Square Enix Insists on Integrating Blockchain Elements Into Its Games

Square Enix, the Japanese gaming company, is pressing on with its vision of integrating blockchain elements into its games. In a recent interview, president Yosuke Matsuda talked about the importance of user-generated content and the advantages that allowing this kind of development, as well as introducing blockchain-based self-sustained economies, might bring to the future of the gaming industry.

Square Enix to Double Down on Blockchain and Autonomous Content

Square Enix is doubling down on its business plan of including blockchain elements in its games in the not-so-distant future. The company, which had already made plans to make a robust entry into the blockchain gaming world, seems to now be interested in using these tools to create self-sustaining economies in gaming worlds.

Yosuke Matsuda, president of Square Enix, reiterated the compromise that he and the company have to deliver some of these experiences in the future in a recent interview given to Yahoo News. To Matsuda, user-generated content is very important, and he insists on rewarding creators of this content directly with some kind of game currency. He stated:

By utilizing technologies such as blockchain instead of relying on good intentions, if incentives are given to those who have contributed to the development, there is a possibility that content with innovative fun will be born from the user’s ideas.

This inclusion of user-generated content would also ostensibly help create games able to thrive outside the hands of the original developers even after original support ends, if there is sufficient interest from third-party creators.

Not the First Time

This is not the first time that Matsuda has expressed his take on the future of gaming and cryptocurrency elements. In a new year’s letter in January, Matsuda revealed how he thinks blockchain might change how players and builders can be part of gaming experiences in a more immersive way.

On how to achieve this immersive engagement, Matsuda stated:

It is blockchain-based tokens that will enable this. By designing viable token economies into our games, we will enable self-sustaining game growth.

However, Square Enix has been rather conservative when it comes to designing a game featuring franchises such as Final Fantasy or Kingdom Hearts around blockchain and token mechanics. In fact, Naoki Yoshida, director and producer of Final Fantasy XIV, denied any possibility of including NFTs in the game in February.

Other Japanese companies, such as Sega, have also been ambivalent when it comes to NFTs. While the company announced back in January it might scrap NFT experiments if seen by players as a money grab, it also hinted at their possible inclusion as part of its “Super Game” framework.