Champions Tactics Grimoria Chroniclesavailable since October 23 on PC, presents itself as a “ online multiplayer tactical role-playing game » where players must form teams of three « champions » in the form of digital figurines.
Players can buy figurines with cryptocurrency
The twist is that these famous figurines act as NFTs, which can be bought and resold on an online market integrated into the game. Players have the choice of using either the virtual currency of the game, or cryptocurrency, to get these digital collectibles. Some of them also reach stratospheric prices, going up to $63,000 for the rarest.
Although the game’s trailer doesn’t show this web3 dimension, it is in reality impossible to play Champions Tactics without getting involved in this economy non-fungible tokens. Only players with a Ubisoft account and a compatible blockchain wallet can access it. The title was also classified “ Reserved for adults » by the publisher, a classification currently not found on the ESRB website, the American games classification body.
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This foray by Ubisoft into web3 comes in a very particular context. While the craze for NFTs has largely run out of steam in recent months, with reactions of rejection from major players like Mojang (Minecraft) or Valve (Steam), the French publisher seems to be hanging on at all costs. costs this technology. However, its previous initiatives, such as the platform Ubisoft Quartz, had hardly convinced.
Questioned by several American media, Ubisoft defended its strategy, explaining that Champions Tactics aimed to “ explore new ways of play” and “ bring more value to players.” We also remind you that it was Ubisoft that often reminded players that they did not really own their video games. But the findings remain mixed: with NFT figurines reaching exorbitant prices, the economic model seems more tailored for investors than for average players.
“ Although the game is free to download, players will need to get involved in the NFT economy to compete », underlines Julien Merceron, analyst at Gameblog. “ This creates a clear imbalance between those who can afford it and those who cannot, calling into question the fairness of gameplay “.
In an already difficult context for Ubisoft, this new foray into web3 seems all the more risky as the video game sector, apart from a few players like EA, is proving increasingly resistant to this technology. Recent statements from a Ubisoft executive claiming that players “ don’t understand » NFTs have also not failed to arouse strong negative reactions.
As the French group prepares to unveil its quarterly results next Wednesday, the discreet launch of Champions Tactics: Grimoria Chronicles is not insignificant. After the repeated postponements of highly anticipated games like Assassin’s Creed Shadows, the multiple waves of restructuring in one year and the disappointing performance of its recent AAA releases, Ubisoft seems to be looking for new avenues of growth at all costs.
Unfortunately for the publisher, its bet on NFTs comes right at a time when the tide is turning in the video game industry. With an economic model focused on purchases of digital figurines at high prices, Champions Tactics is likely to go unnoticed by the general public. Unless Ubisoft manages to convince its players of the merits of this technology, long rejected by the community.
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