Not even a day into the new year and major developer and publisherSquare Enixis causing controversy. Apparently not worried about the likely blowback from fans,Square EnixPresident Yosuke Matsuda has come out in support of NFTs.
The news broke this morning in a New Year’s Letter from the President posted to the News section of Square Enix’s site. There was no mention of any specific game in the letter, rather it was largely endorsingNFTs, blockchain, and the metaverse at large. In fact, the entire article is dense with language that has been dominating the technology and digital entertainment markets for the past year.
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In his letter, Matsuda says that he views 2021 as “year 1” of the metaverse and NFTs. Based on the medium-term business strategy that was unveiled in May 2020 that identified AI, the cloud, and blockchain games as domains to focus their investments, Square Enix has been “aggressive in our R&D efforts and investments in those areas.” The proposed plan to expand into the blockchain game market “be they single-player or online games.” Rather than develop new IPs or games in this market, it is likely they will be implemented in existing titles,worrying players ofFinal Fantasy 14and those anticipatingFinal Fantasy 16.
Square Enix has struggled recently with two notable losses and a gigantic success.Marvel’s AvengersandOutriderswere met with mixed reviews and according to Square Enix itself, failed to meet expectations. Checking Steam’s reviews showsMarvel’s Avengersstill has mixed reviewsandOutriderslargely has mixed reviews with the recent being mostly positive after the launch of the most recent patch. However, the unrivaled success is clearlyFinal Fantasy 14and its release of the much-anticipated and well-receivedEndwalkerexpansion. In a weird twist, the success has proven to be too much asFinal Fantasy 14has been plagued with long login times due to demand.
The letter has been poorly received by the community and criticized as being tone-deaf. Twitter and Reddit are already up in arms and comments have been less than kind. Many are confused at seeing such a prominent company make such a move afterthe public lambasted Ubisoftfor similar moves.
It would appear that Matsuda is laying of groundwork for potentially implementing NFTs and blockchain in upcoming or existing Square Enix titles. Much like microtransactions of years past, it seems like those in charge of making large direction decisions are at odds with the actual developers and playerbase. But, unlike microtransactions which are more common but still contested, adding NFTs to titles likeFinal Fantasymay be a bridge too far.
