From Square Enix to Ubisoft: The Biggest Publishers Building NFT Games

Many conventional or “Web2” online game studios around the globe are creating new video games that leverage blockchain networks, cryptocurrency, and NFTs. A few of the recreation business’s largest studios globally are exploring Web3, with appetites spanning throughout genres and platforms—from PC shooters to cellular video games and multiplayer metaverse worlds.

And a majority of the sport publishers on this listing are headquartered in Asia, with only one based mostly in the USA and one in Europe—a dominance that echoes DappRadar’s prediction that Asia may rule the Web3 gaming house.

Sq. Enix

Japanese online game studio Sq. Enix—maker of the Last Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts titles—has been exploring NFT video video games since 2019. In 2021, the corporate launched a sold-out assortment of Ethereum-based NFT buying and selling playing cards. Roughly six months later, Sq. Enix offered off its Tomb Raider IP in addition to three studios it owned to assist fund its strikes into blockchain and AI analysis and improvement.

Earlier this 12 months, the studio introduced that it’s planning to launch an NFT recreation, Symbiogenesis, on Ethereum sidechain community Polygon. Sq. Enix calls the upcoming recreation a “collectible artwork mission” with a story part and a thriller that gamers should resolve over the course of the sport.

The writer additionally beforehand invested in metaverse recreation The Sandbox and introduced plans to deliver its Dungeon Siege IP to the sport world. Sq. Enix additionally launched Last Fantasy VII NFT-based buying and selling playing cards on Enjin’s Efinity platform on Polkadot, tied to bodily statues and collectibles.

Nexon

South Korea-based online game writer Nexon is making a brand new MapleStory recreation referred to as MapleStory Universe that may leverage Polygon NFTs. Nexon has shared that it’ll have its personal non-public community or Polygon “Supernet” for the sport.

The unique MapleStory video games have raked in over $4 billion for the writer, and have seen over 260 million gamers to this point. MapleStory Universe’s Group Chief Hwang Solar-Younger mentioned that the studio will work intently with Polygon Labs all through the event and advertising course of.

Krafton

Krafton, the South Korea-based writer of PUBG: Battlegrounds and PUBG Cell, plans to launch an NFT-enabled metaverse recreation beneath the working identify Migaloo. Gamers will be capable of create their very own digital belongings beneath what Krafton calls a “create-to-earn” system.

The studio has established a majority stake in a brand new joint-venture agency with tech firm Naver Z. Collectively, Krafton and Naver Z will develop Migaloo and plan to launch it someday this 12 months. In 2022, Krafton additionally mentioned that it’ll develop video games on Solana in partnership with Solana Labs.

Zynga

Zynga is an American gaming firm identified for informal smash hits like Farmville, CityVille, and Phrases With Buddies. Final 12 months, Zynga introduced it’s creating video games that use NFTs in an effort to “future-proof” its enterprise.

Whereas little has been introduced since, Zynga seems to be transferring ahead with its Web3 gaming division. Its web site at present lists a job posting for a software program engineer for the division, with the objective of making “enduring Web3 video games” for the studio.

Zynga’s mum or dad firm Take-Two Interactive is likely one of the greatest recreation publishers on this planet, with franchises like Grand Theft Auto, NBA 2K, and Purple Lifeless Redemption in its portfolio. Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick has spoken of alternatives within the Web3 world, and the agency invested in Web3 recreation developer Horizon in 2022.

Ubisoft

French recreation writer Ubisoft is likely one of the few western online game studios overtly exploring NFTs in its video games. Again in 2021, it launched free Tezos NFTs for Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint. Whereas these NFTs had been aesthetically plain and launched in a recreation with few lively gamers remaining, it nonetheless triggered large backlash on-line from offended players who dislike the thought of NFTs in video games.

In response, Ubisoft mentioned that NFTs in gaming are a “main change that may take time” and has continued creating blockchain integrations for upcoming video games. In 2022, Ubisoft mentioned it was nonetheless researching how NFTs could possibly be carried out into its titles.

This 12 months, Ubisoft launched NFTs based mostly on its Rabbids recreation IP within the metaverse recreation The Sandbox and launched “Sensible Collectibles” from Murderer’s Creed—a transfer which blends bodily collectibles with digital NFT elements. Beforehand, Ubisoft created One Shot League, a by-product recreation from NFT-based fantasy soccer recreation Sorare, and rolled out a Rabbids NFT experiment in 2020 to profit charity.

NCSoft

Korean recreation writer NCSoft is the maker of titles like Guild Wars, Blade & Soul, and the Lineage collection. It invested in blockchain agency Mysten Labs’ $300 million Collection B funding spherical final 12 months, and has shared plans to develop NFT video games on the newly-launched Sui blockchain.

Mysten Labs is constructing infrastructure for the Sui community and believes that Sui is well-optimized for video video games that use crypto transactions and NFTs. Quite a few video games are launching on Sui within the close to future, though NCSoft nonetheless has but to disclose its particular plans.

Com2us

Com2us is the South Korean recreation developer and writer behind Summoners Battle. However the studio has expressed sturdy curiosity in blockchain video games and is creating video games that provide NFTs and crypto integrations by way of the XPLA blockchain.

The corporate’s U.S. President Kyu Lee advised Decrypt in a message that the studio plans to launch roughly 10 to fifteen blockchain video games per 12 months and that the majority of them will likely be on cellular.

Wemade

Korean recreation writer Wemade simply launched World Fishing Championship, a play-and-earn fishing recreation for Android cell phones. It additionally plans to launch two extra blockchain video games this 12 months: R1B and Night time Crows. R1B is a baseball recreation, and Night time Crows is a high-concept fantasy MMORPG that’s being tailored right into a Web3 recreation for international audiences.

Wemade additionally promoted its crypto gaming platform Wemix Play on the Recreation Builders Convention in March 2023. A Wemade consultant advised Decrypt by way of e-mail that Wemix Play is meant to be like a Steam retailer for crypto video games.

Wemix Play at present gives an NFT market and has over 50 video games from exterior indie builders deliberate for its platform, lots of which provide gamers the flexibility to “play and earn” varied crypto tokens. At time of writing, Wemix has 28 completely different gaming tokens listed on its platform in addition to fan tokens. The vast majority of Wemix’s hottest reside video games are RPGs, however a couple of puzzle and technique video games additionally cracked its prime 20 listing.

Editor’s word: This text was up to date with further data after publication.