Ubisoft’s initial NFT plans are illogical

On Tuesday, Ubisoft became the first major game publisher to join the non-fungible token bandwagon. Quartz, a system of in-game cosmetic products driven by a new type of NFT called “Digits,” is now available after the business teased its interest in the field last month.

The official Ubisoft North America YouTube channel released an announcement trailer for the Ubisoft Quartz platform, which has over 130,000 views as of this writing.

Ubisoft claims that its Quartz system will “grant players more control than ever” as well as “greater autonomy and agency” in order to “truly make players stakeholders in our games” by utilizing a decentralized NFT blockchain. However, as it is, Ubisoft’s Quartz system appears to be an overly convoluted repackaging of a standard DLC cosmetics system-albeit one with added buzzwords and false scarcity put on top.

Despite all the big talk of “decentralization,” Ubisoft still has so much influence over the Quartz system that we question if a simple internal database administered directly by the corporation would be a better fit.

What is Quartz?

Quartz is a system that grants access to cosmetic goods for a single game, Ghost Recon Breakpoint, and will be released later this month. The first three of these cosmetics will be accessible for free for three days in the coming weeks, symbolizing a specific pistol, a face mask, and “improved pants” in the game.

Unlike typical DLC, which has an infinite supply and every paid copy is identical, Ubisoft emphasizes three aspects of Quartz cosmetics:

• Limited editions: According to Ubisoft, each Quartz NFT “edition” will be limited to a specific number of units, ranging from “a few units to a few thousands.” It’s unclear how many of these initial three “free” editions will be available.
• Serial Numbers: Each NFT in a single edition has its own serial number, which is “displayed on the collectible and in-game item.”
• Names of the players: The information of a Digit will include “the history of its prior owners,” which will be reflected by their Ubisoft player names.

In practice, your “Wolf Enhanced Helmet A” will resemble mine in appearance and functionality. However, if you look closely, you’ll notice that the virtual forehead of that helmet has a different number inscribed into it. You may also identify who used to own that particular copy of the helmet if you go into the NFT’s metadata.

“Our long-term efforts led us to understand how blockchain’s decentralized approach could genuinely make players stakeholders of our games, in a way that is also sustainable for our industry, placing back into their hands the value they generate through the time they spend, the items they buy or the content they create online,” Nicolas Pouard, VP of Ubisoft’s Strategic Innovation Lab, expressed his excitement.

In the United States, Canada, Spain, France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Australia, and Brazil, Ubisoft Quartz will be available in beta beginning December 9 at 6 p.m. UTC / 10 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. ET.

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Originally published at https://yellowtelegraph.com on December 8, 2021.