Moustachioed streamer Dr Disrespect’s game studio, Midnight Society, recently announced a roadmap for its upcoming game codenamed ‘Project Moon’ and has once again defended its integration of controversial NFT and blockchain technology into the shooter.
Having previously discussed the incorporation of these initiatives into the FPS earlier this year, a newly announced partnership with web3 company Polygon has seen both the streamer and studio head Robert Bowling re-iterate why their presence is supposedly desirable.
The comments from Bowling come via an interview with Forbes, which sees him argue that NFTs are the path to “true ownership” in the era of digital distribution and discuss how the experience of players who don’t wish to engage with them will look.
Dr Disrespect Defends Midnight Society NFTs Again
Speaking to Forbes’ Paul Tassi, ex-Call of Duty creative strategist Bowling attempted to provide some additional context to the Polygon announcement, which both sides claim will create “a game publishing platform on the Polygon blockchain where players can trade their in-game items freely without incurring high transaction fees or negatively impacting the environment.”
The announcement also included data from a survey of applicants for the Early Access of ‘Project Moon’, which is cited as evidence that gamers are in favour of this kind of thing being in games, but, as Tassi points out, the fact the group surveyed were already applying to receive an NFT makes the data “pretty skewed.”
In response to being asked how the game will change the minds of gamers who aren’t in favour of NFTs, Bowling said that its goal isn’t to convert sceptics, whom he claims will be able to access the core experience of the game for free.
Despite this, he also asserted that: “We believe that this game represents an inflection point in the games industry that shifts digital ownership towards players and our studio will partner with our community to define the future of our game.”
Pressed as to why this change is important to gaming’s future, Bowling referenced the decline of physical copies of games in favour of digital copies that cannot be re-sold, adding: “Blockchain gives us the ability to revert that change because we feel like that was one of the few downsides of going digital-only with games.”
The studio head also suggested that the main factor that will make the marketplace of ‘Project Moon’ superior to auction houses in existing games will be its supposed freedom from “corporate” control.
Dr Disrespect retweeted the article on Twitter to add his own comments, saying: “Let's not get it mistaken, our goal is to build the best game you've ever experienced. Once we accomplish that, get ready to see what happens when you are able to have ownership over your in-game items.”
The studio has also been active in the hiring market recently, announcing a wave of fresh additions, which have brought more industry veterans to its established team.
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