Valve president Gabe Newell spoke about the metaverse and NFTs recently in an interview with PCGamer.
The interview was about the new Steam Deck, which allows people to play Steam games on a handheld device. However, Newell was also asked the current trend of NFTs and the metaverse.
Newell stated that he believes there’s a bunch of “get rich quick schemes” associated with it. He thinks people who talk about the metaverse have “absolutely no idea what they’re talking about”.
He compared the metaverse to an MMO, saying, “They’re like, ‘Oh, you’ll have this customizable avatar.’ And it’s like, well, go into La Noscea in Final Fantasy 14 and tell me that this isn’t a solved problem from a decade ago. Not some fabulous thing that you’re, you know, inventing.”
NFTs Blocked On Steam
Steam recently blocked NFTs on their platform, preventing people from using them anywhere on it. Newell says the NFT scene is comprised of, “criminal activity and a lot of sketchy behaviours”. He says they’re, “not people you really are wanting to be doing business with.”
Unfortunately, other gaming companies are not so clear when it comes to NFTs. Some, like Square Enix or Ubisoft, have embraced NFTs. Others haven’t made a clear decision, such as Nintendo, who said they haven’t figured out how to “provide joy” with them yet.
Valve’s latest release, the Steam Deck, released on February 25th, 2022.
What do you think of Gabe Newell and his statement on the metaverse? Let us know on social media.
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[Featured Image Credit: Gabe Newell/Valve]