Tag: nft

The creator of Dead or Alive and the reboot of Ninja Gaiden passes away at the age of 58

Tomonobu Itagaki, a renowned Japanese video game creator, passed away at the age of 58. His death was announced through a heartfelt message on his Facebook account, where he expressed his pride in having fought until the end, lamenting that he could not offer new games to his followers. “I am filled with sadness for not having been able to provide new works to all my fans. I’m sorry,” he said in a message that resonated with the struggle of his life and career. Tomonobu Itagaki is a video game legend, famous for his contributions to video game culture, he was responsible […]

Tomonobu Itagaki, a renowned Japanese video game creator, passed away at the age of 58. His death was announced through a heartfelt message on his Facebook account, where he expressed his pride in having fought until the end, lamenting not being able to offer new games to his followers. “I am filled with sadness for not being able to provide new works to all my fans. I’m sorry,” he said in a message that resonated with the struggle of his life and career.

Tomonobu Itagaki is a video game legend

Itagaki, famous for his contributions to video game culture, was responsible for iconic franchises like Dead or Alive and Ninja Gaiden, which helped define the action genre and the aesthetics of the early 2000s. His provocative style made him a controversial figure, but undeniably influential in the industry. Throughout his career, he stood out for his ability to challenge his competitors, establishing a friendship and rivalry with Katsuhiro Harada, creator of Tekken. Harada expressed his sadness and surprise at Itagaki’s departure, recalling shared moments and the hope for a reunion.

Despite his success at Team Ninja, Itagaki drifted away from glory after leaving the company. His last major project, Devil’s Third, for Wii U, did not achieve the expected success and was a significant blow to his career. Subsequently, Itagaki founded Valhalla Games and worked on several projects, including an NFT-based game titled Warrior, of which there is not much information available.

The departure of Tomonobu Itagaki marks the twilight of a star in the world of video games. However, his legacy will endure, as titles like Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive continue to be celebrated by fans. His legacy will be honored by reviving and enjoying his masterpieces. Rest in peace, Master Itagaki.

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Nobody is interested in NFT-based games, and Ubisoft has paid the price (deservedly)

Ubisoft has tried to consolidate its presence in the world of NFTs through its game Champions Tactics Grimoria Chronicles, a tactical RPG that was released in 2024 and even offered non-fungible tokens for exorbitant prices, reaching up to 63,000 dollars. However, despite this bold proposal, the popularity of the title has drastically decreased since its launch, reflecting a marked lack of public interest in NFT-related games. Recently, Ubisoft introduced a new version of the game for Steam called Champions Tactics Reforged. Although this release […]

Ubisoft has tried to consolidate its presence in the world of NFTs through its game Champions Tactics Grimoria Chronicles, a tactical RPG that was released in 2024 and offered non-fungible tokens at exorbitant prices, reaching as high as $63,000. However, despite this bold proposal, the popularity of the title has drastically decreased since its launch, reflecting a marked lack of public interest in NFT-related games.

No Fate, Team

Recently, Ubisoft announced a new version of the game for Steam called Champions Tactics Reforged. Although this release was announced as free-to-play, its performance on the platform has been quite unsatisfactory. On its first day, the title only recorded 181 concurrent players, and despite experiencing a brief spike to 1,443 users, this increase was short-lived, as 24 hours later the game returned to alarmingly low figures, with fewer than 50 active users.

The statistics are not favorable for Champions Tactics; in the last month, only four NFT sales related to the game have been recorded, highlighting the low activity in its market. Despite the official page still presenting a roadmap with plans for 2025, the audience does not seem to respond to these attempts at revitalization. At this moment, the Reforged version has also seen its number of players drop to critical levels, with only 3 users online at the time of this publication.

The situation suggests that interest in games that incorporate NFT elements is scarce. Everything points to Ubisoft, in its quest to capture the attention of genre fans, could be launching this new version desperately, which raises questions about the future of the Champions Tactics universe and its viability in the competitive video game market.

Valve explicitly prohibits advertising within video games on its platform

Valve has updated its Steamworks developer documentation page with details about the advertising policies allowed on its platform. A significant change is the explicit ban on in-game advertising that interferes with gameplay or requires players to watch ads to access game content. Advertising in your video games? Steam says no According to the new regulations, the use of in-game advertising as a revenue model is prohibited. This means that developers cannot implement systems that force players to watch ads to enjoy the […]

Valve has updated its Steamworks developer documentation page with details about the advertising policies allowed on its platform. A significant change is the explicit ban on in-game advertising that interferes with gameplay or requires players to view ads to access game content.

Advertising in your video games? Steam says no

According to the new regulations, the use of advertising in gaming as a revenue model is prohibited. This means that developers cannot implement systems that force players to watch ads to enjoy the gaming experience. Valve points out that this approach is a preventive measure, as the practice of advertisements interfering with gameplay is common on other platforms, especially in the mobile gaming market.

