Square Enix announced a Cloud Strife figure that doubles as an NFT
It looks like Square Enix is following through on its plans to embrace NFTs. The company works with Enjin to produce NFTs linked to Final Fantasy VII for the 25th anniversary. NFTs harm the environment, and granted Final Fantasy VII’s core themes, this is quite ironic. A series of digital cards and figures are planned, which will be linked to physical versions of the objects. The first collectible available is an action figure of Cloud Strife that comes with a digital card NFT.
The Cloud Strife figure is based on his original appearance from 1997, and while it has a lot of cool details, the inclusion of an NFT ruins it a bit. The figure comes with a “digital certificate of authenticity”, as well as a digital version of the figure itself. However, those who purchase the figure do not need to purchase an NFT. The standard version includes only the figure and costs $129.99 USD, while the Digital Plus Edition includes the NFT for $159.99 USD. But it doesn’t really matter if it’s optional or not because the core issue is the precedent set by Square Enix. We’ve known that the company has had an interest in NFTs, but it’s still disappointing to see it move forward with those plans.
It’s not that Final Fantasy VII was about
While Square Enix is focused on implementing NFTs into its products, the industry is starting to distance itself from the blockchain. PlatinumGames expressed its disinterest in NFTs a few months ago. And earlier this week, Mojang confirmed that NFTs have no place in Minecraft.
NFTs have a significant impact on the environment due to the large amount of electricity they use. And when you consider how companies tend to use NFTs, they really don’t seem worth it. If someone were to buy a figure of Cloud Strife, a digital NFT version of the same product wouldn’t have much value. There is also a huge amount of irony here when you consider the history of Final Fantasy VII. The game focuses on an evil corporation exploiting the planet. It also doesn’t help that Enjin plans to enable carbon-neutral NFTs by 2030, which is almost a decade away.
The Cloud Strife NFT is disappointing news, but not surprising given Square Enix’s enthusiasm for NFTs in the past. At the moment it seems like a fairly harmless, if pointless, addition to a figure. However, if Square Enix continues with NFTs, they may eventually start to affect their games. If this happens, it is likely that the goodwill the company has built up over the years may begin to crumble.
