Those who have kept up with recent gaming news will know that companies see major money-making opportunities in NFTs. Many of these companies boast that NFTs will change the future of gaming for the better, but it remains difficult to imagine a future in which NFTs aren’t used in exploitative ways like microtransactions. Last week, Sega did offer some hope by saying it would not pursue NFTs if the playerbase’s negative reaction to them continues. However, recently surfaced news may lead to alarm among NFT opponents, as it shows that Sega already filed a trademark for its own NFTs in December 2021.
VGC reported on this news, stating that the Japan Patent Office just published a trademark filing containing a ‘Sega NFT’ logo. Although the logo itself looks like a rough draft, it does suggest Sega has already made quite a bit of preparation in case it chooses to jump into the NFT market.
What gives?
Despite the logo and trademark, it remains uncertain whether Sega will embrace NFTs moving forward. Companies haven’t always taken advantage of the trademarks they file, though. Since Sega registered its trademark before its recent suggestion that it could abandon NFTs, it may genuinely consider changing its mind. It could also mean that Sega simply did not tell the truth when talking about gauging its audience’s reaction, which, needless to say, would not reflect well on the company.
Ultimately, only time will tell if Sega decides to disregard its most recent statements and implement NFTs in future projects regardless of player feedback. It’s still possible that the company will stay true to its prior statements and acknowledge the will of its players. But if the company chooses otherwise, fans may end up disappointed, but perhaps not all that surprised.
Some companies have attempted to dabble in NFTs. The creator of STALKER 2 announced it was adding them into the game, but backpedaled following fan backlash.
