Ubisoft partners with Tezos to launch in-game NFTs
The platform, called Ubisoft Quartz, marks the debut of NFTs for in-game items from a major video game company
Popular video game platform Ubisoft has launched Ubisoft Quartz, a new platform for players to acquire energy efficient non-fungible tokens (NFTs) playable within high-profile AAA video games. The system, which will be called Digits, will be offered as in-game assets which can be bought and sold.
Ubisoft Quartz will be powered by Tezos, a popular choice for firms looking to expand into the world of digital assets, as Ubisoft begins its ambitious vision of developing a metaverse built on the open Tezos blockchain.
The launch of the new platform, announced earlier this week, marks the debut of NFTs for in-game items from a large video game titan. It will initially launch in the US, Canada, Spain, France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Australia and Brazil.
A focus on energy efficiency
While NFTs continue to soar in popularity, there’s still much debate around the environmental problems associated with blockchain technology, with many arguing that NFTs are bad for the environment.
Ubisoft, however, has addressed these claims by partnering with Tezos, a leading Proof-of-Stake blockchain that uses more than two million times less energy to operate than blockchains such as Bitcoin or Ethereum.
According to the company, a single transaction on Tezos uses roughly the same amount of energy as streaming 30 seconds of video, while a single transaction for Proof-of-Work blockchains would require the same energy as streaming non-stop for a full year.
“Our long-term efforts led us to understand how blockchain’s decentralised approach could genuinely make players stakeholders of our games, in a way that is also sustainable for our industry, placing back into their hands the value they generate through the time they spend, the items they buy or the content they create online,” said Nicolas Pouard, VP of Ubisoft’s Strategic Innovation Lab.
“Ubisoft Quartz is the first building block in our ambitious vision for developing a true metaverse,” Pouard added.
Mason Edwards, chief of staff for the Tezos Foundation, said: “Energy-efficiency is an important factor for companies like Ubisoft, choosing to build on a blockchain network. I believe that Tezos’ efficiency and ability to evolve position the network to support Ubisoft’s vision for building a layer of value for the gaming world.”
Tezos price soars following announcement
Following the partnership announcement, the price of Tezos (XTZ) reached as high as $5.48, up almost 40% after trading below $4.00 the previous day.
