Ubisoft says about NFTs: “They are really beneficial. But you just don’t get it”

So far, Ubisoft hasn’t had much success with the Quartz NFT platform. Gamers from around the world have had extremely negative comments about the idea of ​​acquiring NFTs in-game and then reselling them. But according to two senior managers at Ubisoft, there are many prejudices and misunderstandings about NFT. Players just haven’t realized how useful NFTs would be for them.

What’s the deal with Quartz and NFTs? Quartz is a platform that allows players to manage NFTs from Ubisoft games. NFTs are digital items that are unique worldwide thanks to blockchain technology and can be traded for real money.

But the announcement of Quartz already led to a shitstorm and gamers seemed to hate the idea of ​​NFTs in games. The feedback was so bad that Ubisoft even “hid” the video in the end.

But what are the insights that Ubisoft draws from this? The Australian side Finder interviewed the two managers Nicolas Pouard (Vice President of the Strategic Innovations Lab) and Didier Genevois (Blockchain Technical Director).

According to Ubisoft, players have not yet realized how valuable NFTs can be for them

What is the manager’s take on the Quartz flop? Interestingly, some of the negative reactions were already expected at Ubisoft. As Nicolas Pouard says right at the beginning of the interview:

Well, that’s the reaction we expected. We know that the concept is not easy to understand. But Quartz is really just a first step towards something bigger. Something that will be more easily understood by our players. That’s the way we think about it and why we will keep experimenting. We will continue to release features and services around this first initiative. And we believe that piece by piece the puzzle will be uncovered and understood by our players. We hope they will better understand the value we offer them.

Nicolas Pouard (Vice President of the Strategic Innovations Lab)

That’s why it should all be a good thing: The problem, according to Ubisoft, is that gamers have not yet understood what benefits NFTs and blockchain technologies would bring to gamers. He further explains:

I don’t think players understand what a digital secondary market can do for them. Right now, given the current situation and context, players genuinely believe NFTs are firstly planet-destroying and secondly just a tool for speculation. But what we see first is the endgame. The endgame is to allow players to resell their items when they no longer need them or don’t want to play the game anymore.

Is [die NFT-Technologie] so it’s really a win for them [die Spieler]. It’s really beneficial. But they don’t get it right now.

Also, this is part of a paradigm shift in gaming. Changing from one economic system to another is not easy to manage. There are many habits to break and many ingrained mindsets to change. This will need time. We know this.

Nicolas Pouard (Vice President of the Strategic Innovations Lab)

So at Ubisoft, we remain convinced that NFTs are a good thing and represent the future of gaming. It just hasn’t reached the players yet. In addition, the environmental concerns are unnecessary, since the energy-efficient blockchain Tezos is used.

So it remains to be seen whether Ubisoft’s top executives will be right or whether NFTs will continue to be a red rag for many gamers.

Incidentally, MeinMMO editor Maik Schneider also has a similar, positive view of NFTs. He says: “The harsh criticism of NFTs in gaming is unfair – they are more than micro-transactions”

What is your opinion on the statements of the Ubisoft managers? Are NFTs just ahead of their time or do you see it as a worrying development? Let us know in the comments!