NFTs are all the rage in the gaming industry, but Electronic Arts CEO Andrew Wilson isn’t ready to commit to implementing them in games made by the company.
According to a report by Polygon, Wilson shared his opinion on NFTs and their place in video games in a Q3 2022 earnings call on Tuesday. He spoke about the idea of “collectibility” — derived on quality, scarcity, authenticity, and perceived value — and how it’s been an integral part of EA’s operations and the gaming industry as a whole for years. However, he doesn’t expect to use the controversial blockchain technology as collectibles anytime soon.
“I believe that collectibility will continue to be an important part of our industry in the games and experiences that we offer our players,” Wilson said. “Whether that’s part of NFTs and the blockchain, well, that remains to be seen. I think the way we think about it is, we want to deliver the best possible player experience we can. And so we’ll evaluate that over time, but right now, it’s not something we’re driving hard against.”
In the last earnings call, Wilson called NFTs and play-to-earn games “the future of our industry,” but said that it was “too early to figure out how that’s going to work.” His comments about NFTs this time around sound like he’s having second thoughts about investing in them as other companies have.
Last month, Square Enix CEO Yosuke Matsuda praised NFTs in his controversial letter published on New Year’s Day, driving the studio’s stocks up 8%. Then Sega registered a trademark for its own NFT in Japan after negative criticism from fans, and Konami auctioned off 14 Castlevania NFTs, which netted them $155,000. Meanwhile, Aggro Crab Games condemned Team17 for its decision to produce Worm NFTs, calling them a “grift.” After that, Team17 decided to drop the whole idea.
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