Take-Two’s Acquisition of Mobile Developer Zynga Could Lead to NFT IP Drops
During Take-Two Interactive’s purchase of Zynga last week, all eyes were more easily on the price, as well as the potential for various games under the Take-Two banner to be turned into mobile experiences. But the acquisition could mean much more than that.
A December 21 article by David Bloom of Forbes highlights the potential of NFTs invading the Take-Two/Zynga equation. The article tells how Zynga partnered with software developer Forte to build blockchain games from Zynga’s vast IP portfolio.
Forte has a complete platform for creating in-game economies as well as NFT integration via Web3 and blockchain support. The company literally lists “NFTs for gaming” as a benefit of its platform, citing “a lasting and resilient foundation of value for your game, your players, and your community.”
Matt Wolf, Vice President of Blockchain Gaming at Zynga, explains how the partnership can be valuable for both parties:
“Our goal is to bring a new level of quality and enjoyment to Web3 and blockchain gaming, while providing a safe and reliable ecosystem that will entertain our valued players and communities for years to come. We are thrilled to partner with Strong because of the team’s long-term vision and approach to blockchain solutions and web3 development.”
Although the acquisition of Take-Two took place less than a month after this strategic partnership, it is still extremely revealing. At the time, Zynga had also only recently purchased ad tech company Chartboost in order, as the name suggests, to boost in-house ads and subvert the need to share data with big ad giants.
Read also : Mobile giant Zynga acquired by Take-Two Interactive for $9.86 billion
It goes without saying that Zynga’s advertising technology platform as well as its mobile gaming know-how were the two main drivers behind Take-Two’s record purchase, but perhaps the proximity of the l company with Web3 software also has something to do with this. NFTs could work well financially in a number of Take-Two games, including WWE, NBA, PGA Tour 2K, and (most troubling of all) Grand Theft Auto.
Strauss Zelnick, CEO of Take-Two Interactive, is a self-proclaimed big proponent of the NFT art form. In late November, Zelnick discussed the Metaverse and NFTs with Gamesindustry.biz, discussing how NFTs have inherent rarity, but not all are equally valuable.
“For an NFT to be valuable and durable, it must be at the intersection of scarcity and quality, scarcity and value,” Zelnick posits. “And there’s scarcity for sure in all NFTs, but I’m not sure there’s value.”
The discussion about NFT in games has not been reduced to a pulp sooner. Several key gaming industry leaders have already jumped headlong into the ring, such as Square Enix, Ubisoft, Konami, and more. Where there’s money to be made and content to exploit, you can bet gaming entities will dive in on the occasion, but maybe (and hopefully) Take-Two has something else. in reserve for his potential considerations on blockchain gaming.
Related article: Konami’s ‘Castlemania’ NFT sells for over $150,000 | Pixel Art Over $26,000?
ⓒ 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Keywords:
