Square Enix announces story-focused NFT project ‘Symbiogenesis’

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Square Enix has announced Symbiogenesis, a new NFT project that the company hails as “its first digital collectible art project designed from the ground up for Web3 fans.”

Details about the project are incredibly thin on the ground right now, but Square Enix states that Symbiogenesis is set in a “self-contained world” in which “a wide cast of characters symbiosis, all of which can be collected as digital art.”

Symbiogenesis’ story apparently takes place in an alternate world, where the player is tasked with untangling a mystery by completing missions themed around the monopolization and distribution of resources. “With each strategic move players make, more of the story unfolds,” said Square Enix in a press release.

The art from the game can be used as a profile picture on social media, and sales of Symbiogenesis NFTs, alongside a “free browser service”, are set to launch in spring 2023.

The company also shared a brief trailer on the official Symbiogenesis Twitter account, though that too gives almost nothing away about the project. The replies to that tweet are almost universally negative, underlining the deep unpopularity of NFT projects in the gaming audience. Many were quick to contrast the project with the pro-environmental messaging of Square Enix title Final Fantasy 7, given the technology’s reputation for its negative impact on the environment.

That unpopularity is unlikely to deter Square Enix, however. The company has been pushing pretty hard into the NFT space for a while now, and has seen its share price increase despite the intense backlash from fans.

Square Enix has even been bundling NFTs with physical Final Fantasy 7 merchandise, via a limited-time “exchange ticket” that fans can redeem for an NFT.

In other gaming news, Treyarch has confirmed that Modern Warfare 2’s ranked play will be introduced next year.

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