Ever since the industry was born, gaming and technology have naturally gone hand-in-hand. As technology evolves, so do the games that many people across the world enjoy. However, as natural as gaming and technology go together, so do change and controversy at times. Non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, are an example of how new technologies can bring up controversies. Looking to invest in what looks like a profitable market, many gaming companies have ended up in hot water with their consumers by announcing support for NFTs, one of which being Sega.

The company announced that it would support NFTs in April 2021, and the immediate backlash from its fans, especially fans of Sonic the Hedgehog, was intense. Due to how the blue hedgehog's franchise was founded and continues to feature themes of technology vs nature from a pollution perspective, the parent corporation branding itself under Sonic supporting a technology being questioned for its harm to the planet was a huge concern of hypocrisy for the fans in question.

RELATED: It Takes Two Director Josef Fares Would Rather Get Shot Than Put NFTs in Games

Due to how loudly fans of Sega spoke their minds on the issue, SOJ has since stepped back to re-evaluate its role in the NFT market before any sales on blockchain platforms were made. In the recent Sega Sammy Holdings management meeting write-up, the company states that when it comes to NFT and "play to earn" type models, "nothing is decided at this point." The corporation is holding its own experiments and research but specifically says that it's to understand if the negatives are truly as bad as its supporters have warned.

sega-sammy-holdings-nft-statement

The backlash is specifically mentioned in the report before ultimately Sega states that after its research has yielded results, it will make its final decision based on if it matches what the company aims to achieve at this time. If it seems to lead into its mission of being "Constantly creating and forever captivating," then the NFT plans will continue as previously announced. However, Sega of Japan has also said that it will go no further if the NFT market doesn't match that mission, or is "perceived as simple money-making."

While this isn't an entire concrete no, there's still the fact that Sega decided to take the time to do its own research into the practice upon being alerted that something wasn't right about it. The climate around NFTs is constantly shifting with its own controversy, and multiple different game developers and publishers have taken different stances and different reactions to the same backlash Sega has faced.

Even still, this is great for the many fans who took a stand against Sega supporting the practice. Due to how much they spoke out, Sega has decided to re-evaluate and look into the environmental and even the economical issues around it. It's a unique outlook to have after companies like Ubisoft have been focused more on investors. While Sega can change its minds once again, this is one victory fans can take over the intimidating crypto market.

MORE: The New Microsoft and Sega Partnership Explained

Source: Sega Sammy Holdings