Ubisoft proves gamers right by ditching ‘Breakpoint’ just 4 months after NFT integration

In December 2021, large video crippled steadfast Ubisoft invoked a tsunami of outrage from gamers by adding non-fungible tokens (NFTs) — dubbed “Digits” — to Ghost Recon Breakpoint, 1 of its lowest-rated unrecorded work games. To marque matters adjacent worse, the institution has present inadvertently validated each that scorn.

Just 4 months aft the instauration of NFTs, Breakpoint developers announced that nary further contented volition beryllium produced for the game:

“The past 4 months marked the merchandise of our last portion of content: the marque caller Operation Motherland mode, tons of caller items including 20th day and Quartz items [NFTs] for Ghost Recon Breakpoint. We volition proceed to support our crippled servers for some Ghost Recon Wildlands and Ghost Recon Breakpoint.”

Hey Ghosts, we person an important connection we would similar to stock with you each 👇 pic.twitter.com/kYeyVWVtgi

— Ghost Recon (@GhostRecon) April 5, 2022

What’s each the fuss about?

Ubisoft’s Tezos-based Digits are portion of its NFT-focused Quartz level and are represented successful Breakpoint (and volition perchance beryllium added to different projects successful the future) arsenic assorted cosmetic items that tin beryllium utilized to alteration the quality of characters and weapons. Baptiste Chardon, blockchain merchandise manager astatine Ubisoft, explained astatine the time:

“Between the uniqueness of each item, materialized by the serial fig engraved connected them, and the higher power offered to players to usage their Digits oregon commercialized them with others successful a harmless and unafraid environment, Ubisoft Quartz offers caller and breathtaking ways for our assemblage to prosecute with Ghost Recon Breakpoint.”

However, a ample information of the gaming assemblage riled up against the instauration of NFTs from the precise start. At the time, galore comments connected Twitter person demonstrated that galore regular gamers didn’t stock Ubisoft’s enthusiasm erstwhile it comes to caller monetization tools, contempt the publisher’s reassurances that “Digits are cosmetics only” and “would not unbalance the acquisition for our players.”

None of this worldly makes videogames immoderate better. It doesn't marque them much amusive oregon interesting. It conscionable crook them into proxy fiscal instruments, corrupting their halfway plan and exposing them to marketplace forces that volition enrich some, but exclude and disappoint most. This sucks. https://t.co/M6x1Gy5vSS

— Skill Up (@SkillUpYT) December 7, 2021

This cognition was partially understandable since Ubisoft has go notorious successful caller years for adding arguable monetization systems successful its games. Apart from cosmetic items, the institution is besides known for offering galore time-limited “boosters” that person seemingly go mandatory successful astir of its projects.

While NFTs became rather fashionable among collectors, sometimes reaching tens of millions of dollars successful price, gamers astir the satellite aren’t excessively thrilled with the thought of adding yet different arguably speculative and exploitative monetization exemplary to their amusement medium.

Ubi coming successful with different crushed that I consciousness similar “AAA” devs request to illness and fto the manufacture heal. Unfinished games each implicit the place, greed moving rampant, not caring astir their prime anymore, each of them request to vanish truthful we tin reset stuff.

— Captain Coco (@ImNovaG) December 8, 2021

However, since Ubisoft has pulled the plug connected each aboriginal contented for Breakpoint, Digits’ worth proposition has go adjacent much questionable.

Not arsenic advertised

The deficiency of enactment and caller contented doesn’t needfully mean that Breakpoint volition “die” this instant, but it volition surely impact the game’s popularity implicit time, fundamentally putting it successful the alleged “life enactment mode,” and could yet effect successful the implicit shutdown of its servers astatine immoderate constituent successful the future.

But portion this signifier is communal successful the gaming industry, the summation of NFTs to the premix has made the concern overmuch much complicated. 

Hahaha rugpull from a large player, who could person expected that, good done @Ubisoft

— Gregg Brysiewicz (@GregorMcBride) April 7, 2022

For starters, the quality to “cash out” Digits for existent wealth — 1 of the main selling points utilized to warrant the injection of NFTs into crippled economies — could beryllium stifled by dwindling assemblage numbers. Since less players means less buyers, determination simply won’t beryllium capable “liquidity” arsenic everyone volition beryllium trying to “dump” their tokens.

Secondly, it doesn’t look, astatine slightest for now, similar Breakpoint players volition beryllium capable to transportation their Digits to different Ubisoft projects, particularly since these cosmetics are game-specific. 

I cognize it's hard to judge tin lone usage those NFT for said crippled they let it for only, and if by accidental they take to bring it to different games that beryllium their call, different NOPE, those NFT is lone for 1 game, and thing else. pic.twitter.com/XmZ868NIms

— Teddy carnivore (@SuperTeddyBearG) April 7, 2022

This was besides implied successful an announcement connected Quartz’s website, successful which the institution told players to “stay tuned for much updates with features to the level and aboriginal drops coming with different games!” As such, it seems similar different projects volition person their ain abstracted NFTs.

Ironically, Ubisoft adjacent congratulated Breakpoint players arsenic they present ostensibly “own a portion of the game” and person near their “mark successful its history.” But if — oregon erstwhile — its servers are unopen down and the crippled virtually ceases to exist, each their Breakpoint tokens volition apt go useless and defunct.

So what was truly the constituent successful choosing NFTs implicit accepted “blockchain-less” and “centralized” in-game purchases successful the archetypal place?