The publisher behind the Final Fantasy video games, Square Enix, will launch its first Web3 game Symbiogenesis on the Polygon blockchain instead of Ethereum’s mainnet, saying the decision reflects what it called the environmental sustainability of the network among other advantages.
The project, titled Symbiogenesis, was announced in November. Sales of the Symbiogensis NFT collection and free browser service are said to launch in spring 2023. The publisher stated back then that the game’s first launch on Ethereum was a possibility, however, now they want to launch it on Polygon, which uses a sidechain to offer faster and cheaper transactions than Ethereum’s own mainnet can handle. Since November, the publisher has teased details via an official Twitter account but has yet to launch a full website. Also in the pipeline is a trailer, or screenshots from the game ahead of its planned spring release.
In Symbiogenesis, a dragon threatens society’s safe haven, forcing it to band together and make difficult decisions. This takes place on a floating continent above a polluted future Earth. Turn-based gameplay will incorporate into the game, and the storyline will take several paths as users complete missions and hold or trade NFTs. While showcasing 10,000 NFT products like a monster storybook and a set of dragon tarot cards.
The November announcement of Symbiogenesis was met with significant backlash from Square Enix’s traditional video game fans. That’s common for Web3 games and projects created by established gaming companies, but in this case, some fans were angry due to rumours that the game would be a new entry in the long-dormant Parasite Eve franchise. Well, it’s not.
Square Enix has made a number of moves in the Web3 space over the last few years, but Symbiogenesis marks both its first proper NFT-based game and also its first internal project set within the Ethereum ecosystem.
Industry observers are talking about 2023 being a great year for AAA blockchain games. There are a lot of titles we are waiting for this year, like Illuvium, Big Time, The Walking Dead: Empires, TCG World. We hope Symbiogenesis won’t disappoint, and continue to observe.