Table of Contents
Domestic companies are entering blockchain gaming (BCG) one after another.
As we all know, Japan is one of the world's leading gaming powers, although it has been overtaken by overseas game makers in recent years. I have high hopes that the day will come when domestic companies will dominate the world in this field.
As for the domestic BCG in 2023, ``Captain Tsubasa -RIVALS-'', which was released in January, became a hot topic. Even if you look around the world, there is no BCG that handles such a famous and huge IP. In that respect alone, it is a work that opened up a new development for BCG.
It is also a unique title in that it has prepared its own measures to deal with the price of tokens (crypto assets), which had been a problem with BCG, and introduced a mechanism to maintain the price.
Although there was some confusion about this work, such as security problems that occurred immediately after its release, it can be said that it achieved a certain level of success, as the token price has remained stable even after about two months since its release.
However, according to a statistics site, the number of token holders (the number that actually indicates the number of users) is around 1,500. It seems that they have not yet reached the point of attracting a large number of game players to BCG.
As for BCG created by a domestic company, expectations are also high for ``GGGGG'' by Drecom, a major social game developer. This work is a battle royale-type shooting action game played by 100 players.
Many users who have played the game in advance have praised the game's high level of quality and fun, and it may be the forerunner of an ``interesting BCG'' that has almost never existed.
The game's appeal is that it is completely free to play on smartphones, and is scheduled to be released on March 31st. This is a title that players who have never touched BCG before should definitely try.
On the other hand, there is also some disappointing news. ``De:LitheΦ'', which was developed by HashPalette Co., Ltd. and mobile game company enish Co., Ltd., announced troubles in its development, leaving the future uncertain.
This title was highly anticipated as a domestically produced BCG with high-quality graphics and gameplay. Although the details of the problem have not been revealed, it is an example of how BCG game development is not easy.
In addition to the above, I would like to keep an eye on Oasys, a BCG specialized blockchain, in 2023. To put it very simply, Oasys is a "huge platform for blockchain games."
Famous domestic game companies such as SEGA, Square Enix, and Bandai Namco are participating, and we look forward to the development and release of BCG by these companies.
▶︎“De:LitheΦ” has announced troubles in development, making the future uncertain.
According to Messari, a major Web 3.0 research company, active users of BCG have decreased by about 30% from October 2022 to January 2023.
The number of active users of BCG was 6.3 million in January 2021, but it has decreased to about 1.71 million in one year. While major companies are entering the market one after another, it has become clear that users are already losing interest.
Regarding this situation, the company says, ``Our commitment to sustainability stems from creating truly engaging experiences.'' This points out the limitations of the ``Play to Earn'' model, which can be said to be the cause of the BCG craze.
Games with a "Play to Earn" model are characterized by the ability to earn tokens by completing quests or defeating other players, which can then be traded on an exchange.
However, many BCG titles have repeatedly made the mistake of selling the tokens earned by players, causing the token price to plummet and making it virtually impossible to earn any money.
Regardless of how fun the game is or how well it is managed, the Play to Earn model often ends its lifespan due to a collapse in the token price.
So what is a truly fascinating experience? The advantage of BCG is that ``the user's digital assets truly become the user's property.''
However, at the moment, what users are focusing on is "making money," and ownership of digital assets or even whether the game is interesting or not is not a topic that exceeds the user's interest in "whether or not they can make money." .
Unless a BCG that provides users with a digital experience that is only possible with blockchain is born, BCG may end up being a temporary boom.
In February 2023, "Hogwarts Legacy" based on the Harry Potter series will be a huge hit worldwide, including in Japan. The game is an open-world action game set in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from the Harry Potter series, and has sold 12 million copies in just two weeks since its release.
In addition, the sales record for the developer Warner Bros. Games has been broken on the three currently released platforms (PlayStation5/Xbox Series X|S/PC version), with a total game play time of approximately 280 million hours. It has recorded 1.28 million concurrent viewers, the highest ever for a single-player game on Twitch.
The worldview of Harry Potter, which everyone around the world knows, has been precisely recreated, and player ratings on each platform are extremely high. In addition to the appeal of an open world, which is ``just walking around is fun,'' the game has puzzle-solving elements and a well-crafted battle system, making it a work with no flaws.
In a world where multi-player online games are mainstream, it was a record-breaking hit despite being a single-player game.
▶︎Recorded sales of 12 million copies in just two weeks after its release.
Meanwhile, major changes occurred in the consumer game hardware market in February. In Japan, the PS5 sold 360,000 units, surpassing the Nintendo Switch to become the number one monthly seller for the first time. Sales are increasing significantly worldwide, with sales in the UK increasing 300% compared to the same month last year.
PS5 has been out of stock for a long time since its release, but now that sufficient supply has finally begun, it is expected that the PS5 will continue to be popular.
In February, it was officially announced that the release date for ``Final Fantasy 16'', a popular PS5 title, would be June 23, 2023. Since it is a PS5 exclusive title for a limited time, it is likely to have a big impact on PS5 sales.
SIE, a gaming subsidiary of the Sony Group, has released PlayStation VR2 (PSVR2), a VR goggle exclusively for PS5. The price is 74,980 yen (tax included), and it is the first successor to PSVR released in 2016 in seven years. The original PSVR has sold over 5 million units worldwide, so it seems that the immediate goal is to exceed that number.
Unlike other VR goggle products, PSVR2 can only be used with PS5, so the enhancement of software will have a direct impact on sales. Game titles compatible with PSVR2 include ``Resident Evil Village,'' and the company plans to continue expanding the list of compatible titles in the future.
▶︎"PlayStation VR2 (PSVR2)" plans to expand compatible titles
In the VR goggle market, Meta's "Meta Quest 2" has announced a price reduction starting in March. The price of the series will be increased in August 2022 due to the strong yen, etc., but the low-priced version Quest 2 (256GB) will go from 74,400 yen to 64,405 yen, and the high-end version Quest Pro will go from 226,800 yen to 159,500 yen. This has been changed.
This price change is thought to be a strong consideration of the Chinese VR headset maker's Pico, which was released in October 2022, with both the low-priced and high-end versions priced at almost the same price as the competing Pico. It can be said that a three-way battle has begun as to whether PSVR2 can compete with these two VR goggles.
Interview Iolite FACE vol.10 David Schwartz, Hirata Roi PHOTO & INTERVIEW "Yukos" Special feature "Trends in the cryptocurrency industry in Japan", "Trump vs. Harris: What will happen to the cryptocurrency industry?", "Was the reputation economy a prophecy?" Interview: Simon Gerovich, Metaplanet Co., Ltd., Kim Dong-Gyu, CALIVERSE Series Tech and Future Sasaki Toshinao...etc.
