SEGA pulling back on blockchain gaming saying play-to-earn games are boring

Cryptocurrency has taken a big hit in value, but when it was in its all time high, SEGA and other big publishers where quick to announce blockchain gaming projects across the board. SEGA was even one of the biggest supporters saying their next big ‘super game’ and successor to Phantasy Star Online 2 would feature NFTs. Now that the price and hype surrounding crypto has shifted into a bear market, it seems that SEGA is having second thoughts on the whole thing.

SEGA’s co-Chief Operating Officer Shuji Utsumi talked to Bloomberg News recently:

“The action in play-to-earn games is boring. What’s the point if games are no fun?”

As far as SEGA’s online multiplayer, high budget “Super Game” that is due to roll out in 2026, he had this to say:

“We’re looking into whether this technology is really going to take off in this industry, after all”

This doesn’t mean that SEGA is 100% out of NFTs or blockchain games, but it does mean they won’t devalue their biggest IPs like Sonic the Hedgehog, Persona or Yakuza (I mean, Like a Dragon) brands by using them for projects. They did say they would still make NFT titles for lesser-known franchises like Three Kingdoms and Virtua Fighter.

“For the majority of people in the video game industry, what blockchain advocates say may sound a bit extreme, but that’s how the first penguin has always been, We should never underestimate them.”

While SEGA isn’t into the idea of play-to-earn blockchain games, it does seem they are interested in the idea of NFTs and will be trying to dip their toes with smaller franchises first to see how they perform. I think the success and earnings of these smaller brands will determine the fate of SEGA’s high budget “Super Game”.