Sega Strikes Away from Blockchain Video games

In a brand new interview with Bloomberg, Sega’s co-Chief Working Officer Shuji Utsumi says the corporate is abandoning plans to develop blockchain video games in the interim. In keeping with a GDC survey from earlier this yr solely 23% of recreation builders are fascinated by utilizing cryptocurrency or blockchain expertise of their video games.

Sega gained’t make blockchain video games however will license some characters for NFTs.

Chatting with Bloomberg Information, Utsumi mentioned that Sega is re-evaluating its use of blockchain, crypto, and associated play-to-earn recreation mechanics as a result of “The motion in play-to-earn video games is boring, what’s the purpose if video games aren’t any enjoyable?” Whereas it’s shifting away from the usage of blockchain in its top-tier franchises, Sega will enable some characters for use as NFTs, together with Virtua Fighter and Three Kingdoms characters. The corporate will even provide “lesser franchises” to be used in a number of blockchain video games which have but to be introduced.

Though Sega will now not embody blockchain in its most high-profile video games Utsumi, who informed Bloomberg final month that Sega isn’t fascinated by any acquisition talks, didn’t rule out revisiting the expertise down the road. He additionally refused to touch upon whether or not blockchain expertise could be utilized in Sega’s mysterious “tremendous recreation” slate of big-budget releases scheduled for 2026. Regardless of earlier optimism at Sega about the usage of blockchain and different web3 tech, Utsumi informed Bloomberg the corporate is now “trying into whether or not this expertise is absolutely going to take off on this trade, in any case.”

Regardless of Sega’s hesitance concerning the expertise, different gaming firms could also be going all in on web3 options. It was not too long ago revealed that Sony patented a system for transferring and buying and selling PlayStation NFTs, displaying that console makers may embrace the tech even when builders don’t. The usage of blockchain and different web3 expertise in video games has been a sore spot for a lot of gamers in recent times, resulting in important pushback, nevertheless it appears it gained’t disappear anytime quickly so long as builders and publishers see potential income in its use.