Former Team Ninja Head and creator of Dead or Alive Tomonobu Itagaki is now making an NFT game alongside his new studio. Like with many veteran developers with a history of recent financial bombs, the reception to the announcement from the net hasn’t been good.
According to Siliconera, the game is called ‘Warrior’ and it’s an NFT MMORPG. It is being developed by a new studio launched by Itagaki called ‘Apex Game Studios’ which will reportedly focus on making triple-A Web3 titles (Web3 being a term for blockchain-related technology).
There aren’t many details about the game but it promises most of the usual MMO mechanics like an upgrade system, trading system, costumes, and more.
The NFT aspect of the game comes in the form of ‘Mob Servants’. These are seemingly familiars that you can summon into battle. The servants can be sold, traded, or leveled up using cryptocurrency.
Itagaki is credited for his work at the Tecmo-Koei development studio, Team Ninja where he created Dead or Alive and revived the Ninja Gaiden franchise. He left the studio in 2008 and formed a new development studio called Valhalla Games which made the critically and financially panned Devil’s Third for The Wii U in 2015. The Warriors NFT game will be the first new title Itagaki has worked on since then.
The reception to the announcement has been mostly negative with many users calling Itagaki a clown or washed up:
Itagaki making NFT games, we have entered the worst possible timeline π€‘π€‘π€‘π€‘π€‘π€‘π€‘π€‘π€‘π€‘π€‘ pic.twitter.com/dbmgReBq8a
β π€ππππππππ€ (@GoufyGoggs) July 12, 2022
This game looks AAA soulless, but with NFT bullshittery attached.
Why must a based man like Itagaki become this washed up? π https://t.co/QsJI5a6OGW
β kinkykyzk (@kingkykyzk) July 12, 2022
From the creator of Dead or Alive comes Dead on Arrival
β Dr Shrubs (@DR_SHRUBBERY) July 12, 2022
It should be noted that the NFT market has fallen to a 12-month low and cryptocurrency have seen a major crash in value since 2021.