Square Enix's Ambitious Leap into Blockchain Gaming: Final Fantasy NFTs, Symbiogenesis, and Web 3.0 Exploration
Square Enix, the renowned video game company behind titles like Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest, is making significant moves in the blockchain gaming sector despite the recent challenges facing the crypto and blockchain game industries.In 2021, crypto and blockchain games experienced a surge in popularity and investment, but in 2022, they faced a downturn in the bearish trend. However, Square Enix has reaffirmed its commitment to blockchain gaming projects in 2023, signaling a continued focus on the sector.Square Enix, known for its blockbuster IP Final Fantasy, is now exploring the integration of blockchain technology into Web 3.0 games. The company is actively working on multiple blockchain games, distinct from its famous IPs. Yosuke Matsuda, the president of Square Enix, has expressed the company's dedication to the blockchain gaming sector and its willingness to invest in promising businesses both in Japan and abroad.Matsuda acknowledged the challenges faced by the gaming industry in 2022, such as the FTX collapse in November, but he remains optimistic about the growing adoption of Web 3.0. He believes that blockchain games will enter a new phase of growth in 2023, following the turbulent period of excitement and turmoil in the blockchain space.Square Enix's flagship blockchain game project, Symbiogenesis, is a digital experience that allows players to collect art and tell stories. The gameplay involves decisions on whether to monopolize or share information with other players in the community.Apart from Symbiogenesis, Square Enix is acting as a strategic advisor for Cross the Ages, a digital collectible trading card game utilizing the Polygon blockchain. The company has also invested in Zebedee, a Bitcoin gaming startup, and has stakes in the popular blockchain game, The Sandbox. Square Enix intends to reintroduce the highly anticipated game "Dungeon Siege" as an in-game experience within The Sandbox.Square Enix's expansion into blockchain gaming is further evident with its plan to launch Final Fantasy NFTs on the Polkadot blockchain. These NFTs will be associated with Final Fantasy VII, in addition to physical trading cards and toys. The company's push into blockchain gaming was facilitated by a $300 million deal in which it sold its internal gaming studios in the West, along with major IPs like Tomb Raider and Deus Ex, to Embracer Group.Square Enix is not the only traditional gaming publisher venturing into blockchain gaming. Ubisoft has launched its first NFT-enabled game, Ghost Recon: Breakpoint, and has made investments in crypto gaming studios. Take-Two, the parent company of Rockstar Games, has entered the NFT space through its casual game studio, Zynga. However, Rockstar remains opposed to NFTs, banning them on GTA V servers. Valve, the operator of the popular game marketplace Steam, has shown no interest in accommodating blockchain or NFT games on its platform.Overall, Square Enix's commitment to blockchain gaming reflects a broader trend in the gaming industry, with traditional publishers exploring new opportunities in the Web 3.0 and blockchain gaming space.
Read more