It sounds as thought Sega are having second thoughts about blockchain technology, at least if Sega’s co-Chief Operating Officer Shuji Utsumi is to be believed.
In a recent interview with Bloomberg, Utsumi suggested Sega would be shelving its blockchain strategy for now and would be avoiding the use of its biggest IP’s within the space. Utsumi even went so far to suggest that play-to-earn games are “boring”.
“What’s the point if games are no fun?” Utsumi told Bloomberg News.
It’s not quite all good for those against the technology, however. Sega will continue to allow some of its less successful brands to be available for any 3rd party companies to make use of, such as Virtua Fighter, with Utsumi suggesting the company will continue to monitor the market and may become more involved if things change.
“For the majority of people in the video game industry, what blockchain advocates say may sound a bit extreme, but that’s how the first penguin has always been,” Utsumi said, “We should never underestimate them.”
Blockchain gaming has been in the news for all the wrong reasons, with fellow Japanese studio Square Enix hellbent on incorporating the technology with its biggest franchises despite the digital market collapse of late. It remains to be seen whether Sega’s about-face will bring about a changing attitude elsewhere.
What do you think about the blockchain? Do you see Square Enix holding firm on its strategy or will they follow Sega’s lead? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below and on our socials.
Known on the internet as Kartanym, Mark has been in and out of the gaming scene since what feels like forever, growing up on Nintendo and evolving through the advent of PC first person shooters, PlayStation and virtual reality. He'll try anything at least once and considers himself the one true king of Tetris by politely ignoring the world records.
