- Ubisoft has announced that it will enter the blockchain gaming movement
- The company says blockchain tech is a “revolution” and could integrate into mainstream titles
- Ubisoft will also pursue a ‘play-to-earn’ model that could see players earn cryptocurrency
Gaming giant Ubisoft has announced that it is to push a blockchain-based ‘play to earn’ model two weeks after Valve banned blockchain games from its Steam platform. Ubisoft representatives discussed the company’s planned implementation of blockchain and cryptocurrencies in an investor call last week, also revealing that it was a founder member of the Blockchain Game Alliance and that it has provided funding for blockchain-focused developer Animoca Brands.
Ubisoft Behind Blockchain Game Alliance
Ubisoft’s approach to blockchain-based gaming could not be more different from that of Valve, who last month quietly banned games that feature cryptocurrency or were based on blockchain technology, leading to an open letter from a number of signatories including the Blockchain Game Alliance protesting the move. The group argued that blockchain represented the future of gaming and it was short sighted to ban it rather than correctly implement it.
Pay-to-Earn Games Coming
Ubisoft, who we now know was in-part behind the letter thanks to its backing of the Blockchain Game Alliance, have since made their interest in blockchain gaming clear, with CFO Frederick Duguet called blockchain technology a “revolution” in the investor call:
[Blockchain] will enable more play-to-earn that will enable more players to actually earn content, own content, and we think it’s going to grow the industry quite a lot. We’ve been working with lots of small companies going on blockchain and we’re starting to have a good know-how on how it can impact the industry, and we want to be one of the key players here.
Duguet said that Ubisoft will be devoting more time and resources to a ‘play-to-earn’ model which may see mainstream games such as Assassin’s Creed and the Tom Clancy titles feature some kind of blockchain integration at some point.
