Stalker 2 is the highly-anticipated Xbox FPS arriving in April 2022, but it's certainly drummed up a bit of controversy today with the announcement that it'll be implementing NFTs as part of the newly-created "Stalker Metaverse".
So how does this work? Basically, the developer "will use blockchain technology to let the community own a piece of [the game]." As a result, GSC Game World says "the rights to certain unique items will belong to players."
As of this month, people can register for item drops that will "evolve into a new gaming feature built on top of Stalker 2." The first drop will take place via an auction next month, and will see the "first-ever metahuman released and exposed to hundreds of millions of gamers worldwide", taking the form of a highly-detailed NPC.
In an interview with Wccftech, GSC Game World CEO Evgeniy Grygorovych explained this in more detail:
"The owner of the metahuman will be able to trade the right to be a metahuman (NFT) until a certain date before the official game release. The right to become a metahuman will be tradable between users until the final claim date. We will keep the community posted on this matter in January."
"Also, the person who claims the NPC in the game will still hold a metahuman right for further NFT trading or/and claiming it in the other game (still to be announced) from the publisher. The player will also be able to use the metahuman here.
Besides this, we are also looking at an opportunity for the owner of the meta rights to be able to claim the metahuman after the game release. Basically, there will be no limit to trading the related NFT until the owner claims it in the game and goes through the process of scanning and appearing in the game as an NPC."
Grygorovych went on to point out that the NFT approach for Stalker 2 "differs from others on the market" and he sees "no problem with adding an NFT into a single-player experience, as long as the offer is fun and valuable, it’s optional and doesn’t affect the experience of others, [and] it doesn’t change the gameplay at all."
Finally, he acknowledged that "lots of things have been done improperly in the space", but he hopes to change that:
"We think it’s a really special offer to the community and a great opportunity to 'make the NFT thing right'. We are excited to see how it actually turns out.
What are your thoughts on this? Let us know down in the comments section below.
[source wccftech.com]
Comments 53
Lol, what a great funding scam. I'm sure they'll be suckers who do it too. I hear you can buy a constellation as well people!...
What is NFT? Can't make sense of it other than the majority of gamers say it's bad. So...it's bad?
Go home GSC you are clearly drunk. NFTs are a cancer on the industry
I'll buy the game but won't partake in that nonsense.
This is bad news. I really don’t want to support any game that has NFT’s, it’s the next step in exploiting gamers on top of the ***** like microtransactions.
I’d love MS to come out now and make a statement saying we do not support NFT’s and drop the game from the Gamepass service. Not gonna happen though.
@Ihavenomouthandimust In this case, you are essentially buying the "rights" to own and resell game assets. Except, you don't really own it, you only own the ability to pretend that you own it and you can sell it to someone else so they can pretend that they own it and so on. It's a funding scam.
@Sakai not just games industry just bad in general, lol
What a joke. Incredibly disingenuous too.
@Trmn8r That, that is exactly the kind of thing I expect Michael Scott from the Office to fool for lol. What a dreadful idea. I see why people would be against it
@Ihavenomouthandimust basically and I’m no expert, an NFT is a digital item in a game that is unique to you. So say you buy or earn a rare gun in STALKER (idk) then you as the gamer pretty much own that digital item and others can buy it, for real money or usually cryptocurrency. So it creates a digital market of items people can buy and sell essentially.
It all sounds reasonable but in reality it really isn’t. Very very few gamers end up benefiting from selling NFT’s, it’s basically one big money spinning scam.
@Fenbops Sounds hideously like forced scam drenched digital capitalism which in on itself is poison to the whole concept of video games. This makes me sad.
@Ihavenomouthandimust streamers with good cash flow and influence will love this because it’ll feed their ego’s more. While the everyday gamers will mostly likely suffer.
@Terrin 100% correct good sir
Love a bit of NFT
Said no one ever
My thoughts: I just lost all interest on this game.
