Key takeaways:
- French game publisher Ubisoft, most well known for its Assassin’ Creed, Fary Cry, and Tom Clancy’s game franchises, is launching in-game NFTs on December 9
- Ubisoft will become the first major gaming company to implement NFTs directly into one of its flagship games
- Ubisoft Quartz NFTs will run on the Tezos blockchain for maximum energy efficiency
Earlier in the year, French video game giant Ubisoft unveiled its plans to deepen its commitment to blockchain gaming during its Q2 earnings call. Ubisoft acted on its plans very quickly – the gaming company will launch a beta version of Ubisoft Quartz, a desktop NFT marketplace, on December 9.
Ubisoft Quartz will let gamers earn, buy and sell in-game NFTs that run on Tezos blockchain
The non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace Ubisfot Quartz will require gamers to be at least 18 years of age and have a Tezos wallet. The first game to sport in-game blockchain-powered digital collectibles will be Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint, an online military first-person shooter set in an open world.
Per the company’s press release, the NFT feature will first be available to players who have reached at least level 5 in the game and are from one of the following regions: Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United States.
Eligible players can look forward to NFT drops called “Digits”, which will feature numerous in-game items, such as weapon skins, unique gaming model outfits, and various unique loadout options. The promotion for early adopters will feature several free drops, slated for December 9, 12, and 15. Additional promotions are planned for 2022.
Nicolas Pouard, VP of Ubisoft’s Strategic Innovation Lab, spoke about the company’s blockchain ambitions:
“Ubisoft Quartz is the first building block in our ambitious vision for developing a true metaverse. And it can’t come to life without overcoming blockchain’s early-form limitations for gaming, including scalability and energy consumption.”
Players will have full control of their “Digits”, meaning they can choose to acquire and sell in-game cosmetic items on third-party NFT marketplaces, outside of the Ubisoft gaming ecosystem.
Ubisoft is no stranger to blockchain gaming and NFTs. The company made significant investments in the space over the past year, such as Animoca Brands, and has participated in the process of founding the Blockchain Game Alliance, which is a global “organization that is committed to promoting blockchain within the game industry.”
Ubisoft’s venture into blockchain gaming couldn’t have come at a better time. In general, the crypto gaming sector has experienced exponential growth this year due to new monetization mechanics and metaverse hype, with certain gaming tokens reaching market capitalizations larger than their more established non-blockchain counterparts.
The Ubisoft Quartz announcement trailer underscored the importance of the energy efficiency of the Tezos network and summarized the main benefits of the NFT-powered features.
Following yesterday’s Ubisoft NFT announcement, the price of Tezos exploded. The value of XTZ jumped by nearly 25% in the last 24 hours and hit a five-week high of $5.81.
