For the first time since 2019, Ubisoft’s signaled that it’s still interested in pursuing blockchain game development, and offered more insight on its plans for the technology.
During an investor’s call that followed today’s earnings report, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot explained that the company is still pursuing blockchain game development, and plans to invest in other companies alongside fostering its own development teams. GamesBeat reporter Dean Takahashi noted that company intends to “comply with regulations and environmental issues.”
We got a glimpse into what kind of possibilities Ubisoft is looking to enable with blockchain technology in HashCraft, a prototype the company funded and was shown off back in 2019. The most interesting application of the technology in this Minecraft -like building game was the possibility for players to store unique worlds on a blockchain, allowing them access to their projects regardless if the game server they were created on is still active or not.
HashCraft also promises that players can generate a unique cryptocurrency through in-game activities, which can be exchanged for BitCoin or other Cryptocurrencies with real-world value. That obviously is where the regulatory issues enter play, since ascribing real value to digital objects is the kind of venture that attracts the attention of the SEC.
And as for the “environmental issues” mentioned on the investor’s call, there’s the problem that many blockchain-based currencies and projects rely on computers with high-level hardware sucking up tons of power to run the calculations necessary for the technology to function.
It’ll be interesting to see if Ubisoft keeps up this march into Blockchain now that Valve has said it’s not going to allow games relying on Blockchain technology to work on its platform. Will Ubisoft’s stake in the field pressure Valve’s hand? Or will it be the other way around?