Sega executive calls play-to-earn blockchain games ‘boring’

Sega is reportedly cooling its interest in blockchain gaming.

While it’s not dismissing the technology entirely, Bloomberg reports that Sega has shelved plans to develop its own blockchain games for the time being.

“The action in play-to-earn games is boring,” Sega co-chief operating officer Shuji Utsumi told the publication. “What’s the point if games are no fun?”

The company behind Sonic The Hedgehog is letting third-party partners create NFT games using some of its franchises, including Three Kingdoms and Virtua Fighter, but currently it won’t allow its biggest characters to be associated with blockchain titles to avoid potentially devaluing its IP.

“We’re looking into whether this technology is really going to take off in this industry, after all,” Utsumi said.

Despite cooling its interest in blockchain gaming, Sega will continue to invest in the area while there remains a chance it could become more mainstream in the future.

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Sega says it will ditch NFTs if it’s perceived as a ‘simple money-making’ scheme

"We need to carefully assess many things such as how we can mitigate the negative elements"

“For the majority of people in the video game industry, what blockchain advocates say may sound a bit extreme, but that’s how the first penguin has always been,” Utsumi said. “We should never underestimate them.”

The executive also said Sega is not interested in acquisition talks after news emerged that it has been a target for Microsoft in recent years.