PlatinumGames says NFTs have “no positive impact” on games
CEO Atsushi Inaba and Vice President Hideki Kamiya laid out the plans for the company's future — and they don't involve NFTs.
NFTs remain a controversial, heated topic in the gaming industry. Some companies, like Konami and Ubisoft, are supporting NFT initiatives much to the ire of consumers. Others, like itch.io, have come out in fervent opposition to them. The (justified) concern is that other companies will follow in the wrong footsteps, so many are asking game studios and developers to clarify their stance. Thankfully, PlatinumGames has put their hat in the ring and are decidedly against NFTs.
In an interview with Video Games Chronicle, PlatinumGames president and CEO Atsushi Inaba and vice president Hideki Kamiya discussed the company’s future and content strategy. The studio’s view on NFTs was laid bare by Inaba:
We haven’t really been thinking about that. I understand it’s a hot topic right now and it’s really starting to gain momentum, but the way that it’s gained momentum has been focused on profitability for the company, but with no positive impact on the creators or the users in any sense. So that’s frustrating to see happening.
Atsushi Inaba, CEO and President at PlatinumGames
The sentiment is clear: PlatinumGames sees no reason to dabble in NFTs. It’s a refreshing statement, to say the least.
PlatinumGames and NFTs: why it’s not going to happen
Simply put, PlatinumGames doesn’t want to support NFTs because it provides no real benefits to users. “The people who are trying to promote NFTs and partner with gaming companies,” he told VGC, “their conversations seem extremely one-sided. ‘Hey, you’re going to make money!’ But how does it benefit the user or the creator? If I want to spend my time on something, I want it to benefit making good games.”
Kamiya threw in his thoughts as well, adding in some extra shade at Konami when asked about their NFT plans. Quote: “If it smells like money, Konami’s going to be there in a heartbeat!”
Earlier this month, Inaba caused a stir when he announced that PlatinumGames was investing into live-service games — another controversial topic in gaming. When asked to clarify, Inaba remained tight-lipped but confirmed that they aren’t abandoned traditional titles. Kamiya added:
We understand that we do get some respect for the action games that we’ve created, and we’re always happy to hear that. But we don’t want to be labelled as ‘the action game company’, we want to be labelled as a company that is interested in original, fun gameplay.
Hideki Kamiya, Vice President at PlatinumGames
With everything happening at PlatinumGames, we have a ton of stuff to look forward to from the company. Bayonetta 3 , Babylon’s Fall and Sol Cresta are all due this year. The studio made waves when it publicly asked Microsoft about bringing Scalebound back. And on top of that, hearing that NFTs are not in its business plan certainly calls for a sigh of relief.
What do you think of PlatinumGames’ stance on NFTs? Let us know!
