Evidently, gamers are not the only ones who are questioning the decision by Ubisoft to include NFTs in its games. Multiple Ubisoft employees have come forward in sharing their unease as the company continues its NFT plans, and one even asked if their employer was “competing with EA for the ‘most hated game studio’ title.” Some of the statements were revealed in a paywalled report from Bloomberg that showed hundreds of employees commenting on an internal company messaging board about the controversial tactic.
Another employee has commented that the company should shift back to “making fun spectacular ground-breaking blockbusters” instead of its present strategy. The gaming studio had announced Quartz to sell NFTs, thinking it had the means to entice players, but has since encountered resistance from the gaming community. This even led to Ubisoft stating the community simply doesn’t get how beneficial NFTs are.
As if to add insult to injury while clearly showing that it doesn’t understand its own staff, Ubisoft recently offered a free commemorative NFT to its employees. The announcement came during a question-and-answer workshop when employees were told they would be gifted a free one via the Quartz platform. Obviously, the offer wasn’t received as intended, as one said it was a “deeply embarrassing day” to work at Ubisoft.
All of this unwanted attention, and press coverage, hasn’t made management overly happy. Following all the leaked communications, it published its own statement on the matter.
How players can benefit is and always will be at the core of our thinking. At Ubisoft, we value these internal exchanges and think they help make our games and our company stronger. However, sharing confidential information, including from internal forums, is a violation of our employment agreement, and, more importantly, a violation of the trust that team members place in each other to be able to freely express themselves and have candid, productive discussions. -Ubisoft
It remains to be seen if Ubisoft management, who’s obviously heavily invested in blockchain technology, will truly understand its opening of Pandora’s box. Reminding employees of confidentiality clauses may only be the tip of the NFT iceberg as they navigate these new waters.