Reggie Fils-Aimé is a big proponent of blockchain and “play it your way”

At last month’s SXSW event in Austin, Texas, Reggie Fils-Aimé took the stage to discuss various aspects of his career, from his early days at Nintendo to his post-retirement work at Gamestop and Cornell University.

Speaking about the future of video games and innovation driving the industry, Reggie touched on the concept of blockchain and “play to own”. While he ultimately supported the idea and sees the concept as an opportunity, he strongly believes that it should be used to the advantage of the player.

You can check out the interaction in the video above, but here is Reggie’s blockchain quote:

“That’s why I believe in blockchain, I think it’s a really attractive technology. I also believe in the “play to own” concept in video games and I say this as a player that I may have invested 50 hours, 100 hours or 300 hours into the game and when I’m ready to move on to something else , wouldn’t it be great to monetize what I created? I wanted to sell my Animal Crossing Island from the latest Nintendo Switch; I would like to be able to monetize it. Blockchain technology built into the code would allow me to do this.”

Reggie went on to explain that the use of blockchain should be thoughtful and generally user-friendly:

“Now I say it in the context of ‘it should make sense to the player’. It can’t just be the developer’s approach to what’s interesting, or it’s a way for them as a developer to make more money. In the end it should be good for the player, but I see an opportunity.”

So you have it! It’s likely that the concept of blockchain isn’t going anywhere, with companies like Ubisoft and Square Enix promising to be big players in blockchain games. While Nintendo itself has yet to enter the NFT and “play to own” world, it may just be a matter of time at this point.

Be sure to share your thoughts on NFTs and blockchain in the comments below (but please be polite!).