The topic of NFTs in gaming has been a hot one for quite some time now, with companies like Konami, Square Enix and Ubisoft all committing time and resources to the technology. However, there's been a massive backlash against NFTs and blockchain tech within the industry, so much so that Team17, Sega and EA have all scaled back their interest, in varying degrees.
Speaking to VGC in an excellent interview that's well worth a read, PlatinumGames' Atsushi Inaba and Hideki Kamiya were quizzed on the subject, and it should come as some relief that neither is interested in pursuing it:
NFT and blockchain have become a popular trend among corporations. What’s Platinum’s interest, if any?
Inaba: We haven’t really been thinking about that. I understand it’s a hot topic right now and it’s really starting to gain momentum, but the way that it’s gained momentum has been focused on profitability for the company, but with no positive impact on the creators or the users in any sense. So that’s frustrating to see happening.
The people who are trying to promote NFTs and partner with gaming companies, their conversations seem extremely one-sided. ‘Hey, you’re going to make money!’ But how does it benefit the user or the creator? If I want to spend my time on something, I want it to benefit making good games.
As content gets more and more digital, I do think that NFT as a concept will gain more importance, but I think that the early adopters are just seeing it as a way to profit as much as possible. That’s not something I’m interested in being part of, to be honest.
Were you surprised to see Konami get involved in NFTs so quickly?
Kamiya: Not really. If it smells like money, Konami’s going to be there in a heartbeat!
Honestly, I have zero interest in this subject. I think what Inaba-san just said really resonated with me because I consider myself a user at heart, more than a businessman. It doesn’t have any benefit for users at the moment. In the future, if it’s expanded in a way that has a positive side for users, then maybe I’ll start to be interested in what they do with it. But I’m not seeing that at the moment.
If Konami’s interested in money, surely Metal Gear Rising 2 could be a decent earner?
Inaba: Well, you’d have to ask them, I guess!
PlatinumGames has just released Sol Cresta on Switch and is currently hard at work on Bayonetta 3, a Switch exclusive for Nintendo.
[source videogameschronicle.com]
Comments 59
`well then, seems PG isn't interested at all in NFTs
Without seeming too dour, rubs me the wrong way a little that A) VGC would questions a Dev on the actions of another company (outside of particularly serious subjects) and B) That they would so happily stick the boot in.
Reminds me a little of the scene in Better Call Saul when Saul runs the ad without running it by his partners, regardless of the truth of the statement, I don’t think it’s a good look
Somebody should make a T-shirt of that Konami quote
@DeclanS98 We're not the source of the interview, VGC is.
@Damo Ah apologies! I’ll amend my comment accordingly
@DeclanS98 No worries!
Wow. That was the best take i have ever heard on NFTs and how the the two sides see them. Also, love that quote on konami
@DeclanS98 If there was a downvote button I'd click it on your comment. Super dour.
Devs sharing their opinions on the greedy behavior of larger publishers should be welcome by all... especially when they're speaking the truth. Sparing us the truth for the sake of optics...? What is this, America?
"looks at the lack of Metal Gear games on Switch and no port of MGS IV to any other hardware", yeah I think Konami have no sense of smell then.
When I saw the thumbnail I thought that the physical version of the Advance Collection was announced by LRG or something like that.
But it is about those dumb NFTs
NFTs are still a better investment at this point than NSO
@aznable It’s not about optics, it’s about maturity and good practise - and tbh it’s also about sheer business sense. Companies are petty things and it’s not a great idea to prejudice one of the biggest against you, whether that’s for business reasons or legal ones
That's Platinum off of Konami's Christmas card list!
They just made the possibilities of Konami funding metal gear rising 2 dropping to negative numbers XD
Just one more reason to respect those guys at Platinum Games!
PlatniumGames can use the interest they're not putting into NFTs to instead develop the Kickstarter DLC for Wonderful 101.
Almost rhymes too
NFTs are stupid
@KillerBOB I really hope you're joking. Like, the NSO isn't that great, but that's a terrible comparison.
