Square Enix’s Next Game Features 10,000 Micro-Transactions, And Fans Are Up In Arms
Square Enix is developing an NFT game titled Symbiogenesis that will feature thousands of micro-transactions.
It would seem that the studio-selling Square Enix still hasn’t learned its lesson when it comes to microtransactions—it’s an upcoming game, a Square Enix NFT game titled Symbiogenesis, that will feature at least 10,000 unique microtransactions. This is an unprecedented number of microtransactions within a game, and fans of Square Enix’s IPs are up in arms—and for several reasons; the diminishing quality of games is certainly one of those reasons.
According to VGC, Square Enix, a gaming company that gave the world masterpieces such as the Final Fantasy franchise—whose sixteenth mainline installment is expected to drop in June 2023—has just released a trailer for its upcoming NFT game. Yes, you read that right; a Square Enix NFT game is supposed to release this year as well, a whole year after the NFT market collapsed. Apparently, bringing Marvel’s Avengers to a shutdown by focusing more on microtransactions in place of a quality narrative wasn’t a lesson enough.
As to what exactly incurred the fandom’s wrath, well, there’s a lot to unpack here. NFTs are unique, non-interchangeable units of data stored on a blockchain, which allows users to buy and sell digital products. They were previously very appreciated, in a monetary sense, as they provided a unique and verifiable record of ownership over digital assets. And they were quite pricey at the beginning of 2022, so it’s quite understandable as to why Square Enix decided to make their NFT game.
The Square Enix NFT game has over 10,000 collectible artworks and just as much unique characters in the game. Each of these 10,000 characters would be for sale by Square Enix once the game goes live, with an additional 10,000 made available with each coming chapter of the game. Players will be able to progress through the main story and missions while also unlocking stories held by the character and finding various NFT items hidden throughout the game world. This all sounds like typical microtransactions but on steroids.
And in most cases, that wouldn’t be an issue. However, NFTs are notoriously bad for the environment since the NFT storage methods emit millions of tons of carbon dioxide, which is harmful to the environment. The less environmentally-conscious gamers, on the other hand, are mad because other, better franchises, like Tomb Raider or Legacy of Kain, and their respective studios are sidelined, sold, or shelved in favor of a Square Enix NFT game—which launches after the spectacular NFT market collapse. So, basically, the company is releasing glorified NFT junk.
Square Enix was the first major gaming company to declare its support for NFTs and the first major company to incorporate them into the actual gaming software. Will the Square Enix NFT game be successful? Well, given the current state of the NFT market, along with Square Enix’s exceptionally poor track record involving recent releases, we wouldn’t bet money on it. In the meantime, the fans of the aforementioned gaming franchises, such as Tomb Raider and Legacy of Kain—the latter in particular—are wondering why there hasn’t been a development.
