Square Enix Wants To Get Into NFTs And Blockchain Games, Joining EA And Ubisoft
It looks like Square Enix is looking to get into NFTs. The news comes courtesy of the publisher’s second-quarter financial report for the period ending September 30. As noted by Niko Partners analyst Danial Ahmad, Square Enix’s recent Shi-San-Sei Million Arthur NFT also sold out soon after going on sale back in October, and now the company is seriously “contemplating” a “robust entry into blockchain games.”
For those unaware, Million Arthur is an anime franchise that got started in 2012, spanning manga, TV, and mostly mobile games (although you can find Million Arthur: Arcana Blood on both PC and PlayStation consoles). As a proof of concept, Square Enix launched a Million Arthur-themed line of NFTs on October 14. The Million Press set sold out within two weeks, proving to Square Enix that NFTs are a thing that people will definitely buy, although we’re still not entirely sure why.
As its first foray into blockchain technology, Square Enix will now move from the proof of concept stage “to full commercialization phase.” Square Enix is now in the planning phase of an earnest push into blockchain-based games under the belief that the market is shifting from centralized to decentralized game formats.
Square Enix is hardly alone. Both EA and Ubisoft have expressed keen interest in NFTs and blockchain-based games, with EA CEO Andrew Wilson saying that NFTs are “the future of our industry.” Not to be outdone, Ubisoft CFO Frederick Duguet recently revealed that the French publisher is “working with lots of small companies going on blockchain” and that Ubisoft wants to be “one of the key players here.”
If you want to see what everyone is going gaga over, Square Enix set up a Shi-San-Sei Million Arthur NFT teaser site here. It’s mostly just chibi images of Million Arthur characters, but apparently, people with way too much money are willing to part with their hard-earned funds so long as a blockchain bestows ownership of these chibi characters to them.
Personally, I’d rather just right-click and save.
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