The Biggest NFT Game Projects Canceled So Far

Not every gamer is an NFT fan, and not everyone feels the need to make money from games!

Whether it's because of the environmental impact they create, the results of the win-win model, or widespread scams, it's a fact that plenty of people don't want NFTs in their video games. Despite this, game companies and people can still end up thinking they want a slice of the NFT and blockchain pie for themselves.

But those who make these moves don't always get a good reception. While companies like Ubisoft have decided to keep going with NFT-based crypto games, the major companies we cover below have completely canceled their NFT integration - at least for now. As the number of NFT-related cancellations and pullbacks keeps rising, we researched and put together a report on all the expected NFT projects tied to games and companies that have been canceled or pulled back since the trend of NFT-based crypto games began in late 2021!

Discord

The first notable NFT integration cancellation in gaming was Discord, which many people use to chat while playing games. On November 8, 2021, Discord Founder and CEO Jason Citron tweeted an image showing the crypto wallet service MetaMask integrated into Discord.

https://twitter.com/jasoncitron/status/1457841222995693570?s=20&t=cOTicjtkMt3ytAHpL9U87A

Discord users immediately responded to the post with vitriol, and just two days later Citron confirmed that Discord had no plans to move forward with the integration. "Thanks everyone for all the perspectives," he said. "We don't have a plan right now to ship this internal concept. For now we're focused on protecting users from spam, fraud, and scams. There's a lot of good in web3, but also a lot of problems we need to solve for at our scale."

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2

On December 15, 2021, developer GSC Game World had announced that it would partner with DMarket to add NFTs to the highly anticipated shooter RPG S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl. The game was going to let players use cryptocurrency to buy items, and let some people scan themselves and enter the game as a "metahuman."

GSC Game World initially defended its decision, but the announcement was met with so much backlash that the developer canceled the initiative the very next day. The statement read, "We hear you." "Based on the feedback we have received, we have decided to cancel everything related to NFTs in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2. How the game releases will be decided with our fans' and players' interests in mind. We're making this game so you can enjoy it - no matter the cost. If you care, we care."

This was the most ambitious mainstream game NFT integration we have seen so far, and even then, people didn't like it. It shows that there will always be some pushback against NFT announcements, even when something unique is being done in-game.

Sega

Sega hasn't officially canceled any NFT project (it even trademarked "Sega NFT" and the "Sega Classics NFT Collection"). That said, Sega's CEO admitted the company would think twice about using NFTs if it looked like a pure money-making move.

CEO Haruki Satomi said at a December 2021 management meeting, "There have already been a lot of announcements about this ... but at this point there are users showing negative reactions." He said, "We need to carefully weigh a lot of things, like how we can reduce the negative elements, how far we can bring this in line with Japanese regulations, and what will and won't be accepted by users. If such efforts later align with our 'Always Creating, Always Fascinating' mission, we'll pursue it further, but if it's only perceived as a money-making move, then we'd like to consider holding off on release."

Satomi's comments were more measured than a month earlier, when he'd said at an earnings briefing, "We are considering investing in new areas like M&A and NFTs." Terms like metadata storage, blockchain, and NFTs are buzzwords for investors, but the flaws of NFTs and the fact that most people don't actually like them seem to have finally caught the attention of the people in charge at companies like Sega.

Troy Baker

Famous game voice actor Troy Baker announced his partnership on January 14 with Voiceverse, a company that planned to sell players' voices as NFTs. While he said he was interested because he wanted to make his voice more accessible to smaller creators, the aggressively worded tweet drew the anger of everyone who dislikes NFTs.

His tweet read, "I'm partnering with @VoiceverseNFT to explore ways we can bring new tools together for new creators to make new things, and give everyone a chance to own and invest in the IP they create. We all have a story to tell. you can hate it. or you can create it. What's it gonna be?"

Baker's move into NFTs was immediately met with widespread hatred, and later that day he apologized for the wording of the tweet. After discussing the fiasco on the Play, Watch, Listen podcast, Baker ended his partnership with Voiceverse on January 31, 2022. "Thank you all for your feedback and patience," he tweeted. "After careful consideration, I have decided not to continue the partnership with VoiceverseNFT. Intent aside, I heard you, and I apologize for accusing anyone of 'hating' simply for disagreeing with me."

Team17

Like GSC Game World, Team17 also backed off its NFT initiative within a single day. On January 31, Team17 introduced MetaWorms NFTs based on the popular Worms series. It tried to frame the announcement as eco-friendly, but its ties to Ethereum meant its eco-friendly claims were naive at best. It also didn't address the concerns of those who think NFTs are nothing more than a useless scam.

After the announcement, Eurogamer reported that MetaWorms wasn't approved from within Team17. Former development partners like Going Under's Aggro Crab, Yooka-Laylee's Playtonic Games, and Overcooked's Ghost Town Games condemned MetaWorms the very next day. Team17's initial response was to say it wouldn't put NFTs in its games, but it ultimately acknowledged and canceled MetaWorms on February 1.

The British indie publisher said, "Team17 today announces that the MetaWorms NFT project has come to an end." "We listened to our Teamsters, our development partners, and the communities of our games, and the concerns they raised, and as a result we have decided to step back from the NFT space." This shows that criticism of NFTs goes beyond just their environmental impact and win/win-win effects.

EA

Even though EA, which is in the same boat as Sega, hasn't announced or canceled anything NFT-related, it seems less enthusiastic about NFTs than it was last year. At a meeting held on November 3, 2021, CEO Andrew Wilson said "collectible digital content will play a meaningful role in our future, in the context of the games we create and the live services we deliver." While that statement drew in potential investors at the time, Wilson's comments about NFTs at the February 1, 2022 earnings call were far less bold. He focused more on the "collectibility" side of NFTs rather than the technology itself.

"I believe collectibility will continue to be an important part of our industry and the games and experiences we offer our players. Whether that's part of NFTs and blockchain remains open for debate," he said. "We'll evaluate that over time, but it's not an issue we're facing right now that we need to answer immediately."

The mood around NFTs in the game industry is quite negative, and it's clear we'll see more and more companies canceling or giving up on their NFT plans this year. We'll keep you updated as new developments happen.

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