Concerns about NFTs are dismissed by Blizzard's president.

Author

SB

Date

Apr, 21.2022

Today, it's difficult to escape a debate about NFTs, and many people are noticing the
technology creeping into otherwise unrelated items. Despite some fans' objections to the
use of NFTs in video games, it appears that blockchain technology will find its way into
the future of gaming. Companies such as Ubisoft have already said that they would
integrate NFTs in future games, while other major names such as Activision Blizzard
have expressed an interest in discovering how many people want to see NFTs in their
games.

Activision Blizzard, in particular, recently surveyed players regarding NFTs using
YouGov. The survey was only issued to a small number of Blizzard gamers, and it asked
them which games they played the most and how frequently they played variously
Blizzard titles. The element of the study that piqued fans' interest involved the use of
new technology in Activision Blizzard games. These queries concerned pay-to-earn
cryptocurrencies and NFTs, which had some fans concerned that forthcoming games
from the publisher will include these components.

Fans were then referred to Blizzard's online store, Battle.net, via the survey. Many
Blizzard fans and gamers, in general, expressed their discontent with both the questions
and how the corporation is looking to the future in the days after the survey's revelation.
In response to fan concerns raised by the survey, Blizzard President Mike Ybarra has
chosen to speak out, stating on Twitter that no one is doing NFTs.

Following the  company's issues with sexual harassment litigation, Ybarra took over as
Blizzard President near the end of 2021. He has subsequently worked to reestablish
Blizzard's relationship with its fans and staff. However, confidence has not yet been
restored. Alleged NFT intentions in Blizzard games may enrage the company's audience
once more. However, according to Ybarra, there will be no NFT games among Blizzard's
releases.

Fans were divided by Ybarra's message. Some were relieved to hear that the NFTs
infiltrating the gaming industry would not find a home at Blizzard, while others
dismissed Ybarra's claim, believing that the company would not have included questions
about NFTs and cryptocurrency in its survey unless it had plans to incorporate these
elements into a future title. With a new Blizzard IP on the coming, some fans believe
that the publisher's NFT intentions may be revealed shortly.