Square Enix is making good on its promise to invest in the blockchain. In Spring 2023, a series of Final Fantasy NFT trading cards will be released, followed in November by a Bring Arts figure of Cloud Strife that optionally comes with an NFT replica. Although Square Enix has offered Million Arthur-themed NFTs in the past, this marks the first time it’s used one of its core series to do so.
Square Enix plans to release Final Fantasy NFT trading cards despite massive market decline
It’s no secret that the NFT bubble has burst, and the massive media campaign to push them with celebrities like Jimmy Fallon has run out of steam. Despite this, Square Enix plans to release an NFT trading card series, which will offer physical cards which also include a digital NFT version.
Square Enix is partnering with Enjin for the Final Fantasy NFTs, which will use the Efinity platform built on the Polkadot blockchain. Cards will sell for $4 per six-pack, and those that want the Cloud Strife statue NFT will need to purchase the Digital Plus Edition, which retails at $160 (the statue sans NFT goes for $130).
The irony here is that Final Fantasy 7 starts with you joining a gang of eco-terrorists to fight a massive international corporation that’s poisoning the planet by extracting its life force to generate electricity. Supposedly the Efinity Parachain is more “eco-friendly” due to its use of proof-of-stake for transaction validation instead of proof-of-work, and Enjin plans to be carbon neutral by 2030. However, the current heatwaves across the globe are making 2030 seem like a long way away, and it’s still energy being burnt to mint NFTs that fans have been actively rallying against.
Hopefully, Square Enix will keep its Final Fantasy NFTs limited to trading cards. It’s a horrible idea, but at least it’s not being forced into a game.
In other news, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora has been delayed, and Ubisoft has canceled Ghost Recon Frontline and Splinter Cell VR.
