NieR, Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest developers are interested in NFTs

Game developers responsible for mega-hit franchises like Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, and NieR are all interested in exploring NFTs.

NFTs and blockchain are gaming’s latest craze. Any new multi-million dollar business model turns heads (just look at how microtransactions have grown), and Ubisoft is pioneering NFTs with its widely-unpopular Quartz program. Square Enix is set to expand further into the NFT market following the success of its Shi‐San‐Sei Million Arthur digital collectibles.

In a recent interview with Famitsu, multiple high-profile Square Enix developers have expressed interest in NFTs. While no plans have been set in stone, developers like Yoshinori Kitase (Final Fantasy, Chrono Trigger), Yosuke Saito (NieR franchise), and Dragon Quest alum Noriyoshi Fujimoto all want to see what happens in this lucrative million-dollar market.

This fits perfectly with Square Enix’s recent comments that it may release a “robust entry” in blockchain gaming.

“It will be interesting to see how new technologies such as NFT and Metaverse will be involved in the game world!” Kitase said. Right now Kitase is helping Square Enix’s internal development team work on Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 2.

Dragon Quest director Noriyoshi Fujimoto says we should look out for NFTs in 2022:

“NFT digital assets…There are many issues such as legislation, and I think there are still many [growing pains in 2022], but it seems that interesting game ideas will be born. It seems that new values ​​will be born in the world in three or four years.”

Then there’s NieR’s Yousuke Saito, who outright says he wants to experiment with NFTs:

“I’m curious about NFT-related content and games. I think that new play is from new technology, so now I want to do something with NFT.”

The Japanese market is uniquely aligned with NFTs due to the popularity of collectibles and the massive recognition of entertainment properties. If handled correctly, Square Enix could tap a new lucrative domestic business model and eventually translate that overseas.

At the same time, Square Enix has failed to capture specific segments of the games industry, namely monetization in full-priced video games. The badly-received microtransactions in Deux Ex Mankind Divided come to mind. However, Square Enix has been incredibly successful in the MMORPG live service market with Final Fantasy XIV’s ongoing content expansions.