@DeclanS98 from a human perspective, I’m glad to see people actually speak their mind/the truth rather than always buttering other people up for a change - so I, for one, appreciate that honesty from Kamiya (especially when he isn’t wrong, those facts about Konami and NFTs are shared at the bottom of the article).
But I do understand that it can also be risky from a business perspective.
@BrazillianCart
There are NFTs that have sold for millions of dollars, NSO is $50.
You are objectively wrong.
"As content gets more and more digital, I do think that NFT as a concept will gain more importance"
But how?
I really appreciate the honesty in the face of the risks. Personally, I think there already was bad blood between Konami and PG behind the scenes. For them, Metal Gear Rising 2 was already impossible, so there is nothing to lose. They wouldn't throw away a chance at partnership if relations weren't already strained
Edit: let take the moment to say that, for all my criticism on his previous behavior, I admire Kamiya's bluntness on the matter. In the near future people might find use for NFT technology for users' end. It isn't useful right now, that's the end of it
Dang! PlatinumGames just took the [expletive redacted] outta Konami! Glad I got one of their games! (Wonderful 101 remastered)
@KillerBOB But those NFT's have no value, NSO lets you play more games in more ways. Still a bad comparison.
War, taxes, slaughterhouses, child prostitution, it is all better than NSO, if the fact that people pay more for it meansr it's better. Isn't the point of NSO being 'bad' that you have to pay too much for sub par service? And that NFT is worse because you pay for NOTHING AT ALL?
So you're objectively wrong about the other person being objectively wrong.
@Shambo
The NFT has a value, because then you sell it to someone else for even more money 🤡
@Shambo
Also I'm disturbed that you feel child prostitution is better than NSO.
@KillerBOB You’re basically saying going to a casino is a better investment than going to a barcade. There is no objectivity at all. In one place you are gambling your money, in the other there is no gamble, you are purchasing entertainment. Which one you prefer is totally preference. I live in Las Vegas and I prefer the latter. I find no value in spending money on high risk gambles. But I do value the memories and entertainment I get from arcade games, so that is by far the better investment to me.
I feel like there’s a bit of shade in the “smells like money” part! 😂
@KillerBOB NSO is just a poor online service, NFTs are a scam and pose some serious dangers. Your comparison doesn't make any sense. Oh and thanks for pointing out that you're a clown with that emoji.
@KillerBOB That is true but where will you find an idiot that wants to give you money for a digital asset from some game?
Value = finding a dumb person?
@Tim_Vreeland
Of course spending $30 on 1hr of entertainment in a barcade is a worse investment than spending $30 and 2 mins at a card table and making $300.
sad because Konami = Castlevania
@Zuljaras
There are evidently lots of "idiots" out there, because NFTs and crypto keep going up in value.
@BTB20
That added comment at the end wasn't worth the edit 😎
@KillerBOB if something is valued by how much some people pay for it, which is your logic, definitely not mine, it is. But we can at least agree that the people paying for NFT's are idiots. Those paying for NSO MIGHT be idiots, but not necessarily BECAUSE they pay for NSO. Still very different things, and bad comparison.
Edit: I just saw you DON'T agree that they are idiots, I misread that ah well, luckily I don't really care enough about agreeing on this topic, so yeah. We don't agree, doesn't mean much more than that we don't agree.
@Shambo
People replying to me are not investing in their own time wisely either haha
@KillerBOB spending $30 at a card table in most cases means spending $30 at a card table, not making a profit. There is a reason I have no state taxes here in Nevada. The casinos are making money, not losing it. You could win… but mostly you will lose. That is why it’s gambling. Same with NFTs. You could come out ahead, sure. But most likely you will not. Its a financial investment as much as putting money on a horse is…. Which is to say… no investment at all.
Sadly the whole thing is more crooked than casinos too.
