It seems like just yesterday that all we had to worry about in patch notes was whether or not our favorite class was getting nerfed. Now, thanks to the spread of cryptocurrency throughout the genre, we have to keep an eye on whether or not pay-to-earn mechanics are spreading into our MMOs.
This is certainly the case with Riders of Icarus, which announced this past May that it was fully embracing NFTs and all the baggage that P2E involves. Valofe Global isn’t backing down from rolling around in this dream of cryptocash infusion, making stabilization changes in a recent patch to facilitate the new model. This follows the official rollout of P2E on June 15th.
If there’s any consolation here, it’s that these NFTs don’t seem to be ruining a hugely popular virtual home, as the server is already tiny. But don’t point those numbers out to Valofe, which said on June 8th, “We have received plenty of support and appreciation where Riders of Icarus took this path.”
Perfect Ten: MMOs that have fallen to the dark side of cryptocurrency
Lawful Neutral: How is an NFT MMO even supposed to work?
Vague Patch Notes: NFTs in gaming are a bad, dumb idea
Vague Patch Notes: Why play-to-earn is a garbage idea
Vague Patch Notes: The metaverse doesn’t exist and isn’t a good idea either
GDC 2022: Control, revenue, scarcity, ethics, and the human challenges of the gaming ‘metaverse’
Vague Patch Notes: No, Little Orbit has not solved the MMO blockchain problem
