Many traditional or “web2” video game studios in the world are developing new games that leverage NFTs, cryptocurrency, and other blockchain innovations. Many large studios in the video game industry are exploring blockchain games, with appetites for various platforms and genres, from mobile games to PC shooters and multiplayer Metaverse worlds. Square Enix, the Japanese gaming conglomerate, has not been left behind. The company has entered the Web3 space by announcing the launch of Square Enix NFT. This article has everything you need to know about the Square Enix NFT.
What is Square Enix NFT?
The Square Enix NFT game is a new form of NFT-based entertainment in which collectible artworks meet real game utility. The game has a total of 10,000 NFTs. The company announced the launch of the Square Enix NFT game, Symbiogenesis, on Polygon, an Ethereum sidechain. The company described the game as a “collectible art project” with a narrative component and a mystery that players should solve during the game.
All chapters in the Square Enix NFT game can be completed and “played to the end even without having any character NFT,” but the in-game purchases will come with specific “utility for those who hold the NFT collectible art.” A player who holds a Square Enix NFT will be able to read unique stories, earn rank experience points with ease, generate a “replica” of their character, and get additional NFT art after missions are cleared.
Players without Square Enix NFTs will not be able to access certain story elements. This means that NFT Square Enix holders will have a better experience playing the game than non-holders.
Each Square Enix NFT character will have a unique design, with different races and professions, and pictures that can be used as PFPs (profile pictures). They will be sold as each chapter.
The genre of the game is defined as “Narrative-unlocked NFT entertainment.” As a player unlocks the main story, plus the individual stories of each character, they unravel the mysteries of the world. So, the gameplay of the Square Enix NFT game involves progress through the main story and mission while at the same time unlocking the stories held by the characters. Players also find items hidden throughout the Floating Continent and determine the ending of the story by taking part in the World Mission, where the final choice is made.
Square Enix NFT Character Types
In Square Enix NFT game, characters are the ones displayed in-game, with stories associated with them. The character NFTs represent these characters on the blockchain. Holding these NFTs gives you access to the characters’ stories in-game. The characters in the Square Enix NFT game can be categorized into four types. These include the following:
#1: Facet Character
This is a Square Enix NFT character who is average in terms of appearance and occupation, but their story can give information that serves as a hint for quests.
#2: Mesh Character
This is a character with an average appearance and occupation, but their story gives out information related to the situation of those in the same occupation. They have item-collecting capabilities and characters from that chapter may get many quest items of that chapter at once.
#3: Line Character
This is a Square Enix NFT character with a rather unique appearance and occupation. They possess information that can only be read by their holder. The information is about the current situation of the characters of the same occupation.
#4: Point Character
This a character with a unique appearance and occupation, playing a very important role in the main story. They possess information that can only be read by their holder, about the current situation of the characters of the same occupation.
Square Enix NFT Journey
Square Enix has been exploring the NFT video game space since 2019. In 2021, the company launched a sold-out collection of NFT trading cards on the Ethereum blockchain. About six months later, Square Enix sold off its Tomb Raider IP and its other three studios to fund its venture into blockchain and AI research and development.
At the start of this year, Yosuke Matsuda, the then-president of Square Enix, shared the company’s vision for 2023, showing its commitment to NFTs. This is a continuation of the company’s business strategy for 2022, which comes at a time of instability in NFT and cryptocurrency prices.
Matsuda stated in a letter that Square Enix has “multiple blockchain games based on original IPs under development, some of which we announced last year, and we are undertaking preparations that will enable us to unveil even more titles this year.”
In 2022, Square Enix committed its resources to NFT projects. In May, the company announced that it had sold some franchises and game studios to Embracer Group, a Swedish holding company, for $300 million, adding that the “transaction enables the launch of new businesses by moving forward with investments in fields including blockchain, AI, and the cloud.”
Despite the “crypto winter,” which has seen the fall of cryptocurrency and NFT prices and the collapse of many companies within the space, Matsuda expressed confidence in the future of blockchain games, citing the Japanese government’s commitment to promoting Web3 services, the Metaverse, and NFTs.
“Following the excitement and exhilaration that surrounded NFTs and the metaverse in 2021, 2022 was a year of great volatility in the blockchain-related space,” Matsuda wrote. “However, if this proves to have been a step in a process that leads to the creation of rules and a more transparent business environment, it will have been for the good of the growth of blockchain entertainment.”
Matsuda also added that Square Enix will consider fulfilling the objectives outlined in the company’s March 2022 financial results briefing, including investing in Animoca brands, a blockchain company, creating branded NFTs, and opening publishing arms in countries where cryptocurrencies are popular.
“The market was driven more by speculative investors than by gamers through 2021,” Matsuda wrote. “In other words, the content that was at the forefront was created based on the premise that blockchain and NFTs should result in monetization. However, in the wake of the aforementioned turbulence in the cryptocurrency industry, there is now a trend to view blockchain technology as a mere means to an end and to discuss what needs to happen to achieve the end of delivering new experiences and excitement to customers. I see this as a very beneficial development for the future growth of the industry.”
Square Enix NFT Holder Benefits
The following are the reasons why you should buy Square Enix NFTs:
#1: 5 Replica Points
Players who buy NFT characters from the official website and hold it in their wallets will be awarded 5 NFT replica points during the first login.
However, the points are not awarded to users who buy the characters from external NFT marketplaces. The NFT Replicas will be minted on Polygon.
#2: Chapter Boss, the “Dragon” NFT
When you hold onto the Chapter’s NFT Character(s) and complete its Great Mission, you are rewarded with the “Dragon” NFT.
Thus, you should progress through the story while retaining the character (s).
You can showcase your accomplishment as a slayer by using your “Dragon” NFT as a PFP. The NFT rewards will be minted on Polygon.
#3: NFT character’s full-body illustration
Once the season ends, only players with a Member Rank 13 or higher and who own a Square Enix NFT character will qualify to receive a valuable full-body illustration of the character.
Attaining Member Rank 13 requires the completion of numerous missions/quests and frequent logins.
#4: End-of-season member rank rewards
NFT Square Enix owners have an advantage when it comes to rankings and has higher chances of obtaining additional rewards. The NFT rewards will be minted on Polygon.
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