By Alicia Maher
Traditional game companies have been leveraging the popularity of NFTs to integrate the digital asset class into their games, but the idea is one that has been heavily bashed by the Worms gaming community. Team 17, the developers of the popular video game Worms, was heavily criticized for attempting to integrate NFTs into the game franchise.
Gamers in the NFT space were unconvinced about adding NFTs to the video game, and lambasted Team 17 in one of the most ill-fated ways. Now, the game makers are considering shelving their plans.
Team 17 Confirms Its Decisions to Back Down from Incorporating NFTs
Following the heavy bashing from game communities and partners, Team 17 decided to shelve its plans to add NFTs to Worms. In a statement released yesterday on Twitter, the video game developer disclosed that it has listened to the concerns of everyone, and would therefore, rescind its decision to add NFTs to the game.
Before the downpour of criticism, the game makers planned to venture into the expanding and evolving NFT sector with the unveiling of digital collectibles through the collaboration with Reality Gaming. According to Team 17, the collectibles will draw inspiration from the prominent video game Worms, and be built on one of ETH’s sidechains. This would happen before they are finally incorporated into the game.
But their plan didn’t go down well with the gaming community and concerned partners. One of the partners, Aggro Crab, even went as far as threatening to end its years of collaboration with Team17 if it went on with its proposition. The British developer also urged others, such as AMG Studio to back out from their partnerships with Team17 until they reverse their decision.
Game Publishers that Received Similar Backlashes for Their Proposed NFT Plan
Team 17 isn’t the only game developer that faced harsh criticism for attempting to tap into the crypto industry. Famous French game company Ubisoft received similar backlash for attempting to release an NFT game platform focusing on the popular franchise Tom Clancy. The company still went ahead to launch the NFT game.
Konami was also heavily criticized for its plan to add the digital asset class into their games. Square Enix wasn’t spared when it introduced the idea of integrating NFTs into their gaming applications.
Game communities aren’t the only ones criticizing NFTs. Recently, popular music artist and producer Kanye West shared his disdain for the digital asset, saying that he’s into building real products in the real world.
Non-crypto users have shared their concerns for blockchains and how they negatively impact the environment. Critics believe that the space is promoting extortion in the form of creating extra avenues for money generation. Despite the criticism and concerns, a lot of people are still involved in trading NFTs. In January, trades exceeded $7 billion across all marketplaces.