Launched in early December, Ubisoft’s Quartz initiative sought to introduce NFTs—non-fungible tokens reliant on blockchain technology—to its online gaming ecosystems. When it was first announced, Quartz received an incredible amount of backlash from gamers, and, weeks after its initial implementation in Ghost Recon Breakpoint, attitudes don’t seem to have changed much, with sales numbers seemingly stuck in the low double digits.
According to Apex Legends Senior Character Artist Liz Edwards, sales of Ubisoft’s NFTs have been nothing short of abysmal, with a total of fifteen being sold as of the nineteenth of December. The data was collected from two third-party NFT marketplaces, and it suggests that, of the 2256 NFTs minted by Ubisoft, hardly any of them have sold. Thus far, total sales are suggested to be just shy of four hundred dollars, a figure with which Ubisoft higher-ups can’t be happy.
Traditionally, NFTs are unique digital files that cannot be copied or replicated. Those somewhat familiar with the topic will likely first think of the collection of pixel art primates that continue to sell for exorbitant prices, and, while the concept of unique non-physical artwork backed by blockchain tech seems innovative, Ubisoft’s approach is questionable. Rather than introduce unique skins or armor sets to Breakpoint, the publisher released a suite of bland digital character accessories stenciled with singular identifying numbers alongside functionally identical weapon skins.
Beyond that, Ubisoft has opted to give these NFTs to players meeting certain qualifications for free, but the requirements are nothing short of ridiculous. From a single pair of pants requiring one hundred total hours played to a now-infamous mask that demands six hundred hours of total playtime to acquire, it seems as if very few players made the mark. Plus, while Ubisoft claims that its Digits—the publisher’s rebranded term for NFTs—can be sold outside of the game’s ecosystem, the fact that their only use is tied to a sparsely-played video game could deter NFT buyers who aren’t also gamers.
Quartz’s integration into Ghost Recon Breakpoint smacks of Ubisoft attempting to experiment with the new technology while incurring as little risk as possible. Recon’s reputation was already irreparably tarnished at launch, so there’s no fear of tanking an otherwise-profitable game with a bad business venture. Additionally, Ubisoft didn’t mint very many of these digital products and kept the barrier to entry relatively high, indicating that, for the time being, Quartz will be a fairly small-scale venture.
It’s impossible to guess what the publisher’s next move will be, but, given the gratuitous backlash and apathetic profit margins seen so far, it doesn’t seem as if Quartz is destined to be a revolution in gaming.
Ghost Recon Breakpoint is available now for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One