Ubisoft’s latest NFT game, Champions Tactics, was branded “unplayable” during its opening weekend after a bug meant that just two players won every matchmaked game before they could be played.

YouTuber and crypto gaming analyst Jauwn disclosed the apparent exploit on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday. He claimed that the game had been unplayable since Friday and that an alleged malicious actor had found a way to become the only player that other gamers matched with. 

Two accounts, Schilleri11 and Paulstar111, were at the heart of the controversy with one of them reportedly ranking at the top of the leaderboards after already playing 56,000 matches. 

Read more: Hamster Kombat loses nearly 260 million players in just three months

However, the Game Director for Champions Tactics: Grimoria Chronicles claimed today on Discord that the NFT game is playable again — for now. They noted it wasn’t the work of a malicious player and that a matchmaking bug was the cause. 

Both Schilleri11 and Paulstar111 have been unbanned and the devs wished, “everyone to be understanding towards them.” They added, “The bug might reoccur, and we are currently working on a long-term fix for it!”

Read more: Otherside got $450M from Yuga Labs but its latest game is ‘virtually unplayable’

Regardless, the fact a bug of this magnitude was allowed to persist on a game produced by a triple AAA publisher worth $2 billion didn’t sit well with Jauwn. “When the first crypto game made by one of the largest game publishers of all time is nothing but a passionless grift,” he said, “it says more about crypto games as a whole than you might think it does.”

He added, “The fact that they have nobody supporting the newly launched game over the weekend is kinda hilarious and awesome at the same time. Ubisoft’s employees give so little of an F they’re happily clocking out and going home while the game melts down.”

Champions Tactics is a PC game that involves battling collectible figurines that are also sold as NFTs. Currently, its marketplace lists one NFT for a staggering $129 million, and the second highest is listed for almost $57,000. On the other end of the scale, many of these figurines are worth between $5 and $6. 

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The post Ubisoft’s new Champions Tactics NFT game was unplayable this weekend appeared first on Protos.

Ubisoft received hundreds of scathing comments from employees in response to an internal memo outlining plans to implant non-fungible tokens (NFTs) into the gaming giant’s products, Bloomberg reports.

In early December, Ubisoft agreed to launch a Tezos-based NFT marketplace, Ubisoft Quartz, for in-game items compatible with its shooter game Ghost Recon.

The $6.5-billion French gaming conglomerate also owns popular franchises like Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry.

• “Our confidence in management was already shaken by the handling of harassment cases, and now this?” asked one employee.
• Another expressed concern that Ubisoft’s decision could lead to Electronic Arts comparisons, which has become synonymous with cash grabs.
• Gamers repeatedly criticize the “pay-to-win” tactics that EA uses to monetize its games — prioritizing profits over gameplay.

Near the end of its first month of minting, Ubisoft had sold just 15 NFTs (including on affiliated NFT marketplaces Objkt and Rarible) for 94.49 Tezos (worth $400 then, $387 now).

By December 29, that number totaled 18 NFTs worth less than $800. Needless to say, the launch quickly became embarrassing for Ubisoft — something its employees are yet to forget.

Ubisoft shrugs it off, moves further into NFTs

In a statement to Bloomberg, an Ubisoft spokesperson claimed it was taking the employee feedback onboard and expressed disappointment that the comments had been leaked.

Still, despite lackluster NFT sales and employee backlash, Ubisoft just announced a new deal with Sandbox to bring its “Rabbids” characters to the startup’s metaverse.

“I think gamers don’t get what a digital secondary market can bring to them,” said Nicolas Pouard, VP at Ubisoft’s Strategic Innovations Lab in a January interview, our emphasis.

“The end game is about giving players the opportunity to resell their items once they’re finished with them or they’re finished playing the game itself.”

Concerns about NFTs for in-game items include the environmental impact of blockchain mining, counterfeits and frauds, and the realities of monetizing entertainment value in video games.

NFT marketplaces disproportionately reward wealthy insiders who access exclusive mints and liquidate onto secondary portals like OpenSea.

Read more: [Play-to-earn gamers form ‘subDAOs’ to maximize crypto profits]

Chainalysis estimates that only the top 5% of NFT traders earn about 80% of the industry’s profit.

“Gold farming,” in which players forsake gameplay to complete monotonous tasks that earn virtual game currencies, is already a sore point among gamers.

So while there may be some utility in secondary sales of collectibles, like skins and other vanity items, NFTs have only amplified widespread concerns about studios trading fun for profit.

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