[Kotaku] Ubisoft started giving NFTs to employees, who hate NFTs

[dex3108]

Ubisoft's ongoing NFT odyssey continues to bewilder and demoralize not just longtime fans but also its own developers. The company recently held another workshop aimed specifically at addressing the concerns of skeptical employees, yet also started giving out special NFTs to some members of the Ghost Recon team to "celebrate" the series' 20th anniversary. One developer likened it to the staff saying "We hate this crypto stuff," and Ubisoft responding with, "OK, come get some."

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"They don't get it" was also the tone of a recent internal Q&A with the Quartz team aimed at addressing skeptical employees, sources familiar with the event told Kotaku. (Quartz is the name of Ubisoft's recently introduced proprietary crypto platform.) Instead, it bolstered some developers' concerns about security vulnerabilities in the Quartz technology and its lack of interesting design possibilities. Pouard and other blockchain proponents have pitched scenarios in which cosmetic items can follow players between games. That's not something current Quartz NFTs are set up to do, however, and according to sources, Pouard admitted internally that the "interoperability" question remains unanswered. In the meantime, the core use-case for Quartz NFTs remains in-game hats.

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[Keiriks]

How generous. /s

 

[Beedig]

How do you even give someone a NFT who doesn't want it?

 

[Yoshimitsu126]

Since people keep talking about companies buying others, Nintendo should just hire the ubisoft team making rayman and Mario and rabbids away from ubisoft. Too bad the only person in Japan who may want to do this is to busy directing Chris Pratt to voice Mario.

 

[Helix]

employees: thanks, I hate it.

Ubisoft: I know but here have it anyway.

 

[Deleted member 31423]

Having workshops to basically shame employees into using nfts. What a world we live in.

 

[EntelechyFuff]

This is actually smart though. For Ubisoft or anyone pushing NFTs.

A lot of NFT haters will come around if you give them a few for free and they start following the appreciation/depreciation.

I say this as a firm NFT hater, it is a long-standing effective way to get reluctant people to buy into any bad idea.

 

[DrEvil]

Wait until they start awarding the annual staff bonuses in NFTs instead of cash, heads will roll.
It'll be just like the end of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.

 

[thatanimeweirdo]

To be fair, they have also given employees harassment cases which they didn't really like either.

 

[Disco Infernal]

 

[SirNinja]

Sounds like your employees "just don't get it", eh Ubisoft?

 

[Auraboshi]

Ugh I can just imagine companies down the line giving employees NFT's as bonuses 🤮

 

[dex3108]

Wait until they start awarding the annual staff bonuses in NFTs instead of cash, heads will roll.
It'll be just like the end of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.

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Well this is kinda it XD It is reward to Ghost Recon devs who tried to pull Breakpoint from the mud that Ubisoft then destroyed by introduction of NFTs XD

 

[Goldenroad]

Ubisoft is probably in the worst position they've ever been in, so they are just grasping at straws. How about instead of NFT's, you just focus on making good games that people want to play and that your staff are proud to work on?

Doesn't giving NFT's away for free do nothing by diminish their value? That's how it works with literally everything else in the world. What would make NFT's the exception?

 

[Wraith]

 

[DrEvil]

Well this is kinda it XD It is reward to Ghost Recon devs who tried to pull Breakpoint from the mud that Ubisoft then destroyed by introduction of NFTs XD

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Right but there's no monetary value to these (yet?), who's going to buy them? GR players? Are staff permitted to sell them at all since its a 'team gift' ? They're essentially worthless.

 

[Deleted member 13798]

Lmao. The VP of Innovation there is really fucking committed to this horseshit, I'll give them points for tone-deaf dedication at least.

 

[dex3108]

Right but there's no monetary value to these (yet?), who's going to buy them? GR players? Are staff permitted to sell them at all since its a 'team gift' ? They're essentially worthless.

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Well they are deposited to their wallets so they can do whatever they want with them and those hats are basically ultra rare item that only devs got. So they can sell them and technically they are worth a lot. And ubisoft found the way to raise prices of their NFTs if devs sell them.

So they are not buying them from themselves because that would put them in big legal issues but they can gift rarest items to employees who they underpay and nudge them to sell XD

 

[Mivey]

To be fair, they have also given employees harassment cases which they didn't really like either.

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At least NFTs are easier to get rid of, so I guess Ubi is improving?

 

[Voytek]

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lol. First thing I thought of as well. But the Jelly of the Month Club would have actually been a better gift.

 

[AvianAviator]

Can they sell/exchange them for Ethereum? Maybe it's not a total loss?

 

[L Thammy]

god our employees are so fucking stupid. they just can't understand this shit no matter how many times we try to drill it into their pea sized little brains.

anyway welcome to the team, i'm expecting great things from you in the future

 

[Kschreck]

Nearly nobody wants this shit and yet it feels like every damn company and celebrity is pushing this shit hard trying their damnest to make NFTs a thing. All of them are fucking thirsty for that $$$.

 

[Jinfash]

80% more puzzle pieces to go.

 

[Goldenroad]

Well they are deposited to their wallets so they can do whatever they want with them and those hats are basically ultra rare item that only devs got. So they can sell them and technically they are worth a lot. And ubisoft found the way to raise prices of their NFTs if devs sell them.

