Tokyo-based video game behemoth Square Enix, known for blockbuster franchises like “Final Fantasy” and “Kingdom Hearts,” is partnering with Polygon network to launch a new gamified art-collecting experience entitled “Symbiogenesis,” with sales scheduled to start this spring.

According to a company press release, “Symbiogenesis” will provide players with a unique experience in which they will unfold a virtual adventure by collecting digital art, with each strategic move they make affecting the evolution of the art itself. Square Enix will select only three players that meet specific requirements to participate in the final “World Mission,” during which they will decide the fate of the world and everyone in it.

The project will allow users to collect utility items off-chain, which they can choose to trade on-chain via Polygon, and will be accompanied by a free browser service. In recent years, Square Enix has been steadily expanding into the Web3 space, with multiple blockchain games based on original intellectual property reportedly under development, as president and representative director Yosuke Matsuda noted in a New Year’s letter published last month.

Despite some skepticism from gamers, investment in Web3 gaming continues to increase, with venture capital firms investing an estimated $1.5 billion in Web3-based companies during the third quarter of 2022, despite the wider crypto market downturn.

For its part, as an important element of its 2023 strategy, Square Enix has pledged “aggressive investment and business development efforts” in blockchain entertainment.

Categories

NFTs & Digital Art Projects