Many large game publishers are often pushing NFTs in gaming, many times resulting in severe backlash. Ubisoft especially saw pushback and poor sales with the Quartz project and is evidently changing tactics.
NFT stands for Non-Fungible Token, and, in theory, it acts as a digital license for items across games, but, in practice, it functions effectively identically to previously existing in-game marketplaces. Minting NFTs also has a significant environmental impact and many players question their value. Despite this, companies like Ubisoft have been pushing them in triple-A gaming.
Thanks to the previous backlash surrounding the Ubisoft Quartz program, Ubisoft's new Project Q is confirmed to be NFT-free. The company's Twitter account is adamant that there will be no NFTs in the game, after quickly responding to several concerned players. One player guessed that the Q could stand for Quartz, and others are concerned about the phrasing of "truly own the experience" Ubisoft used in the announcement, but the quick response indicates there will not be NFTs, at least for now. The phrasing of the replies indicates it could still be a possibility in the future.
Ubisoft's Quartz project to bring NFTs into Ghost Recon Breakpoint was a catastrophic failure for the company, with extremely low sales despite aggressive marketing. The steep requirements to even be able to buy one, combined with their presence in a poorly-received game, stacked the odds against the already questionable trend-chasing, and the low sales seem even more detrimental to the Quartz program. Despite this, Ubisoft still plans to pursue NFT integration in future projects, with the promise that they will be added to other games.
Considering that Ubisoft's Quartz NFTs were so badly-received that the trailer was outright delisted due to the negative response, moving away from NFTs in Project Q is probably for the best even when not considering the environmental factors. The company's public image is already damaged with accusations of workplace misconduct and abuse being overlooked by the company. The combination of hostile working conditions and refusal to acknowledge them has remained an issue since the major news first broke in 2020, and the ABetterUbisoft effort is still trying to build pressure on the company's management to finally set a good example for the industry.
Little is known about the Quartz program's continuation other than the fact that it is planned, but at least for now, players of Project Q will not have to worry about artificial scarcity getting in the way of the experience. Considering the past comments from Ubisoft executives, however, it seems the company's next push could be harder in an effort to attract more gamers into the NFT space.
Project Q is in development.