So they are not buying them from themselves because that would put them in big legal issues but they can gift rarest items to employees who they underpay and nudge them to sell XD

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Can you please explain the bolded, because the last I've read, no one wants to buy Ghost Recon NFT's...so if no one wants them, then why are they worth anything?

 

[thepenguin55]

Shit like this ongoing NFT saga is why I can't get excited over the prospect of a new Splinter Cell. Cause even if they have the talent capable of making a good new Splinter Cell (which I'm sure they do) Ubisoft just can't help but get in their own way with dumb sweeping initiatives like this. This is no where near as bad as NFTs but not every game needs to be a live game! Not every game needs a tower or outpost. And I don't want to infiltrate Elm Street to take out Freddy Krueger or whatever dumbass cross over shit like they've done with past Tom Clancy games. I just want a good lightly modernized take on Splinter Cell. Can modern Ubisoft deliver such a game? I'm incredibly skeptical.

 

[thankyoumerzbow]

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beat me to it

 

[Bufbaf]

Congratulations, coworkers! Your salary is now Ubicoin, trademark pending.

 

[L Thammy]

Wait a tick, do these people have existing wallets and such or did Ubisoft have to make one against their will?

Because can't people just write whatever they fuck they want in your wallet? I recall that being discussed as one of the plethora of security issues that come with NFTs, that people who want to dox you or who want to use celebrities to advertise their product can go ahead and store things there. Not to mention the old case of, like, storing child abuse material on the blockchain, which has happened before.

 

[dex3108]

Can you please explain the bolded, because the last I've read, no one wants to buy Ghost Recon NFT's...so if no one wants them, then why are they worth anything?

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That is why I said technically. In reality things are bit different.

 

[RailWays]

Yet more bullshit "perks" they can affix to workers as a means to justify not raising their salaries.

 

[Goldenroad]

That is why I said technically. In reality things are bit different.

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I still don't get it. What do you mean "technically" vs "reality"? If no one is willing to pay more than say $2 for a widget, then technically and realistically, a widget it worth at most $2. (widget = anything sold on the free market).

 

[mael]

Is it me or is Ubisoft getting shittier?
They empower harassers and rapists and now they're bamboozling their own employees?

 

[MadMike]

Nearly nobody wants this shit and yet it feels like every damn company and celebrity is pushing this shit hard trying their damnest to make NFTs a thing. All of them are fucking thirsty for that $$$.

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No, you've got it all wrong! We just don't get it. We simply lack the cognitive ability to understand how much better our lives will be with NFTs. Thankfully we have people that know better looking out for us idiots.

 

[dex3108]

I still don't get it. What do you mean "technically" vs "reality"? If no one is willing to pay more than say $2 for a widget, then a widget it worth at most $2. (widget = anything sold on the free market).

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There is always someone willing to pay for something stupid and NFT hat that only developers could get and only limited number of developers got is ultra rare item. Some stupid person could see Ubisoft pushing for NFTs no matter what and decide to "invest" because maybe all of these F2P Ubisoft games will get option to use Breakpoint NFTs.

 

[Auraboshi]

I still don't get it. What do you mean "technically" vs "reality"? If no one is willing to pay more than say $2 for a widget, then a widget it worth at most $2. (widget = anything sold on the free market).

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I'd assume Ubisoft can make up the cost that they think their NFT's are worth but in reality yeah they are worthless and people know better not to invest into them.

Pretty much seems like a scummy way to prevent raising wages or giving employees perks

 

[KrillinLikeAVillan]

I made this as a joke last year but i have a feeling that it will be more relevant this year. :(

 

[hydrophilic attack]

the shittiest work bonus. would have rather taken a gold star or idk a free fruit

 

[L Thammy]

Pouard admitted internally that the "interoperability" question remains unanswered

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Was he trying to do the thing where he fools people into buying into NFTs by lying about what they can do,

with the people who have to implement the NFTs and therefore as a requirement would have to know what they can and can't do?

 

[asd202]

Ugh I can just imagine companies down the line giving employees NFT's as bonuses 🤮

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Activision Blizzard were giving bonusem to employers like Blizzard store credit or some shit.

 

[Billfisto]

Ugh. Ubisoft's probably going to start touting "you get NFTs!" as part of their "intangible benefits" schpiel. NFTs cost them fucking nothing.

Also, I wonder how this will run into tax stuff. Is it considered a bonus from work?

Also, fuck Pouard. Fucking disgusting.

 

[ciddative]

 

[ReginaldXIV]

Are they forced to have digital wallets and crypto as well?

How else would they give someone an NFT?

 

[Gabaghoul582]

Is any game company attempting to make NFTs a thing harder than Ubi?

I thought this shit would be up EA's alley and even they don't really want anything to do with it.

 

[Karlinel]

I may be old fashioned, but I do prefer bonuses and incentives in cash, rather than crypto scams.

 

[Beer Monkey]

Tell your employees you fucking hate them without saying you hate them.

 

[Deleted member 93841]

So they can sell them and technically they are worth a lot.

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Actually, they're worthless.

 

[Roshin]

"That's dishonest. LOW."

 

[chrominance]

The twist: all those employees now have a crypto wallet with an Ubisoft-provided token in them; that token has a smart contract designed to steal all Ubisoft NFTs back if that person ever leaves the company.

(no this is not actually a thing Ubisoft did, as far as I know, but eerily plausible)

 

[DukeBlueBall]

How many years before Ubisoft gets acquired.