SEGA didn't say its new Super Games will use NFTs
SEGA hasn't said that its new Super Game initiative will use NFTs, but it will use cloud-based technologies and live services.
A new report suggests that SEGA's Super Game lineup could use NFTs, but SEGA didn't actually say this is the case.
SEGA has an ambitious plan to release multiple billion-dollar live games onto the market. SEGA actually created a specific new genre called "Super Games" for its new titles. The so-called Super Games are defined as titles with widespread multi-platform releases that deliver $1 billion revenues similar to Phantasy Star Online, and will be deployed using cloud and online networks complete with live game business models. The company is investing over $800 million into its new Super Games, and wants to have multiple titles on the market by 2030.
A recent report suggested that SEGA's NFT plans could crossover into its Super Games initiative. The report cites a recent interview with SEGA executives concerning Super Games, but company leadership doesn't actually say that the new live games will incorporate NFTs.
"Games have a history of expanding through the connections of various cultures and technologies. For example, recently, watching SNS (social network services) and game videos is typical. In the future, it is natural for the future of games to expand by involving new fields such as cloud gaming and NFT. We are also developing "Super Game" from the perspective of how far different games can be connected to each other," SEGA producer Masayoshi Kikuchi said.
SEGA is indeed researching NFTs and has filed multiple NFT trademarks, but the company has said it will scrap its NFT plans if gamers think it's a money-making scheme.
Furthermore, NFTs are extremely volatile and speculative, and Ubisoft has exposed a major flaw in games NFTs. It's highly unlikely that SEGA would devote hundreds of millions of dollars to a segment that is so immature and widely hated.
SEGA executives also say that all of its development segments are coming together under the Super Games banner, including mobile, amusement, and dedicated console/PC games development. This suggests that Super Games will carry forward into all of SEGA's gaming offerings including pachinko/arcade machines, mobile titles, and console and PC titles.
As for the criteria on what makes a Super Games, SEGA said this:
"We believe that the following four requirements will be the criteria. (1) Multi-platform, (2) Global multilingual development, (3) Simultaneous worldwide release, (4) AAA title. In other words, I hope you can imagine that it will be a scale of game development aimed at a global blockbuster," SEGA executive vice president Shuji Utsumi said.