Ever since the announcement of its Quartz NFT promotion, Ubisoft has been getting lambasted on social media for a multitude of reasons. That negative reaction has now caused the announcement video to be delisted on YouTube.
According to Video Games Chronicle, the Ubisoft Quartz NFT Announcement Video has received overwhelmingly negative reactions. Even as YouTube now no longer makes the dislike number public, VGC was able to determine that based on the number of video interactions, the announcement video for Quartz NFT collectibles coming to Ghost Recon: Breakpoint had over 90% dislike to like ratio.
Ubisoft is planning to give away its first three NFT items to players that have logged considerable hours on the game. Ubisoft explains that the move to add NFTs is a way to make players “stakeholders” and sees its Digits as a way to reward players with valuable assets for playing Ghost Recon: Breakpoint. Ubisoft also claims that its method of creating and storing the NFTs is based on Tezos, a more “environmentally friendly” blockchain system. However, the larger Ubisoft fanbase has responded to the move with staggering negativity, with the video reportedly 96% disliked; approximately 22,000 dislikes to just over 1000 likes. VGC claims that the delisted video can still be viewed but only if individuals have the link to it.
NFTs are a contentious topic in the video game space. At best, it is looked at as a shady practice to privatize digital collectibles and manufactured importance. At worst, NFTs are seen as sometimes thievery in the name of trendy blockchain buzzwords and an environmentally hazardous undertaking. Numerous high-profile video game figures have weighed in on NFTs in gaming. Geoff Keighley has rejected the notion of involving NFTs in the 2021 Game Awards. Phil Spencer has talked negatively about them, and Steam has banned blockchain games from its store.
Nevertheless, gaming companies are looking more into offering NFTs as Neopets, Sega, and Gamestop among others are looking into offering NFTs. Ubisoft getting into that space to offer NFTs for Ghost Recon: Breakpoint gear is seen as not only a desperate attempt to make that game more notable after a dismal release but a throwaway gamble by the company to hide the practice on a game with limited success.
It also begs the question: What happens to these NFTs that are locked to Ghost Recon: Breakpoint when Ubisoft decides to shut down those online servers in the future? Even the most popular online multiplayer games inevitably face the possibility of getting their online services shuttered as time passes. Ubisoft doesn’t seem to be backing down from its foray into NFTs, but it also has not addressed the backlash.
Source: Video Games Chronicle