Blockchain in Gaming Unwelcome: “Gamers Don’t Like NFTs in Their Games”

• Esports tech firm eFuse halts Creator League due to blockchain controversy.
• The VP of Engineering apologizes for the lack of disclosure on blockchain use.
• Critics express concerns that Community Passes resemble NFTs.

Esports tech firm eFuse has temporarily halted its newly launched Creator League following controversy surrounding its use of blockchain technology. A prominent crypto analyst known as Coin Bureau expressed dismay, remarking, “It’s pretty depressing to learn that the word ‘blockchain’ has become toxic in the gaming community.”

In a statement released via Creator League’s official Twitter account on September 6, Shawn Pavel, eFuse’s VP of Engineering, apologized “for not intentionally disclosing the blockchain’s limited use.” eFuse explained that it was using the Near blockchain to validate data and log information related to “Community Passes” sold to fans for $20 each.

According to the official statement, all passes were purchased using USD and were not considered to be NFTs (non-fungible tokens) or part of a token launch due to their lack of transfer utility. Pavel emphasized, “The Creator League is not an NFT project and we have never sold tokens.”

Despite eFuse’s assertion that the Community Passes were not NFTs and had no cryptocurrency elements, some influencers associated with the league expressed concerns about the blockchain technology’s involvement. Critics argued that these passes resembled NFTs, even though they were not tradable.

The team behind Fabled, a free-to-play action RPG, suggested that “gamers don’t like NFTs in their games, because they believe it will open up the doors for companies to create new ways to take money from them.”

Meanwhile, another crypto influencer using the pseudonym Lady of Crypto shared her perspective, saying, “I don’t think gamers are anti-blockchain so much as they are on high alert for the next scheme evil megacorps will use to rob them.”

Lady of Crypto pointed out the longstanding mistreatment of gamers by major studios over the past decade, citing examples like Ubisoft and EA, who consistently introduced increasingly predatory microtransactions while delivering subpar products.