Fresh details about Square Enix’s blockchain experience Symbiogenesis revealed

by Arthur · February 15, 2023

Details of Square Enix’s Web3 blockchain experience Symbiogenesis have been revealed ahead of its launch this spring.

The project was first announced last November as an NFT project to mark a “new franchise”. At the beginning of this year, the company once again stated its intention to release blockchain games.

Now we know what Symbiogenesis will be: an “interactive Web3 digital collectible art experience” on the Polygon blockchain.

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The description continues, according to a press release: “Symbiogenesis will offer a unique experience built around digital collectible art that is tied to a story that players will unfold in a virtual (turn-based) adventure. The art evolves with each strategic move a player makes. The project is set on a mysterious floating continent where unique storylines unravel based on information gained by holding digital collectibles representing various characters.Players can unlock a variety of engaging stories about this mysterious world and its inhabitants by holding or trading digital collectibles and can earn them by completing various missions.

“Players can also replicate and sell digital art for their character, share their unique stories with others, and work together as a community to complete the mission.”

Furthermore, regarding specific NFT usage: “Players can use Polygon NFTs as utility items and freely trade them within the ecosystem. NFT collectibles can also be used as profile pictures and other ways by exploring the world and finding different items. The NFTs allows players access to secret stories as holders can decide whether to keep the secret or share the information with others.”

The game will have multiple endings, although only three players who “meet specific conditions” will be selected to participate in the final “World Mission” to decide the fate of the world and its inhabitants.

Symbiogenesis will use the Polygon network, described as “highly sustainable” thanks to its carbon neutral status. It will also leverage Ethereum’s “robust inherent security and decentralization”.

“Symbiogenesis was designed from scratch on the blockchain and is designed to provide an exceptional experience for both community building and trading,” said Symbiogenesis producer Naoyuki Tamate. “Square Enix chose to leverage Polygon’s high transaction speeds, low gas fees, and overall ease of use to deliver this unique experience to Web3 fans.”

Urvit Goel, vice president of global games and platform business development at Polygon Labs, added: “We are extremely proud to partner with Square Enix, a highly respected games company with a proven track record spanning decades.

“Our latest collaboration only shows that Web3 is decisively gaining more and more traction among the world’s biggest developers, proving once again that this innovative stack of technologies and the benefits they provide have enormous potential when it comes to gaming.”

Square Enix first revealed its plans to use NFTs and blockchain technology in a statement by President Yosuke Matsuda in early 2022. Few projects have been revealed beyond Final Fantasy NFTs for the 25th anniversary of Final Fantasy 7.

So far, the wider gaming community has been critical of the blockchain. The latest State of the Game survey from GDC noted that interest in blockchain technology has waned over the past year, with a clear majority opposed to it.