Gaming companies are keen to cash in on the NFT craze. But despite some of the biggest gaming publishers praising NFTs as the future of gaming, the public backlash ensured their plans didn’t last long.

GSC Games

GSC Games, the developer behind the S.T.A.L.K.E.R franchise, announced that it would add NFTs to the upcoming Heart of Chernobyl instalment.

As part of its NFT plans, the company offered players the chance to be part of the game, saying,” To become a “metahuman,” players will be able to bid for an NFT offering that prize as part of an auction taking place in January 2022. Whoever “owns” the NFT to become an NPC in the game will be able to buy and sell it up until a specific claim date after the auction.”

The outcry from fans was swift, and within a day, GSC Games had to change its tune with a tweet renouncing its NFT plans.

pic.twitter.com/mffnmpiQiw

— S.T.A.L.K.E.R. OFFICIAL (@stalker_thegame) December 16, 2021

EA

EA Games put out some of the biggest titles in the world, like Apex Legends and the Battlefield franchise, and had some big plans for NFTs.

Just three months ago, in the company’s earnings call, EA’s CEO, Andrew Wilson, supported NFTs, saying, “I do think it [NFTs] will be an important part of the future of our industry.” He went on to say, “Collectible digital content is going to play a meaningful part in our future.”

In the latest earnings call, Wilson had an entirely different take on the matter, saying NFTs were “not something that we’re driving hard against”.

Team17

Team17 is an indie publisher mainly known for its Worms franchise. The company announced its NFT plans, saying it would be “giving fans the chance to own a unique piece of video game memorabilia ” in the form of worms-based art. It even went further and committed to donating a percentage of the proceeds to sustainability initiatives.

As they say, plans change, and within 24 hours, Team17 was forced to change its position because of the intense backlash from its own developers like Ghost Town Games and Aggro Crab, which weren’t aware of the decision. With such severe opposition to its NFT plans, Team released a tweet backtracking on its original position and canceling its plans.

Team17 is today announcing an end to the MetaWorms NFT project.

We have listened to our Teamsters, development partners, and our games’ communities, and the concerns they’ve expressed, and have therefore taken the decision to step back from the NFT space.

— Team17 (@Team17) February 1, 2022

SEGA

In 2021 Sega announced its entry into the NFT world with a tweet saying it would “start selling NFT digital contents that utilize blockchain technology around the summer of 2021”.

当社は、double jump .tokyo株式会社との協業による、ブロックチェーンの技術を活用したNFTデジタルコンテンツについて、2021年夏頃を目途に販売を開始します。https://t.co/b8pMW6dg9G pic.twitter.com/3idW6RI71z

— セガ公式アカウント🦔 (@SEGA_OFFICIAL) April 27, 2021

Fast-forward a few months, and Sega CEO Haruki Satomi had a different take on NFTs. “We need to carefully assess many things such as how we can mitigate the negative elements, how much we can introduce this within the Japanese regulation, what will be accepted and what will not be by the users,” Satomi said in a management meeting.

“We will consider this further if this leads to our mission ‘Constantly Creating, Forever Captivating,’ but if it is perceived as simple money-making, I would like to make a decision not to proceed,” SEGA’s CEO added.

Whether he means what he says or not is up for debate. Sega still registered two Sega NFT trademarks and their respective logos with the Japanese patent office after he made the comments, and there might be a further twist in the tale.

NFTs are uncharted territory for gaming companies, and the space they occupy is still a grey area with supporters and detractors on both sides. While the negativity surrounding them has forced these companies to shelve their plans, other big hitters like Konami, Ubisoft, and Square Enix are pushing forward with their NFT plans regardless of what anyone thinks.