STALKER 2 devs cancel NFT plans after widespread backlash

STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl developer GSC Game World has announced that the studio’s plans for an NFT-driven “STALKER Metaverse” have been cancelled following near-universal backlash from various game communities as well as the game industry at large.

“We hear you. Based on the feedback we received, we’ve made a decision to cancel anything NFT-related in STALKER 2,” the developers wrote. “The interests of our fans and players are the top priority for the team. We’re making this game for you to enjoy — whatever the cost is. If you care, we care too.”

NFTs, or Non-Fungible Tokens, are unique digital assets that are verified using cryptographic blockchain code. NFTs were originally conceptualized as a way to sidestep the banking elite that dominate markets, but due to the significantly negative effects many blockchains have on the environment, the usage of NFTs has been widely criticized. These criticisms, alongside accusations that the developers were trying to profit off of a fad, ultimately drove GSC Game World to cancel their NFT plans.

GSC Game World originally had plans to create a “STALKER Metaverse” that would have shipped along with STALKER 2, giving players opportunities to buy, trade, and sell STALKER-themed NFTs. Some of these would have included three in-game NPCs that would have been created by scanning the faces of each of the three people that owned one of these NPC NFTs. Presumably the STALKER Metaverse would have expanded much farther beyond these NFTs if the developers implemented it fully.

STALKER 2 is expected to release on April 28, 2022 on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One consoles, and Windows PCs. The game will cost $60, and will also be available on Xbox Game Pass at launch. With any luck, it will end up becoming one of the best Xbox shooters available.

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