Let's just make this clear right away: NFTs suck. They're just promises of ownership over jpegs that people pay thousands of dollars for. There's nothing stopping you from right-clicking and downloading the image yourself right now. Maintaining the energy-intensive networks that NFTs require to function is contributing to climate change while offering nothing of value in return. And a lot of NFTs are just outright scams.
But game companies are getting into NFTs because there’s money to be made. It doesn’t take much to mint a new NFT, and yet people seem to be crazy enough to spend a lot of money on these easily-replicated digital images.
Because there's a lot of money in NFTs, there are a lot of people trying to take advantage of the buying craze to cash in. Enter The Hidden Alliance (THAC), a Destiny clan that previously sold "game and street inspired gear" but has since gotten into the NFT game in a big way. Last week, THAC announced that they're minting a collection of 51 NFTs that will be released on Saturday, January 15.
THAC is actually planning three NFT drops based on Destiny's three classes. Titan will be the first, with Warlock and Hunter to follow at a later date. As with many NFTs, the 51 images are all basically the same Titan with minor variations--usually different backgrounds, filters, or effects. One will look like it's on fire, the other underwater, the other in a comic strip, etc.
Only one of the announced NFTs is genuinely different from the rest, showing the full Titan body rather than just the upper torso.
Perhaps in an attempt to convince skeptics that NFTs aren't all bad, THAC stated in its announcement that a portion of the proceeds "will go to Autism advocacy and support; increasing understanding and acceptance of people with autism; and advancing research into causes and better interventions for autism spectrum disorder and related conditions." THAC didn't say which autism advocacy charity they'd be donating to, however.
The legality of this NFT is questionable at best. Bungie hasn't authorized any NFTs based on its Destiny IP, so another group cashing in using Bungie's copyrights seems like a surefire way to get sued. On the other hand, this particular Titan is generic enough that it could be confused with any number of futuristic armored sci-fi characters--perhaps enough to evade a cease-and-desist letter from Bungie.
Bungie has yet to comment on the NFTs, but fans have made it clear that they're not exactly enthused.