NFTs And Play-To-Earn Are The Future Of Gaming, States EA CEO
November 04 2021 - 6:36PM
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Electronic Arts (EA) is one of the biggest gaming companies, with
legacy titles like FIFA and Madden that have had a dedicated player
base for many years. Additionally, titles like Apex Legends have
found a strong player base with potential for long-term longevity.
In the company’s latest earnings call this week, EA CEO Andrew
Wilson described blockchain technology, notably NFTs and
play-to-earn capability as “the future of our industry.” The Future
Of Gaming On the earnings call, Wilson added that “it’s still early
to figure out how that’s going to work.” Given EA’s long-time
licensing partners, most notably with heavy-hitting sports league
IP, there’s clear-cut potential moving forward in integrating NFTs
into gaming. How the ecosystem at large operates is a much muddier
perspective. EA has long been criticized for it’s emphasis on loot
boxes and pay-to-win incentives. However, in titles like FIFA
(whose long-standing relationship with EA now seems to be in
jeopardy), Ultimate Team player cards are already in a sense
operating as centralized pseudo-NFTs. “In the context of the games
we create and the live services that we offer, collectible digital
content is going to play a meaningful part in our future,” Wilson
added. “It’s still early to tell, but I think we’re in a really
good position, and we should expect us to kind of think more
innovatively and creatively about that on a go-forward basis.”
Electronic Arts' (EA) stock has had a nonchalant 2021 thus far
after a great close to last year. | Source: NASDAQ: EA on
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Landscape Traditional gaming publishers to date have moved with
caution around blockchain integration. Ubisoft is one of the first
top-tier developers to actually make a move, supporting funding to
blockchain-powered Animoca Brands. Another major developer, Valve,
has openly expressed having no interest in blockchain or NFT
engagement at present time. Competitor Epic Games, on the other
hand, released a statement from CEO Tim Sweeney around the same
time as Valve’s statement, noting that Epic would “welcome games
that make use of blockchain tech.” As is the case with many
mainstream blockchain integration, being a first-mover likely
brings a high-risk, high-reward factor that leave established
players more hesitant. Play-to-earn games have made a splash this
year in the crypto-sphere, highlighted by the enormous success of
Axie Infinity. Now, with the growth of gaming and crypto,
traditional publishers are likely feeling the heat to be
‘future-proofed’. Titles like Fortnite and CS:GO, along with the
aforementioned FIFA, are often mentioned when it comes to NFTs, as
in-game skins and collectibles that can be transferrable from one
developer’s title to another are often cited as the most common
idea for NFT integration in gaming. We’ll see what EA brings to the
table in the years ahead. Axie Infinity has reshaped how we
traditionally view video games. | Source: AxieInfinity.com Related
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