Despite criticism from some gamers, the adoption of blockchain gaming is a major priority for many Japanese gaming companies. Video game giants have shown interest in blockchain technology and non-fungible tokens (NFT) for some time. But now the big players in this sector are eager to take the next step towards blockchain adoption.
Japanese interest in blockchain gaming
This was hinted by an Oasys representative, Ryo Matsubara, at the 2022 Tokyo Game Show last week. Oasys is a blockchain protocol that provides the infrastructure for blockchain technology to multiple gaming companies. Matsubara said that Oasys’ Japanese partners, including big names like Bandai Namco, Sega and Square Enix, are not only interested in the crypto hype. The companies have a long-term vision:
“We have a shared vision at the executive level. They don’t want to change that policy. They understand the future adoption of blockchain technology. They don’t just think about the revenue, they want to create the future of gaming.”
Bandai Namco is known for games like Tekken and Pac-Man. Sega is behind the popular games of Sonic and Square Enix is the creator of the famous Final Fantasy franchise.
However, it does not appear that the companies want to integrate blockchain technology into existing games. Matsubara said that the focus will initially be on developing brand new blockchain games.
Blockchain games will improve
Blockchain gaming is still in its infancy. Compared to existing games, it is a ‘completely new model’. It will therefore be a long time before the leading gaming companies will implement larger blockchain adoptions in existing game titles, Matsubara said.
For the time being, there are major obstacles that stand in the way of such a large-scale blockchain adoption. Matsubara claimed that many blockchain games are very dependent on the price of in-game tokens. As a result, consumers’ focus is more on speculation than actual gameplay.
However, he expects that the gaming experience of such games will improve quickly. According to Matsubara, it is only a matter of time before blockchain games will be valued for their gameplay.
