Ubisoft’s to Mint NFTs for Its Upcoming Blockchain Game
French game studio Ubisoft announces minting of NFTs for blockchain game - Champion Tactics: Grimoria Chronicles - by December 18. 8000 NFTs to be available for free minting
Uno…
Video game publisher Ubisoft will mint the non-fungible tokens for its flagship blockchain game Champion Tactics: Grimoria Chronicles on December 18. The company stated the Warlords NFT will be available for a private mint starting at 6am ET before the public mint opens at 2pm ET. Only those on the "darklist" can participate in the private mint.
According to the company, 8000 NFTs will be available for free minting out of the total 9,999 NFTs in the collection. Of the remaining NFTs, 1000 will go to the Oasys community, while Ubisoft will keep 999 for marketing purposes. The NFTs are based on Ethereum, and users still have to pay gas fees even though the NFTs are free.
The Warlord NFTs are profile pictures (PFP) NFTs, which means holders can use them as avatars for their Champion Tactics profile. But they will also grant access to the subsequent free minting of playable in-game characters. Those holding the Warlord NFTs can mint five in-game characters for free.
What is Champion Tactics
Champion Tactics is a Ubisoft game scheduled to launch in early 2024. It would be the first blockchain game from the game publisher based on the gaming-centric EVM-compatible blockchain Oasys. Ubisoft has yet to provide much information about what to expect from the game.
However, its trailer shows it's a dark fantasy game with characters that look like tabletop figurines. The game publisher also provided some backstory about the Grimoria universe and the seven factions in the universe. The game will be a player versus player (PVP) roleplaying game (RPG) where players will have three characters to fight with their opponents.
Ubisoft has also said it will be skill-based, which means there would be a need for some tactics and strategies to win in the game. Beyond that, there has not been any major information about the game except that Ubisoft is also partnering with CyberKongz and Pixelmon. It will be a PC game.
Gaming Publishers Venture into Blockchain Technology
The game will mark Ubisoft's first attempt to build a game from scratch using blockchain technology. However, the game maker has been experimenting with NFTs since 2021. It has launched NFT items on Tezos blockchain for the PC version of Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint, Assasins Creed smart collectibles, and NFTs based on Rabbids.
Its launch of the Quartz NFT project in 2021 attracted several criticisms from gamers, with about 96% of people disliking the video announcing the launch. Gamers called it an attempt at a cash grab without improving the games. The criticisms at the time forced many gaming companies to shelve their blockchain plans.
However, the times have changed, and gamers appear more receptive to blockchain technology. Sony recently filed a patent allowing players to use blockchain technology to transfer digital assets between two PlayStation games. Microsoft is also planning to add crypto wallets to Xbox. Meanwhile, game publishers like Sega, Square Enix, and Bandai Namco plan to launch games on the Oasys blockchain.