@KillerBOB There are people that buy for the investment which adds no fun/gaming value and there are idiots that think of NTFs are luxury goods as if they really own something
I see zero reason for NTFs to exist right now as the only ones that benefit from them are companies that are wealthy anyway.
@KillerBOB I have plenty of time, it's not an investment or a loss when I waste a little on writing some words But I will stop replying now, as there's probably more interesting conversation to be had elsewhere indeed. Enjoy your evening or whatever time it is there. At least you have inspired me to watch Twin Peaks again, which is arguably a greater waste of time. Still, thanks for that.
@Shambo
Hahahaha it's been a good distraction from work for me as well, have a good day/night too!
Tomorrow: "Tencent asked if we wanted to put nft's in our games, so we did without hesitation".
Platinum is dead guys! I would be very surprised if Bayonetta 3 turns out to be good, if it gets released at all.
Platinum accuses Konami of money hunger, but they are the same otherwise they wouldn't go with Tencent!
@KillerBOB "The NFT has a value, because then you sell it to someone else for even more money"
1. it has a price, not a value, which is a different thing, value is created by a combination of factors, not just by the price, which can be one of the factors, but things have value even when they are free or nobody wants them.
2. You can sell it IF you find someone who wants to buy it, apart from the fact that is literally the definition of "bigger/greater fool" scams ("buy x in the hope that tomorrow someone would want to buy it for more"), and since they don't have intrinsic value and you can't have an infinite number of people buying it for more that means at some point someone won't find a buyer.
And with points 1 and 2:
"There are evidently lots of "idiots" out there, because NFTs and crypto keep going up in value"
It's because it is a bubble. Nobody is buying crypto and NFT because they need it. They are just used as speculative intruments benefitting early adopters, without a real useful purpose (just some vague points repeated ad nauseam) and with the need to find new buyers all the time, it's not even a MLM scheme, it's the worst type of bubble.
Incredible how Konami has lost all the reputation it had as one of the best video game developers in the world.
if Konami is so interested in money where's the SOTN port/remake/anything on switch???? thats insta full price day one buy for me
@DeclanS98
let's not start worrying about the little guy punching up! i for one would like more of this!
@KillerBOB
LOL you dont understand gambling, or you are pretending not to to hold up your nonsensical argument. im not sure which is worse! 🤡
hey guys, the lottery is a good investment because SOMEONE will make millions! can't argue with that!
please come back here and report your earnings from NFTs, ill never be happier to have been proven wrong. ☺️
@KillerBOB NSO is $20 USD, NFTs have lost people thousands or millions of dollars, it goes both ways. With NFTs more people lose than people win, it’s just how they work and how they’re intended to work
NFTs are an environmental disaster. I loved the honesty in this interview.
@AuroraBoreale Well said.
@KillerBOB You gotta be trolling. $50 bucks for 4 classic systems and 2 DLC. That isn't a bad deal. NFT? You spend millions for what? I mean, if you don't find the NSO worth the money, fine, but to tell someone they are objectively wrong when value is a subjective idea anyway shows you are trying to rile people up.
NFTs are a scam. They are like gambling, that is why there are people who want them investigated for immoral practices. With the NSO, you know what you are getting. If you don't think it is worth it, that is fine. But, you don't get to tell others what is worth their money. However, no one has gone bankrupt over the NSO. A lot of people have with NFTs.
Are you are Push Square troll? Lol
Its because Konami got covid 19 at the start of the pandemic and lost their ability to smell
@aznable NL actually has a downvote button, it just doesn't show the downvotes anymore. At one point, it showed 5+ if at least 5 people downvoting a particular comment.
You know it's bad when EA is now avoiding NFTS.
+infinite respect.
I love kamiya. he is just so honest, its so refreshing
Shade thrown. Though certainly not inacurate. 😆👏
@Kalteas I'm not interested in NFTs, but the internet is much worst for the environment. And you are using the internet as we speak, right?
@PoliticallyIncorrect The internet has real utility. NFTs don't.
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