The French video game distributor, Ubisoft, has announced its first foray into the NFT market through a new platform called Ubisoft Quartz launching in beta this week with Ghost Recon Breakpoint for PC players on Ubisoft Connect.
Introducing Ubisoft Quartz
We’re bringing the first energy efficient NFTs playable in a AAA game to Ghost Recon: Breakpoint!Try it in the beta from December 9 with three free cosmetic drops and learn more here: https://t.co/ysEoYUI4HY pic.twitter.com/owSFE2ALuS
– Ubisoft (@Ubisoft) December 7, 2021
Introducing Ubisoft Quartz.
We bring to Ghost Recon: Breakpoint the first usable low-power NFTs in an AAA game.
According to a statement shared on the Ubisoft website, players will be able to collect collectible pieces called Digits from Ubisoft’s game worlds, which are “the first NFTs usable in AAA games and powered by energy-efficient technology.” Digits, like in-game vehicles or weapons, will be released in limited numbers and editions, and first-time users will be rewarded for free on December 9, 12, and 15 in the United States and Canada. Quartz will also be available in Brazil, Spain, France, Belgium, Germany, Italy and Australia.
Ubisoft Quartz’s energy efficiency technology is based on the proof-of-stake blockchain, Tezos. Didier Genevois, Blockchain Technical Director at Ubisoft, expressed the company’s commitment to reducing its global carbon footprint in an interview posted on the corporate website:
“This type of blockchain achieves the same results while using significantly less power than proof-of-work protocols. To give you an idea, a transaction on Tezos equals 30 seconds of video streaming, while on Bitcoin, it equates to watch a year in a row of streaming video! “
However, previously, Ubisoft had partnered with distribution platform Ultra to base its games on the UOS blockchain. Cointelegraph contacted Ubisoft to find out about their relationship with Ultra. We did not receive any comments prior to the time of publication of this story.
In the same interview with Genevois, Ubisoft’s Blockchain Product Manager, Baptiste Chardon, added his take on the NFTs and the games:
“This new approach may even, in the longer term, open up new opportunities such as interoperability between games. […] We see the blockchain as a means of giving back to players and creators the value they generate through their commitment to their games. “
Ubisoft is among the 25 largest video game companies in the world in terms of market capitalization, hovering around $ 5.8 billion. And it is significant that a AAA gaming company advocates blockchain technology, when other companies like Valve have recently pulled blockchain games from their markets.
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