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Sega eases back blockchain, NFT plans

Sega eases back blockchain, NFT plans

Japanese publishing giant Sega has pulled back on its plans for blockchain and NFT projects.

Speaking to Bloomberg, the company's co-COO Shuji Utsumi said that it would no longer be using these technologies on its big titles as to "avoid devaluing its content." It was also be "shelving plans to develop its own games in that genre, at least for now."

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

He says that Sega might eventually decide to become involved in blockchain as it matures.

“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.”

He said that Sega said that it will let blockchain third-parties use its lesser-known franchises, such as Three Kingdoms and Virtua Fighters for NFTs.


PCGamesInsider Contributing Editor

Alex Calvin is a freelance journalist who writes about the business of games. He started out at UK trade paper MCV in 2013 and left as deputy editor over three years later. In June 2017, he joined Steel Media as the editor for new site PCGamesInsider.biz. In October 2019 he left this full-time position at the company but still contributes to the site on a daily basis. He has also written for GamesIndustry.biz, VGC, Games London, The Observer/Guardian and Esquire UK.