Hyped Mystery Square Enix Games Turn Out To Be NFT Garbage

by James · November 3, 2022

The logo for Square Enix’s new NFT project “Symbiogenesis”

While several major gaming companies have flirted with the idea of non-fungible tokens, none have embraced the crypto scam with as much blind confidence as Square Enix. Now Final Fantasy producer has finally revealed his first NFT stunt, Symbiogenesiscrushing fan hopes the previously leaked name was actually for a long-awaited resurrection of the cult hit horror RPG Parasite Eve.

“NFT Collectible Art Project SYMBIOGENESIS Untangle the Story Spring 2023,” Square Enix tweeted Thursday. A short teaser revealed the logo art along with some upbeat electronic jazz. Announced at the Web3 Conclave event at the India Game Developers Conference, Symbiogenesis will be hosted on the Ethereum blockchain and will reportedly tell a story about characters that art players can own as NFTs.

“The art can be used for social media profile pictures (PFP) and as a character in a story that takes place in an alternate world where the player can ‘solve’ a mystery by completing quests that revolve around issues of monopolization and distribution of resources “, says a press release. You can’t make this up.

While the beloved JRPG publisher’s crypto ambitions are nothing new — the company announced a Cloud Strife NFT as an expensive collectible add-on earlier this year — Symbiogenesis reveal hits some fans particularly hard because they thought the name hinted at the return of Parasite Eve. The RPG thriller is literally about the symbiosis of a parasite and its host, and despite a brilliant PS1 game and a decent sequel, the series has been dormant ever since The 3rd birthday on PSP back in 2010.

Today’s Square Enix tweet has already been ratified, with Parasite Eve fans shake their heads in disbelief. But will that make the publisher finally reconsider its plans and put the NFT crossover pipeline on hold? Who can say. Square Enix is clearly having some sort of identity crisis at the moment.

This year it sold its American studios behind Deus Ex and grave robber, told investors it was open to partial acquisitions of the other studios, and flooded the market with tons of JRPG sequels, remakes, and remasters while barely giving any of them time to breathe or, apparently, a marketing budget. And now: Symbiogenesis.