Sony and Microsoft Hint at Blockchain Integration in Gaming
The legal battle between the Federal Trade Commission and Microsoft concerning its $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, is getting more heated by the day, given the recently leaked documents that revealed additional insight into what the next iteration of the Xbox console ecosystem will look like.
The acquisition, which will serve as the largest gaming deal in U.S. history, is expected to be finalized by October 18, putting additional pressure on the FTC to act. When Microsoft first offered to buy the multinational video game studio in January 2022, it wasn’t soon after that the FTC jumped at its chance to try and block the acquisition due to concerns that Microsoft would try and withhold Activision’s most popular game franchises from rival consoles.
After a U.S. appeals court denied the FTC’s attempt to pause the acquisition in July, the FTC is back with another attempt to block the deal, according to an agency Order issued on September 27 that indicated the FTC’s intention to move forward with its in-house trial against the acquisition.
The Next Generation of Xbox
The recently leaked documents from Microsoft revealed insight into what could be the next iteration of the Xbox console ecosystem.
According to the Sept. 19 court filing, Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley stated that the court had ordered the FTC and Microsoft to provide the court with “a secure cloud link” to redacted trial exhibits on September 14.
However, those uploaded documents, according to both parties, contained non-public information, and made their way into the public’s eye, which the court eventually removed from its system. The FTC and Microsoft were asked to resubmit the admitted trial exhibits by September 22, with the FTC blaming Microsoft for leaking the documents.
Microsoft has been planning to “refresh” its current Xbox Series X product line with an “all-digital” console system, dubbed, “Brooklin,” that would be released sometime in 2028, in addition to creating a platform that would change gameplay performance and the underlying hardware forever.
There was also mention of a “crypto wallet” feature, hinting at possible in-game asset transfers. However, whether the wallet would be native to Microsoft or utilized from third-party providers like Coinbase or MetaMask, is still unknown. The report also mentioned future support for AI and machine learning to attain “super resolution” game graphics.
Sony Looking to Make Cross-Platform NFT Assets?
Sony Interactive Entertainment, the gaming titan behind the PlayStation console, has also been busy at work, according to a March patent that revealed an NFT Framework For Transferring and Using Digital Assets Between Game Platforms.
The patent mentioned that current gaming systems are “technologically inadequate” for owners to use in-game assets across different games and/or platforms, and in order to enhance game functionality, ga,ers would need to have the ability to “exclusively use the asset and possibly transfer its rights to others via NFTs.”
It even mentioned that the “NFT could be used cross-generationally…from PS4 to PS5.”
One of the biggest contention points plaguing the video game industry is the inability to capitalize on purchased in-game assets that user’s have amassed over the years, specifically with respect to ownership.
Despite the hundreds of thousands of dollars spent investing into these in-game items, users still don’t technically own them, and thus, are unable to do anything with them within or outside of its respective game and console system.
The patent also anticipates compatibility with external gaming platforms, including rivals like Xbox or even cloud-based games. This indicates a future where gaming assets could truly transcend console boundaries.
However, to prevent exploitation, Sony has outlined mechanisms to deter gamers from repetitively completing tasks to amass identical NFTs across varied games. The patent details a function to inhibit “performance of the task again” across different instances of the game, forestalling the issuance of redundant NFTs.
Regardless, we’re in for an exciting ride over the next few years, and that all starts with what happens with the Microsoft and Activision acquisition.
Editor’s note: This article was written by an nft now staff member in collaboration with OpenAI’s GPT-4.