Despite this restriction, Valve continues to allow the placement of products as long as it is not disruptive. For example, a racing game that showcases cars with real sponsors is within the guidelines. Additionally, cross-promotions are allowed, but developers cannot be charged for participating in game bundles or for accessing Steam pages. According to the statement, paid advertising campaigns outside of Steam are also acceptable as long as they redirect to a page on the platform’s store.

Although many game developers on Steam have likely not adopted intrusive advertising models until now, Valve’s decision demonstrates a clear commitment to a more user-centered experience. The company has also established other guidelines, such as the prohibition of NFT and crypto-based games, in addition to requiring games that use generative artificial intelligence to disclose their use. With these policies, Valve is outlining its vision for the future of gaming on PC.

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Coachella will sell its tickets via NFT with lifetime passes

NFT resales also tend to benefit the original seller, which could be of great help for something as permanent as a lifetime pass.

Coachella will sell lifetime passes for the first time in its history, but to get them you have to buy an NFT, no physical passes. This way, Coachella is once again trying it with non-fungible tokens.

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The music festival has today launched an NFT marketplace created by FTX US, with three NFT collections that will go on sale on February 4th. The company will auction the Coachella Keys Collection, a group of 10 NFTs that grant holders lifetime tickets to the festival.

The owners of the token will receive passes for Coachella every year, in addition to “access to virtual experiences produced by Coachella forever”. NFT purchases also included special benefits at the 2022 festival, such as front row access and a dinner with a famous chef.

The fact that the festival has jumped on the NFT trend may not come as a surprise -in November, Coachella’s parent company, AEG, renamed the Staples Center as Crypto.com Arena-, and other traditional companies have shown that it is possible to make a lot of money by linking physical products and services to digital assets.

NFT resales also often report profits to the original seller, which could be of great help for something as permanent as a lifetime pass. If NFTs are resold, Coachella, photographers, artists of art installations, and design artists will receive a royalty.

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In addition to the 10 lifetime NFTs, Coachella will sell 1,000 NFTs at a price of $180 that buyers can use to redeem a physical photo album of Coachella. The company will also sell 10,000 NFTs of “fans’ favorite festival photos and previously unheard soundscapes” at a price of $60 each.

Is generative AI the new NFT or is there something more behind the disposable content?

Why hire someone who takes twenty days to make a poster when the machine can do it in twenty seconds? Sure, the characters have six fingers, the background looks blurry, and there are a couple of obvious rip-offs, but who cares as long as you have speed in capitalism.

We were promised that AI would be used to help artists and give them more free time to pursue their true passion. And, of course, when it comes down to it, what it has actually done is allow companies to directly do without them. Why hire someone who takes twenty days to make a poster, when the machine can do it in twenty seconds? Yes, the characters have six fingers, the background is blurry, and there are a couple of obvious plagiarisms, but who cares when speed is valued in capitalism.

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And now, videos

Yesterday’s surprise was that, in addition to copied images and infamously bland text, AI can now also create videos. But not just any videos: as we have seen, and at least for now, what it creates is simple and plain content. The kind you can watch while scrolling through your phone, perfect for doing the dishes, ideal for not paying the slightest attention. Just like our parents had ‘Sálvame’, you know. Videos without any intentionality for techies with pretensions who ignore the art of creation, well, simple and plain content.

And the content itself is not bad at all. Every year, we consume hundreds and hundreds of hours of mindless entertainment that doesn’t contribute anything. Series, movies, video games, comics, and disposable books constantly pile up on our to-do lists for our leisure time. What we should consider is whether we really want more content continuously, like an infinite tap of sequels created by a machine.

It’s not that science fiction writers haven’t been warning us for decades that leaving our leisure and our destiny in the hands of machines was a bad idea. And yet, when the opportunity has arrived, there are not a few who have already discarded human authors to embrace the infinite mediocrity of AI, which, in turn, would be nothing without human ingenuity. A faded photocopy without grace, genius or art.

Regulations will come, of course. And price increases from AI companies. And some country that skips the paperwork and offers millions of mediocrities at zero cost, like a continuous executor of videos of YouTube of dancing babies. Infinite videos based on something created by the human hand that they are only capable of copying, but never of convincing or proposing interesting twists. Pure content to have in the background while you look at the latest meme on Twitter.

And what will happen when generative AI in video improves its quality and can be presented as evidence in trials? How will we distinguish reality from fiction? Yes, technologically it is an incredible achievement. Ethically, not so much. Whether we like it or not, whether they call us “Luddites” or not, we urgently need to set limits before living in a continuous state of paranoia where AI further muddies the waters we are already in. The consequences can be devastating. And no, you are not exempt from them.

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