Beloved game developer and publisher, Square Enix, released their bi-yearly business briefing, with a bombshell buried in it: Square Enix has its sights set firmly on the integration of blockchain technology.
Square Enix is one of the biggest and longest-standing names in the gaming industry, creating titles such as Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and now, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. They are revered by many gamers, myself included, and now they have joined the likes of EA and Ubisoft with a view to utilizing blockchain.
A ‘Robust Entry’ to Blockchain Gaming
The section in Square Enix’s briefing titled “Medium-term Business Strategy Progress” is the most interesting of the document. Here are three of the most important slides with regards to blockchain:
There wording of these slides can be a little tricky as they are contradictory to my eyes. The word “contemplating” suggests it’s an idea they are batting around the boardroom, however, the word “robust” suggests this is a multifaceted plan that is well fleshed out. I have omitted the slide on NFTs they will be releasing as many companies have dipped a toe in those waters and it doesn’t necessarily speak to their intentions.
Square Enix has undoubtedly identified the key emerging trends, and one of the most important lines is, “[players] want not only to have fun but also to interact, create, collect, etc.” This, in combination with the focus on token economies, suggests they may well see where gaming is headed, which is an exciting development.
In addition to the sort of content creation we have traditionally engaged in, we will focus on blockchain games premised on token economies as a form of decentralized content
Square Enix Briefing
2021 has proven to be a seminal year for blockchain gaming, but I suspect 2022 will be transformative to the direction of the games industry, with big hitters like Square Enix, EA, and Ubisoft leading the charge.
