Dr. Disrespect reignited the crypto/NFT/web3 debate over the past week after he expressed excitement about exchanging a blockchain item for a six-digit sum. What makes his confidence particularly dangerous is that he’s working on an extraction shooter that could integrate this idea.
Deadrop, which is billed as a free-to-play game, technically doesn’t require NFTs. But, the early goings saw the developers, Midnight Studio, sell early dev “Snapshops” via “access passes,” which is a troubling sign for worse things to come, especially after Dr. Disrespect’s recent statement.
It’s one thing to say that a game is not a “get rich quick scheme” or a “cash grab” and another thing to virtually salivate at the possibility of turning it into one.
Keep in mind that we’re already two years away from the short and very brief golden age of NFTs. Square Enix and Ubisoft, among several other more “mainstream” video game companies quickly found out that the technology behind NFTs is still too early to become as big as it could. As a result, Ubisoft has since backtracked on its earlier announcements while Square Enix booted out its biggest NFT supporter.
On the other hand, several video game companies such as Take-Two Interactive, Electronic Arts, Microsoft, and Valve, have either distanced themselves from blockchain technology or cautioned about its use despite seeing its potential.
We can only assume Dr. Disrespect is either delusional or he knows something we don’t.
Imagine trying to ‘extract’ with an item you discovered worth $100,000 on the chain.
Think about entertainment value as a viewer let alone player.
A new pvp experience is upon us…
— Dr Disrespect (@DrDisrespect) March 5, 2023
It’s not like we’re against seeing expensive digital items sold for real money. This lucrative market has existed for decades. For example, the most expensive CS:GO skin is believed to be the Karambit Case Hardened (Blue Gem), which reportedly sold for $100,000 in 2016. The current owner claims he’s received offers from buyers for seven digits since.
In theory, Dr. Direspect’s idea could work. In practice? It’s much easier said than done. We shouldn’t look further than Axie Infinity, a game that made mainstream headlines for making a ton of people making a boatload of money, at least this was before its economy ultimately collapsed. It wasn’t even remotely good as a game, but it drew the interest of the thousands if not the millions looking to strike gold.
Many games have tried and failed since and many more are still trying to prove that the idea can work, and maybe it can. Who knows? But, the market is full of bad examples and very few good ones if any.
You can’t just change the purpose of gaming from providing actual entertainment and value to making it about money and expect things to go smoothly. You can only imagine the problems Deadrop will have after cheaters fill the servers to make a quick buck. If he’d only said this and released the game in 2021, most would have seen his ideas in a different light.
Unfortunately, he didn’t. In 2023, the promise of a blockchain game actually working well for all parties involved sounds like a pipedream.
If it’s any consolation, Deadrop does have potential. Dr. Disrespect claimed that his game already looked better than Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and even though this still isn’t the case, it could be. The game certainly has the right team behind it, including former Call of Duty stuff. We just don’t think Deadrop will be the game to bring NFTs back into the mainstream and make it stay there let alone compete against Call of Duty.
