Team17 announced and then canceled NFT plans due to backlash from fans and studios
Yesterday publisher Team17 announced the MetaWorms NFT project. Basically, the plan was to create an NFT based on the popular Worms license with the help of NFT maker Reality Gaming Group. Team17 claims that these NFTs are environmentally friendly as they are Ethereum’s ‘sidechain’ and are produced using RGG’s carbon-neutral servers. Team17 also planned to donate a portion of the proceeds from NFT sales to global sustainability companies Coins 4 Planet and the Refeed Farms initiative. Of course, the NFT itself was a variety of images of the worm character you can see in the top header.
Fans expressed disappointment on social media, as we saw in the case of another studio recently announcing their NFT plans. That’s not surprising. What came out of the left field was the fact that some of Team17’s studio partners were not clearly aware of this plan and were similarly upset. As a result, some of these developers have joined Twitter to independently announce that their titles will not support NFT.
This includes Yooka-Laylee developer Playtonic.
Ongoing team of Aggro Crabs (Language Alert):
As well as Overcooked Studios Ghost Town Games:
With all these headwinds, Team17 received a loud and clear message on Twitter today, announcing that they are leaving the NFT entirely.
Team17 is today announcing an end to the MetaWorms NFT project.
— Team17 (@Team17) February 1, 2022
We have listened to our Teamsters, development partners, and our games’ communities, and the concerns they’ve expressed, and have therefore taken the decision to step back from the NFT space.
The story is no different from when GSC Game World announced plans to add NFTs to the upcoming S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2. Fans also protested, and the studio initially defended the plan, but eventually changed direction. Quartz, Ubisoft’s own NFT platform, has faced similar backlash, although publishers have firmly stated that acceptance “takes time” and detractors “do not understand”. Square Enix and Konami have their hands on NFT games, but a recent Game Developer Conference survey showed that most developers have little or no interest in integrating NFT or cryptocurrencies into their products.
