Ubisoft Doubles Down on Crypto Gaming as It Announces Validator Status
If you stay up to date with the gaming world, you’ll know that blockchain and crypto have achieved more prominence within it over the last few years. You’ll also know that this has not been without its controversies. When NFTs, which are based on blockchain technology, became more widely used in the gaming space, they met a lot of backlash.
Even major gaming companies like Ubisoft and Activision Blizzard were not spared from this backlash and some gaming companies opted to stop their blockchain endeavours. However, Ubisoft seems to be taking a different approach.
Rather than distance itself from crypto games and blockchain-based projects, it is doubling down. And it’s big business: there are around 1500 blockchain games available, which are mainly play-to-earn games, but also encompass NFT games,and metaverse games. And that’s before considering the growing number of Bitcoin casinos: there are thought to be almost 1000 of these sites, and Sergio Zammit says they’re popular as they offer fast deposits and withdrawals, anonymous deposits, bigger bonuses, and decentralized payments.
Ubisoft’s Latest Announcement
Ubisoft’s latest news is not about a new blockchain gaming project that it is launching but rather about an existing blockchain gaming company that it will be supporting. The project is XPLA, a blockchain network founded by Com2uS, a gaming company. XPLA is a Tendermint-based Layer 1 blockchain that acts as a media hub and also offers play-to-own capabilities. Some of the gaming titles in its roster include The Walking Dead: All-Stars, and Summoners War: Chronicles, MiniGame Party. Ubisoft will now serve as a validator for the blockchain, bringing its total to 64.
On top of this, Ubisoft will participate in the governance of the network and the wider pursuit of a connected web3 gaming ecosystem. Paul Kim, the team lead of XPLA, has said, “We are thrilled to welcome Ubisoft as an XPLA validator. Together, we will cooperate to create a more transparent and trustworthy Web3 ecosystem, striving to provide an attractive gaming experience to players worldwide.”
This is also not the first time that Ubisoft has supported a blockchain network. In the past, it has backed blockchains like Hedera and Tezos, so XPLA is just another addition to the list.
Blockchain in Gaming
Historically, blockchain within the gaming sector has been a bit of a mixed bag, On the one hand, you have projects like Axie Infinity and Sandbox that have been blockchain-based gaming platforms from their inception and have sustained a loyal following to this day.
The real controversy, however, started when mainstream companies began to dip their toes into blockchain. Gaming fans accused these companies of selling out and chasing trends, and they seemed to especially have vitriol for NFTs, which were controversial. But companies like Ubisoft seem to be dedicated to using blockchain within their operations, criticism aside. It has also been beneficial to Bitcoin and Solana casino sites, which are now able to offer Provably Fair games, which players can verify the outcome of to ensure fair play.
What This Means
Ubisoft’s newest partnership with XPLA is significant in many ways. First, it shows that the blockchain gaming sector is far from over and, in fact, is becoming more united than ever. This is evidenced by the amount of support that XPLA has received so far and spells good things to come for the space.
If these efforts continue, blockchain can be assured of a place in the gaming sector for years to come. It could also help to quell the pushback that blockchain has seen in the gaming space thus far.
