It’s the turn of the legendary Final Fantasy franchise to get into non-fungible tokens (NFTs). The studio Square Enix has confirmed the news: it will associate tokens with physical objects. It’s a cautious first move for the brand, which knows the distrust of gamers when it comes to blockchain.
Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) for Final Fantasy
NFTs will be offered on the 25th anniversary of the release of Final Fantasy VII, one of the franchise’s most memorable games. The news was announced at the San Diego Comic-Con, which runs until July 24.
For the occasion, fans will be able to collect physical cards and figurines representing, among others, the mythical characters of the franchise, such as Cloud Strife. 200 different cards will be offered, and they will be distributed in random packs of six. For each pack, it will be possible to get a non-fungible token of the card of your choice. Physical figurines will also be available, each with its NFT equivalent.
These Final Fantasy NFTs will be available sometime in 2023, but San Diego Comic-Con attendees will be able to get a sneak peek this week.
A cautious launch into the world of NFTs
There is some caution on Square Enix’s part, as they say little about NFTs in their announcement, but rather about digital versions of the figures and trading cards:
“[The figures] will also include a code that can be used to obtain a digital version of the figure, which consumers can access via a dedicated site on their PCs or smartphones.”
The reason is a historical distrust of the video game community towards blockchain and cryptocurrencies. This community had already expressed its dissatisfaction when Square Enix had sold some of its major franchises to develop its Web3 initiatives.
However, it is indeed NFTs, which will be available via a partnership with Enjin on the parachain of Polkadot (DOT), Efinity. Square Enix invites the interested ones to install the wallet of Enjin in order to be able to benefit from these Final Fantasy NFTs. According to Enjin’s CTO, Witek Radomski, the choice of Polkadot rather than Ethereum (ETH) was based on technical considerations (transaction costs and energy efficiency in particular).
Caution in step, the news remains notable: Final Fantasy is one of the most enduring and followed video game franchises: it would have sold 168 million games worldwide since its launch in 1987. This introduction to NFTs is therefore a proof that the field continues to interest big brands.
Square Enix had already shown its interest in the sector. Earlier this year, the studio claimed that NFTs would “revolutionize the world of video games”. In addition, it confirmed last May that it planned to issue its own tokens. The studio could therefore be one step ahead of its competitors in the coming years.
