- Indie game developers have banded together to issue an anti-NFT pledge.
- The pledge is led by Climate Replay, an environment-centered gaming group.
- Eight companies and 132 individuals have signed the pledge as of writing.
Independent game developers have banded together to create an anti-NFT pledge until the technology contributes to the efforts of sustainability, social responsibility, and equitability of the gaming industry.
The pledge is an initiative by Climate Replay, an environmentally-centered independent game group of developers and gamers, launched the campaign to flag the rapid adoption and “issues” of NFTs in video games. Additionally, the group aims to educate other developers about the technology and the risks that come with it.
It is evident that NFT has taken off from 2021 to early this year, and several games have been launched with the promise to allow for the ownership of digital items. However, the technology’s mass adoption’s integration into games does not come risk-free, said Climate Replay.
According to Climate Replay’s website, game companies planning to adopt NFTs could alienate their customer base and stop “play for fun” gamers, encourage game bots, and lose valuable talents who don’t believe in the technology.
The group also warns about relying on unregulated cryptocurrencies, providing unequal perks given to early investors, and encouraging informal jobs (playing solely for money). Signers of the pledge “have to ensure [that] any implementation” of NFTs provides value to players and has no environmental impact, among other stipulations.
Cory Scheviak, the founder of Climate Replay, said the pledge has gotten positive responses so far, according to a report by the Middle East branch of gaming portal IGN:
[We see it] as a way forward for the gaming industry to have a framework for responsibly implementing this technology. All in all, the response I’ve seen has been wholly constructive and well-received, both from fans of NFTs and critics.
As of writing, eight gaming companies have already “signed and verified” the pledge, including Landfall, Brainless Labs, Bearwaves, and KO-OP. Meanwhile, the pledge has already garnered over 132 individual signatures.