Don’t care how optional this is, I’m not supporting games with NFT garbage in them.
That's sad to hear..
"it’s optional and doesn’t affect the experience of others"
I've heard this BS before.
Stalker devs trying to make the game more of a reality by teaming up with horrible environmental mess, NFTs.
I.... I just want to play games 😑 Keep your exploitative BS out of my games, devs.
So first the devs have a nice amount of funding for being a timed Xbox exclusive and in Game Pass, but that isn't enough, now they want to jump on the NFT nonsense?
No thanks. Stuff like this needs to stay away from gaming fullstop!
As long as I don't have to buy any and the game is completely unaffected, I don't care. I'll be playing on Game Pass so if its intrusive in anyway, I can stop playing and haven't wasted my money purchasing the game.
Its a good job its on Game Pass as I would of lost interest and cancelled any pre-order on hearing this. At least now I know I won't be buying this at all - even when it leaves Game Pass.
@Ihavenomouthandimust also these rare unique items also sound like they are going to be a ball ache to earn, I believe ghost recon have an helmet (NFT) available now in which you need to play the game for 600 hours to earn it.
I don't know about you but I certainly have never played a game for 600 hours especially not a game that only takes 40 hours to complete 😂
Well that's gross. Also i can't stand the Metaverse term and its not even really used right either by these Corps.
Oh boy the future is grim, last gen was the rise of MTX and lootboxes and this Gen will be NFT's.
As I've said on a few articles in the past, the NFT wave is just getting started in gaming folks and its coming swift and hard. Buckle up!
@Alduin fair.
I’ll never stop gaming. If it comes to it, I’ll hoist the Jolly Roger.
NFTs? No, thank you.
Bruh devs made a good attempt at killing the game before it's released ...
...
Now i wonder how many people will find a way to blame MS & Xbox for this one
Still gonna play the game tho it's on gamepass i have nothing to lose
The sooner this stupid fad dies out the better.
Cancelled my collectors edition.
Hope MS GP drops them.
NFTs and Block Chains. The latest buzz words that I don't want to understand.
Quick, let's all shout down the echo chamber!
Lol seriously though, some of y'all are blowing this way out of proportion. This is possibly the most pessimistic, cynical, and overly dramatic comment section I've ever seen on this site. The game isn't out for another 6 months. Let's wait until we get more details before we all jump on the doom and gloom bandwagon. The devs are allowed to appeal to an audience that extends beyond our personal tastes. NFTs in STALKER 2 is a red flag, sure, but if it doesn't end up effecting our enjoyment of the game, then it simply isn't going to matter. I'm not going to let this information ruin a game I'm looking forward to before fully understanding the details.
@Richnj yup, at first it will be enough for the people owning these to just "own" something nobody else does but after a while, if this thing really catch on, people will demand owning items that really make a difference in term of gameplay and the publishers will gladly make it so.
I remember all too well when Deus Ex Human Revolution came out, the only way to have a sniper rifle with a silencer in the game was via a preorder dlc AND it was exclusive to amazon if I remember correctly. That gun, for me, changed how I played the game in certain circumstances and opened gameplay possibilities not available without it. So yeah, *****
While I own NFTs, I've never paid a cent for them.
News like this is the easiest way to make me pass on a game. Was excited to finally see Stalker coming to Xbox. I reckon I'll be sticking with the classics on PC instead.
Preorder cancelled
NFT
No F***ing Thanks
Well crap I was looking forward that one too .... Oh well it's not like there will be a shortage of other gaming options
Cancelled my pre-order. I’m unbelievably disappointed in this. STALKER is one of my favourite games of all time and I love the original book and Tarkovsky movie as well.
Don't support this kind of trash please. I was excited for this game but now if I play it is to give them a 1/10!
@UltimateOtaku91 anyone who spends 600 hours on Ghost Recon Breakpoint needs help, not an NFT 🤣🤣 that game is utter ballsack.
