Update from December 9th 2021: Ubisoft’s announcement of the introduction of NFT microtransactions is no longer listed on YouTube after the video garnered 22,000 dislikes. The ratio between likes and dislikes at this point was around 20: 1. Overall, the video that Ubisoft released on Tuesday, December 7th, wasn’t even visible to the public for two full days.
Original notification dated December 8, 2021: With its new NFT platform “Quartz”, Ubisoft would like to become a pioneer in the field of microtransactions and is the first major publisher from the West to introduce so-called digits in order to experience cosmetic items in a new way.
Digital collectibles for sale!
But what are NFTs anyway? NFT stands for Non-fungible Token and represents the digitized form of a unique asset. In the case of Ubisoft, these tokens ensure that cosmetic items have a higher collectible value because they are certified as genuine, copy-protected and limited at the same time.
But there is a special feature, namely that these items are not tied to the player’s inventory, but can be freely traded. This could create an entire market for in-game items, which Ubisoft is sure to bring a lot of money.
In Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint, Ubisoft wants to use these NFT items first. In a trailer, the publisher shows what he thought of his “digits”.
You can get the digital collectibles as usual in the cash shop and will not affect the gameplay of the games. With an engraved serial number and a traceable list of all owners, these can then be happily sold around by all players of legal age.
It already starts this week
The first of three NFT items will appear in Ghost Recon Breakpoint on December 9, 2021 – but initially only in the USA, Canada, Spain, France, Italy, Belgium, Australia, Brazil and Germany. To buy these, you must have reached at least level 5 and start the title via Ubisoft Connect.
According to Ubisoft, the Quartz platform is powered by the energy-efficient Tezos technology. “Energy efficiency is the key to lead blockchain technology into a future in which it can be used by millions of gamers,” says Ubisoft, explaining that a transaction on Quartz uses about as much energy as streaming a 30 second Videos.
The idea of NFT trading isn’t particularly popular with fans
And what does the community say about it? I’ve already spoiled the title a bit. Many players are not impressed by this new concept. Not only does the video have 824 likes, a total of 15,000 dislikes with almost 112,000 views (as of December 8, 2021, 12:30 p.m.), the comments also speak volumes.
“To me, that’s a clear sign that you’re cannibalizing the Ghost Recon franchise for literally every penny while putting minimal effort into the actual game itself.”
Another commented very succinctly: “The day Ubisoft decided to get completely angry.” The invisible negative reviews of the video are also often referred to. Another user writes that he doesn’t need to see the dislike numbers, he can “feel” them.
What do you think of this step?
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