Square Enix, the creator of the Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts series, is shifting to the Ethereum layer-2 network Arbitrum for the next mint of NFT characters for its Symbiogenesis blockchain game.
Looking for low costs
Announced on Thursday, the goal of the transition to Arbitrum for Chapter 2 of Symbiogenesis is reducing gas fees, bringing them down to approximately 1/1000th of the previous cost, around 1.3 yen per bid.
The game’s earlier character NFTs were minted on Ethereum, which is the most expensive, while other in-game NFT assets utilized Polygon, an Ethereum sidechain.
It’s yet to be determined if Square Enix will continue using Polygon for future assets or fully transition to Arbitrum.
Why Starvation when there’s an Egg?
Symbiogenesis is a narrative-driven game centered around NFTs, where character ownership unlocks specific parts of the game, functioning as some kind of permits, keys.
The plan is to release a total of 10,000 characters for the game.
The first batch of 500 characters, minted on Ethereum in December last year, featured pretty unusual, rare names such as Egg, Starvation, and Wastebasket, which sparked some social media ridicule but also attracted buyers.
Some characters fetched over $1,200 worth of ETH. NFT market is a strange place sometimes.
Starting on May 31, Square Enix will release 1,500 new NFT characters on Arbitrum through a public auction lasting three days, with characters released in small batches.
The company has provided a guide on bridging assets to Arbitrum One in preparation for the auction.
New tech, old goals
The importance of this shift lies in the growing interest and experimentation by game studios in blockchain and Web3 technologies, particularly with the in-game NFT assets.
By adopting these infrastructures, companies like Square Enix can offer innovative gaming experiences and based on the experts’ view, unlock new revenue streams.
The success of Symbiogenesis could influence other game developers to explore similar technologies, proving the technology’s beneficial role in gaming.
If Symbiogenesis, or other blockchain games by major studios succeed, it could signal a wider acceptance and integration of blockchain technology in the industry.
This evolution could lead to more secure and enjoyable gaming experiences, but it also poses challenges, including regulatory oversight.
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featured image: Symbiogenesis screenshot
