Sega has announced a partnership that will see the development of the first blockchain game using its IP.
As reported by 4Gamer, the deal with Japanese blockchain company Double Jump Tokyo will result in the development of a new game based on Sega’s popular Sangokushi Taisen series.
Sangokushi Taisen is a real-time strategy game which is mostly played in Japanese arcades, and sees players collecting physical cards which they can then place on the playing area to make them appear in the game.
The new title – which will be developed by Double Jump Tokyo with Sega lending the use of its IP – will use blockchain technology, but it’s not yet been made clear as to how this will work (though it may involve using it to record the ownership of each card).
Release date and platform information for the game have yet to be confirmed, but depending on when it’s released, it may be the first blockchain game made with Sega’s involvement.
Data stored on a blockchain (a form of digital ledger) effectively allows users to own, buy and sell digital items such as in-game items or artwork.
Mention of the tech surged last year when many major companies and celebrities launched their own initiatives, including Nike and McDonald’s.
Numerous game companies have also started selling digital items as NFTs, including Konami and Atari, though this has attracted criticism from some due to the format’s high carbon footprint and what many perceive to be cynical implementation.
Sega has been seemingly toying with the idea of blockchain and NFT technology for a while now.
In January, it registered a trademark for ‘Sega NFT’, a week after CEO Haruki Satomi appeared to have cooled on the idea somewhat, acknowledging the current negativity around the NFT landscape.
In an interview on Sega’s own website in April, producer Masayoshi Kikuchi also stated his belief that NFTs were likely to be a part of the gaming landscape in the future.
“Gaming has a history of expansion through the connection of various cultures and technologies,” Kikuchi said. “For example, social networking and game video viewing are recent examples.
“It is a natural extension for the future of gaming that it will expand to involve new areas such as cloud gaming and NFT.”
