Ubisoft staff push back as company continues to big up blockchain
"We value these internal exchanges."
A fresh discussion of blockchain technology has been given a mixed reception by Ubisoft employees.
The statement by Ubisoft, posted on an internal forum, was designed to "answer key questions about blockchain and communicate as clearly as possible," a Bloomberg [paywall] report has stated.
There's no detail on what exactly staff were told, but the response to the post was said to include hundreds of negative comments on the idea in general.
"You know what else makes a lot of money? Making fun spectacular ground-breaking blockbusters. Why don't we focus on that instead?" one staff member wrote.
A Ubisoft spokesperson responded that the company had seen both positive and negative feedback, which it would take on board.
"Ubisoft's Strategic Innovation Lab has received a lot of feedback, and we take the encouragement as well as the concerns to heart," a spokesperson told Eurogamer. "How players can benefit is and always will be at the core of our thinking. At Ubisoft, we value these internal exchanges and think they help make our games and our company stronger.
"However, sharing confidential information, including from internal forums, is a violation of our employment agreement, and, more importantly, a violation of the trust that team members place in each other to be able to freely express themselves and have candid, productive discussions. In light of that, we won't comment further."
In December, Ubisoft raised eyebrows with the launch of its NFT platform Quartz. A smattering of in-game cosmetic items for Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint were released, though it is unclear how popular the initiative has been.
In January, Ubisoft's blockchain bosses sparked fury as they suggested fans just "don't get it" when it comes to the potential upsides of NFTs - essentially, that the technology built on and/or popularising planet-burning cryptocurrency will let you cash out for some form of profit.
Last week, it was announced that Ubisoft's Rabbids mascots would be added to community blockchain game The Sandbox.