Square Enix's new RPG has a controversial feature that breaks my heart

techradar.com:

Square Enix has released the first trailer for its controversial upcoming game Symbiogenesis. 

At first glance, the title seems to have all the high fantasy whimsy you might expect from the folks behind Final Fantasy 16. The trailer greets us with an idyllic floating continent and a punchy J-pop tune. However, Symbiogenesis is the first game to implement what the developers called “a completely new form of NFT-based entertainment.”

NFTs or “non fungiable tokens” are allegedly uncopiable digital objects which people exchange, often for real-world money. 

The official website(opens in new tab) goes on to describe the game’s genre as “narrative unlocked NFT entertainment.” Though the “main story… can be played to the end without having any Character NFT”, the title includes an NFT marketplace where players can exchange character NFTs which are required for “accessing the characters’ stories in-game.” 

The developers are keen on seeing a conflict between the need to “monopolize necessary items” and “sharing NFTs with other players”. Despite its pastoral JRPG exterior, it would appear that Sybiogenesis will contain a cutthroat internal market – a move which, as a long-time Square Enix fan, I find rather unsettling. 

Though couched in a lot of high-concept and abstract language, it would appear that Symbiogenesis intends to use an internal NFT market as an arena through which players can purchase the means to progress through the game. 

According to the game’s project ev(opens in new tab)aluation report, “revenue” and “profit points” are significant aspects of the game’s structure. According to the report, the NFTs purchased by Symbiogenesis players give them access to the otherwise hidden stories of one of the game’s 10,000