Play-To-Earn Games Are Boring, Says Sega
Sega has made a significant U-turn on its approach to blockchain games, now saying that play-to-earn titles are "boring." This comes after the gaming giant previously sounded poised to go all-in on NFTs and Web3 as a whole, only to suddenly scale back its aspirations and enthusiasm for the new technology.
This comes from comments made by co-chief operating officer Shuji Utsumi while speaking to Bloomberg (thanks, VGC) about Sega's ongoing blockchain strategy. Fans will be relieved to hear that this new approach means that Sonic and Yakuza are safe from being turned into NFTs, only using less popular franchises to test the waters.
Related: Sega Letting The Sonic Mania Team Move On Was A Huge Mistake
"The action in play-to-earn games is boring. What’s the point if games are no fun?" says Utsumi, discussing Sega's new approach to the blockchain. "We’re looking into whether this technology is really going to take off in this industry, after all."
In other words, it sounds like Sega hasn't been impressed with what it's seen so far - certainly not impressed enough to risk brand damage to the likes of Sonic and the Yakuza/Like a Dragon series. This isn't too surprising - after more than a year of being known to the wider public, NFTs rarely seem to attract positive headlines. Web3 gaming even less so, with the industry yet to see a blockchain game take off with players not already in the NFT scene. Ubisoft Quartz might have come the closest, but even that doesn't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon.
Even so, that doesn't mean Sega has ditched the idea entirely. Utsumi goes on to indicate that he still sees some potential in the field, even if the quality isn't there just yet.
"For the majority of people in the video game
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