Video game creator and powerhouse Ubisoft is delving further into the NFT gaming space.
According to a July 18th announcement from the Cronos Labs newsletter, Ubisoft will be joining the Cronos ecosystem as a node validator. Ubisoft persists in its exploration of blockchain technology through its Strategic Innovation Lab, whose undertaking is to forecast the future and to aid Ubisoft in preparing for it by exploring the opportunities proposed by innovative technologies.
Ubisoft is joining a pool of 27 other node operators on the open-source Cronos blockchain to contribute to the stability and security of the network. Each node contributes to the decentralized validation of transactions on the network, by producing or confirming new blocks every five to six seconds on average.
The incorporating of Ubisoft, a company known for developing captivating and immersive gaming experiences by exploring new technologies, is consistent with Cronos’ strategy of partnering with open-source contributors and validators who have a strong technical track record.
Contributors to the Cronos blockchain currently include Crypto.com, Blockdaemon, Dora Factory, Allnodes, and a number of top-tier validators.
As a validator, Ubisoft will contribute to the governance of the blockchain and the approval of network updates. The Cronos ecosystem will greatly benefit from the expertise of Ubisoft’s Strategic Innovation Lab when it comes to obtaining feedback on technology upgrades to support gaming use cases.
The Cronos and Ubisoft partnership stems from the pre-existing relationship between the companies, with Ubisoft having previously participated in the Cronos Accelerator program as a start-up mentor.
Ken Timsit, Managing Director of Cronos Labs, a blockchain startup accelerator focusing on decentralized finance, blockchain games, and the development of the Cronos ecosystem, commented: “I have crossed paths with the Ubisoft team many times over the years in the blockchain ecosystem.
They have unparalleled understanding of the potential and the limitations of blockchain technology when it comes to creating deeper engagement between game creators and gamers. Their involvement in the exploration of the technology is reflected in their decision to participate in the open-source Cronos project as a validator. We look forward to leveraging their enthusiasm for blockchain technology and being challenged by their team as we progress on the technical and ecosystem roadmap of the Cronos chain”.
Cronos previously announced Cronos Play, a suite of developer tools and integrations to streamline the creation of blockchain-based games, now available as a plugin in the Unreal Engine Marketplace. More than 15 Web3 games were recently launched, or are in the process of being launched, on the Cronos blockchain.
According to a report from Decrypt, Ubisoft’s support of Cronos is the game creator/publisher’s latest move to cover more ground within the NFT game space, following years of prototyping and introducing its own blockchain games, supporting a variety of networks and platforms, and financially backing projects.
The company is currently developing Champions Tactics: Grimoria Chronicles, a tactical role-playing game publicized last month on the Oasys blockchain network.
Previously, Ubisoft launched in-game NFT items on the Tezos blockchain for its Ghost Recon: Breakpoint PC game in late 2021, becoming the first major publisher to integrate NFTs within an existing title. All while facing significant backlash from traditional gaming fans, who criticized Ubisoft’s foray into the NFT world.
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