- Blockchain gaming promises to revolutionize the gaming industry by allowing players to own and sell digital assets in the form of non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
- The makers of Fortnite, Epic Games, have embraced blockchain games, with the Epic Games Store featuring five crypto games and “close to 20” more in the pipeline.
- Square Enix and other game publishers are exploring blockchain gaming, but there is significant skepticism about the technology’s entertainment value and credibility.
Blockchain gaming has been making headlines in recent years, promising to revolutionize the gaming industry by allowing players to own and sell digital assets in the form of non-fungible tokens (NFTs). However, the technology has faced significant challenges in gaining broader acceptance among traditional gamers and industry players. Many blockchain games have been labeled as scams and lacking entertainment value.
Despite these challenges, the makers of Fortnite, Epic Games, have embraced blockchain games, with the Epic Games Store featuring five crypto games at the time of writing. A recent interview with Epic’s store GM Steve Allison revealed that “close to 20” more are in the pipeline. Indicating a renewed interest in testing out this new gaming medium with its customers.
Epic Games Store as a proving ground for crypto-based games
The following 12 months will determine whether blockchain games have sufficient drawing power on the Epic Games Store, one of PC’s largest online gaming marketplaces. Epic’s store is closely monitoring the market’s response to determine its future, as skepticism remains about crypto-based games’ entertainment value and credibility.
This comes when other online marketplaces, such as Steam, have barred crypto games due to concerns over fraud and scams. The Epic Games Store is presenting itself as a rebel against the status quo, providing a space for crypto games to thrive.
Despite Epic’s enthusiasm for blockchain games, the company keeps a safe distance from most financial aspects of its store’s blockchain games. The game’s publishers are responsible for transactions, customer service, and dealing with refunds.
All the while, Epic’s trust and safety team closely monitors the market for any bad behavior. The company has clarified that it will not hesitate to ban blockchain games whose developers or publishers exhibit “bad behavior.”
The potential and uncertainty of the blockchain gaming market
Epic Games is not the only large gaming company experimenting with blockchain gaming. Other game publishers like Square Enix are also exploring the technology. Square Enix plans to launch blockchain games in the next fiscal year, as confirmed by the company’s president Yosuke Matsuda during a recent interview.
However, it remains to be seen how these NFT games will work or whether they will be successful. There has yet to be a blockchain videogame success story to provide a model for the industry. Significant publishers have only made half-hearted attempts at blockchain integration, and there needs to be more skepticism about the technology’s entertainment value and credibility.
The success of blockchain games hinges on their ability to gain broader acceptance among traditional gamers and industry players. The primary question is whether they can provide compelling entertainment value beyond the promise of digital assets in the form of non-fungible tokens. The following 12 months will be critical in determining whether blockchain games will become a permanent fixture in the gaming industry or fade away as a fad.
