A few months ago, the controversial concept, NFTs, took a monumental slap. While dedicated animated films and images of monkeys sold by the thousands for sometimes astronomical sums seemed to be popular, their value suddenly collapsed... To the delight of many Internet users, defining the concept as totally unnecessary. Despite this huge slap, NFTs still seem to be attractive , so much so that some leading companies in the video game industry are getting into it!
PlayStation developers on an open world
The timing is not optimal but two former PlayStation developers, Michael Mumbauer and John Garvin , are on a rather special project: new studios currently working on Ashfall, an open world containing NFTs. Mumbauer has a long history with the Japanese brand, he worked on flagship PlayStation titles like The Last of Us and Uncharted. Garvin, he worked with Bend studios, on Days Gone in particular. These are two big names in video game development, who recently presented their unexpected project.
“The studio will take a different approach to mainstream gaming, one that can allow gamers to participate in the ever-growing cryptocurrency market,” it was defined by its creators. The first game produced by Liithos Studios, Ashfall , will also be the first PC game to incorporate NFTs elements.
Ashfall will immerse its players in a post-apocalyptic world, destroyed by climate change. The game will be centered around PvP and PvE , set in "a rich world with fascinating characters and an engaging story".
As for NFTs, cryptocurrency transactions will be available in-game, in a form that is not yet known. All we know is that the cryptocurrency used in Ashfall will be HBAR , a Hedera Network token, on which video game production will of course be available. It will (supposedly) also be on PC, PlayStation and Xbox. Regarding the release date, the creators of Liithos studios have not revealed anything yet, but it will not be long.
Industry and NFTs
NFTs seem to be seducing several companies in the video game industry, and although their cost is declining, some are not giving up. This is particularly the case of Square Enix which, after having sold some of its Montreal studios for 300 million dollars, announced that it wanted to embark on the blockchain.
Last week, the company released its financial report for 2022, including its plans to introduce "plot-matching NFTs" into some of its games. No more details have been revealed by Square Enix but the NFT machine is well and truly in motion. Perhaps with the faint decline of the concept, some companies will backtrack, or attempt to buck the trend with their innovations. The future will tell…
League of Legends will wrap up one of its most intense seasons in years with the release of the Udyr revamp, one of the most anticipated new features of Season 12. We're reviewing Riot's clues for determine its release date.
