Dr Disrespect is doubling down on blockchain games even despite the mostly negative reception of this technology and the continuing backlash from a large portion of his fanbase. The streamer is mostly known for his outspoken personality and bombastic appearances on Twitch and YouTube, especially while playing popular battle royale games like Apex Legends, Fortnite, PUBG: Battlegrounds, and various entries in the Call of Duty series.
The streamer was banned from Twitch on June 26, 2020. The platform did not provide any details about the ban, pointing only to a violation of its terms of service. Dr Disrespect claimed at the time that he did not know the reason, but revealed on August 23, 2021 that he had known why for months and was going to pursue legal action. Dr Disrespect and Twitch announced a resolution to the dispute on March 10, 2022. Dr Disrespect went on to say that he would not be returning to Twitch, having successfully migrated to YouTube, reaching over 4 million subscribers on the platform as of December 31, 2022.
Dr Disrespect announced the launch of his triple-A gaming studio, Midnight Society, during the dispute with Twitch back in December, 2021. Midnight Society is primarily focused on creating online multiplayer games with blockchain integration, the current priority of the studio, Project Moon, drawing widespread criticism for its implementation of NFTs. “Midnight Society is a new kind of triple-A game studio and publishing model over a decade in the making,” the official description states. “We are a group of ambitious game industry veterans who see a future in which developers no longer create experiences in a vacuum and players share in a game’s success.”
The content creator previously became the target of a backlash from fans and followers for promoting a variety of different blockchain games both while streaming and on social media, many accusing the streamer of promoting a product which they believed was harmful to the environment and could exacerbate wealth inequality in the gaming community. This caused the content creator to put some distance between himself and the technology, at least for a while. Dr Disrespect recently posted about the topic on Twitter, calling blockchain games the way of the future.
“Imagine trying to ‘extract’ with an item you discovered worth $100,000 on the chain,” Dr Disrespect said on Twitter. “Think about entertainment value as a viewer let alone a player.” The content creator went on to say that a “new PvP experience is upon us.” Dr Disrespect later explained how “the concept of digital collectibles in an online game is so exciting to me. Especially an extraction type of game. People saying 'scam' and ‘ugh’ are just brain dead headline followers. Same people that spend a ton on skins for an annual release game. Same skins everyone has, too.”
The technology briefly gained a substantial amount of popularity within the games industry on account of its potential to provide more secure and transparent transactions and ownership of items, but many soon became critical of blockchain games, noting concerns about their potential impact on the environment, among other things.
The recent comments by Dr Disrespect have been met with a mixed reception from the gaming community, a few of his fans expressing their support for the streamer. The majority of his followers on the other hand are apparently still skeptical about the matter. “NFTs are a scam,” a fan for example remarked on Twitter. “Good luck, but I feel like this is a rocky path to take.”