It’s thrilling! Shilling! And most of all chilling! Square Enix, who earlier this year sold basically all their Western studios and IPs for a dozen nickels and a wad of chewed gum they could spend on crypto technology, has now become part of a blockchain itself, becoming a node validator on Oasys, a “environmentally friendly, proof of stake” chain. (Proof of stake is considered by many to be more environmentally efficient than proof of work, but it still uses quite a bit of electricity and other resources for… y’know. This.)
If you’re wondering what a node validator is (because this entire industry is built on jargon only invested insiders understand), it “stores a copy of the blockchain and performs other functions that aim to keep the system secure.” Lest you hurl all your tomatoes at Squeenix, know that other game companies — Bandai Namco, Sega, Ubisoft, and more — are also doing the same. Square Enix is also looking into “the feasibility of harnessing user contributions in the development of new games on the Oasys blockchain.”
So yeah, Square is still all in on this stuff, despite market crashes and an audience more and more likely to point and laugh at them over it each day. We’ve already seen the company try to add NFTs to merch, and it’s only a matter of time before actual games are populated with whatever this is. Woof. Let’s hope it’s a passing fad — for all our sakes.
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Written by Amelia Fruzzetti
A writer and Nintendo fan based in Seattle, Washington. When not working for NinWire, she can be found eating pasta, writing stories, and wondering about when Mother 3 is finally going to get an official localization.
