NFTs have already proven divisive in the industry with many big studios leaning into the technology despite criticism from players. However, 70 percent of developers asked for this survey were not interested in NFTs. Meanwhile, 72 percent were not interested in cryptocurrency as a payment tool. Further, the vast majority of respondents criticised the new technology for its scam potential, environmental impact, and monetisation concerns. “I think it is a tech looking for a purpose. People will be interested in it as a gamble to make money, but there’s not enough of a public demand for it to be an actual currency,” said one respondent. “We should collectively agree to ban the use of blockchain-based technologies in our industry because of their hugely negative environmental impact,” said another. Another quipped: “I’d rather not endorse burning a rainforest down to confirm someone ‘owns’ a jpeg.” So far Ubisoft has launched an NFT platform, Konami sold Castlevania NFTs, and voice actor Troy Baker has backed an NFT voice acting platform. Both Square Enix president Yosuke Matsuda and EA boss Andrew Wilson believe NFTs are the future, while Sega has stalled plans following a negative reaction from players. The report delved into a number of other topics too. Accessibility in gaming is on the rise, with more respondents adding accessibility options to their games than not for the first time in the history of the report. On the subject of diversity and inclusion, 70 percent of respondents said their studio’s attempts at inclusion and diversity were at least moderately successful. However, there’s still a long way to go: 24 percent said their studio had not focused on it at all. Following reports of toxic workplace culture in companies like Activision Blizzard, 38 percent of respondents said their company had addressed concerns. Almost a quarter hoped to unionise.