But that’s the idea, make the NFT’s you can earn hard to get, so some mug will just buy it without any effort. The dev gets a cut of the sale and they win.
Well, I'm a full-time working class dad who plays exclusively for fun. I don't do multiplayer. I've never bought a single in-game item. What I'm trying to say is: the second this industry stops providing what I need as a player, I'll stop following anything new. Maybe indies and older games. And I really feel I'm not alone here.
@Alduin You don't have to, friend. Just avoid the new stuff and go back to the classics or recent(ish) games. But I'm with you: if this crap becomes the new standard I'm out for good.
When is this nonsense going to end? they just keep thinking of ways to bilk people make a good game and you will make money.
Also I do not understand any of this I can just make a picture in photo shop and sell it?
If they're just using NFTs in the way described here (to sell the opportunity to be scanned into the game as an NPC it seems?!) then I don't see why they need to use NFTs at all - just sell / auction the opportunity and allow the buyer to sell it on (preferably not, but to align with what the NFT is meant to offer).
If that's all they use it for, I'll just ignore it and enjoy the game on Game Pass - if they start to use it for in-game items I may very well skip it.
If the average person can see NFTs for what they really are, then why isn’t there already a public outcry about it? Because I bet if enough noise is made I’m sure the developers wouldn’t implement them in their games if it had a profound negative effect from their core audiences, as in the people who are buying/playing the game purely for it’s gameplay and story. But unfortunately, the people who would support NFTs are the casual gamers who massively outnumber the hardcore gamers and also those who just disagree with NFTs in games. Sad times but this is the way the gaming industry is headed whether we like it or not.
How valuable is it if it's selling pitch is 'it doesn't effect or change anything'...why should I want it? Tell me my £60 game is worthless unless I pay for something that changes the game completely for the better. Otherwise what's the point? Stop wasting my time.
Most people and most AAA gaming publishers don't really understand the best way to use the blockchain technology to enhance their games so they are just throwing things in. Eventually, NFTs will play an exciting role in creating gaming economies but the initial push will probably be dumb excuses to use the term.
It sounds like we could use a good article about NFTs
@Alduin NFT's are not bad by default, it is how they are currently used that is bad. There are good pro-consumer uses for NFT's. E.g.
To record every digital purchase and allow us to resell digital games to a second hand market.
This could allow a portion of the sale to go back to the dev's too solving one of the long problems with second hand games. i.e. they don't DIRECTLY support the industry at all.
@Alduin They do actually have SOME incentive to do it. As currently they make nothing from second hand sales. Additionally it makes MS look more pro-consumer, another feather in MS cap to win hearts and minds. Lastly they may be able to justify the (potentially inevitable) price increases of games by adding in this as an option. But agree there are downsides too. (Interestingly I actually think this is a better option for PS to counter Game Pass in a completely unexpected way)
Let's not forget MS actually had this on their list of things to do during their failed 'digital future' Xbox One launch plans. While it's lambasted as being anti-consumer, and on the whole it was, they WERE offering Digital game sharing and possibly digital game selling. That is often forgotten in all the furore. We never saw details of what that would look like. But as an idea, I liked that part of it.
Digital game sharing or trading would also be possible with NFT's with each 'copy' tied to a ledger. You would need a internet check to only allow one copy on line at a time, or in a period, and perhaps limit max number of trades/shares to eliminate bad faith actors.
P.S. Don't think I believe any of this will come true. It's VERY unlikely. Just my point that NFT's aren't bad by default, only how we human's are using them.
@Alduin Same dude. Between patented mechanics and NFTs in our games.. like, honestly I want nothing to do with it. This is just getting out of hand. An all digital future is the least of our worries at this rate.
So basically they're making a piece of DLC and only auctioning off a single code for it. 'Kaaaaay.
Well, they reversed this decision. Lol
@FraserG you should update this story. They reversed it after fan outcry woot!
Tap here to load 53 comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...