'Stalker 2' Swiftly Cancels In-Game NFTs Following Backlash
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Featured Image Credit: GSC Game World, QuoteInspector
Are you getting tired of hearing about NFTs yet? I know I am. It’d be hard to call them the worst thing to happen to the world this year when we’re still in the middle of a seemingly ever growing pandemic, but y’know, they’re up there in the rankings.
If you hadn’t already been afflicted with the knowledge (if you want to stay blissfully unaware, now’s your time to run) ‘NFT’ stands for non-fungible token, which probably doesn’t make things any clearer. Basically, people are selling ‘unique’ digital assets for obscene amounts of money. Which, if you still find confusing, join the club.
NFTs are confusing, so why not take a break to check out the announcement video for the upcoming Splinter Cell remake below?
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Well, earlier this week, GSC Game World announced that S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl would include NFTs when it releases next year. The idea was that the game would have its own “metaverse”, which players could inhabit as an NFT in the form of an NPC, in theory allowing players to own a piece of the game. Anyway, that plan has been dropped as quickly as it arrived.
In a statement released on Twitter, the studio wrote: “Based on the feedback we received, we've made a decision to cancel anything NFT-related in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2. The interest of our fans and players are the top priority for the team. We're making this game for you to enjoy—whatever the cost is. If you care, we care too.”
— S.T.A.L.K.E.R. OFFICIAL (@stalker_thegame) December 16, 2021
Fans have been thanking the studio for their decision: “The right decision, thanks Stalker team!” tweeted @arat360. “Very based for actually listening to the fanbase!” added @MorsoMursu.
NFTs are very controversial - the whole process is completely dependent on blockchain mining, which is ridiculously bad for the environment. So, it’s unsurprising that people weren’t happy about the original decision to bring that into what’s (hopefully) going to be a great game release - it would taint its image a bit.
This is far from the only recent attempt to bring NFTs into the world of gaming, though - earlier this month, Ubisoft announced their own “play-to-earn” venture, Ubisoft Quartz. Well, that announcement was so well received that the video was quietly shoved under the rug and deleted within days, although Quartz has still gone ahead as planned. Isn’t the future exciting? Sigh.
Topics: Cryptocurrency, Xbox
