Ubisoft acknowledges that its recent NFT announcement was unpopular - but plans to move ahead with them anyway. This is according to an internal Q&A, in which staff expressed their own concerns about implementing NFTs into Ghost Recon Breakpoint, only to be dismissed by management.
CEO Yves Guillemot is said to have held the Q&A this week, following the overwhelmingly negative response to Quartz -a platform that will release NFTs into Ubisoft games. This is pretty much just a fancy way of releasing new cosmetic microtransactions, but significantly more expensive since they're artificially "limited". Workers at Ubisoft hit back against the plans, considering the damage it is already doing to Ghost Recon's reputation.
Staff noted that Ghost Recon player dissatisfaction has already increased since the announcement, and yet It isn't just the backlash that worries developers. Speaking to Kotaku, anonymous employees revealed that there are fears that implementing NFTs will result in more crunch, especially considering the current use of microtransactions already leads to resources being spread thin.
One source who attended the Q&A revealed what the mood is among the workers. "I’m here to make games and promote fun and entertainment. And I don’t see how this is going in that direction, it’s just another way to milk money".
Yves Guillemo was unconvinced by these arguments. Sources say that Guillemo insists Ghost Recon's NFTs are "just the beginning". He compared the negative reception from fans to that of typical microtransactions and even DLC. The comparison seems to indicate that management believes NFTs will be accepted over time.
The meeting appears to be a knee-jerk reaction, as staff say it was not scheduled. While Guillemo was eager to indicate that the response was expected, it might be the case that he didn't expect that sentiment from within the company itself.
Indeed, staff have been vocal about their apprehensions. Earlier this week, they already began speaking out in the media, saying that they do not see the benefits to NFTs in their games, especially when weighed up against the pushback.