Riot insist a Valorant character doesn't like NFTs | Rock Paper Shotgun

2022-09-09 20:45:38 By : Mr. Jason Long

With NFTs in games proving unpopular with almost everyone who doesn't plan to get rich by fleecing other players, even appearing to support them is controversial. This is a situation Riot Games found themselves in after a lighthearted tweet about one of the Valorant wizards visiting an art exhibition on a day out. Turns out, the picture seen by Killjoy is an NFT. Cue Riot scrambling to make clear it was unintentional and say, literally, "Whoopsie!"

Valorant's regional German-language Twitter account this week posted silly tweets with the game's cheery German wizard touring her hometown of Berlin. She had a doner kebab:

Nach dem ganzen Sport erstmal einen Döner gönnen und wie wir alle wissen, Döner macht schöner. pic.twitter.com/rL0knBANzz

Ich treffe mich später mit Raze, sie will mir Inlineskaten beibringen, ich freu mich schon so! Let’s go. pic.twitter.com/j4KNV6kLOC

And she briefly admired a piece of computer-generated art by Australian artist Martin Houra, who sells his work as NFTs for cryptocurrency. NFTs being as controversial and unpopular as they should be, Riot quickly deleted this. Not before the Wayback Machine archived it.

"Whoopsie!" the German account said in a bilingual statement posted later. It explains the team were just having fun and japes, they thought people might enjoy sightseeing with Killjoy, and they thought "since Killjoy loves programming" some computer-generated art would be nice to include. Whoopsie.

"However, we were not aware that the selected work as an NFT," they stressed. "In no way did we intend to include NFTs as part of Killjoy's work and hobbies."

NFTs, so poisonous that a company rush to insist that a popular fictional character does not like them.

If you're lucky enough to have avoided NFTs, allow me to briefly explain. In the digital art world, NFTs are basically digital receipts saying that you bought an artwork, only you don't buy the artwork or own it in any way, and everyone else can still see the art, and only other people who buy these stupid receipts will be impressed by your stupid receipt. For example Konami sold NFTs of Castlevania pictures and videos for £119,000.

Inside video games, this can be more insidious. The most harmless version is basically what Valve have been doing with Dota and CS:GO for years, having virtual items that players can sell to each other—but tracked 'on the blockchain' because shareholders are impressed by the latest buzzword. On a more gross level are those games being built around NFTs for items which actually affect how you play. Peter Molyneux's next game sold £40 million in virtual land NFTs so players can make money as landlords renting out lots for other players to build factories on, which sounds just the worst. Then there are the many supposed NFT metaverse MMOs which will likely never be made, or won't be played if they are made, but might make money by selling their own stupid cryptocurrency to speculators.

Talk about NFTs in games seems either overhyped or horrible. Most big companies have yet to leap in, talking about interest in NFTs but not publicly doing anything. Aside from Ubisoft, that is, who tried NFT hats and were promptly shouted at by everyone. Ubisoft have since said 'nuh uh ur stupid'. lol.

I was delighted when Yanis Varoufakis, ex-Valve economist and former Greek finance minister, recently said that the endpoint of the supposedly utopian 'play-to-earn' model would be "the apotheosis of misanthropy".

Riot might have some interest, mind. Brazilian site Livecoins reported last year that Riot had filed for a trademark for Wild Rift, the mobile version of League, which would also cover NFTs and blockchain jazz. That might just be caution, and I suppose I don't blame companies for considering the idea. But I do strongly blame them if they follow through.

Alice is likely in the sea.

Subscribe and get access to supporter-only articles, an ad-free reading experience, free gifts, and game discounts. Your support helps us create more great writing about PC games.

Please enable JavaScript to see comments.

Marvel's Midnight Suns' new release date is this December

After two delays so far

Foxhole is adding player-built trains and factories as it hits 1.0 this month

Nier: Automata’s secret church is finally enshrined on NexusMods

The greatest mystery of the year returns

Overwatch 2’s battle pass has a free track and won’t lock heroes behind a paywall

Fox-eared hero Kiriko confirmed by a leaked cinematic

Marvel's Midnight Suns' new release date is this December

After two delays so far

Foxhole is adding player-built trains and factories as it hits 1.0 this month

Next Genshin Impact banner [Version 3.0]

Current event: Ganyu and Kokomi reruns introduce Dori! Up next: Version 3.1

The best Genshin Impact Sangonomiya Kokomi build

Learn how to put together the best possible Sangonomiya Kokomi build in Genshin Impact

Tyrant's Blessing's low pressure tactical puzzles let it punch above its weight

The only good surprise parties

The power of a Steam Next Fest demo

Where it all started for a lot of this week's reviews

5 weird games out in September that I might not have time to review but really want to

(But will hopefully play and write about at some point because they seem cool)

RPS@PAX West 2022: Our top highlights from the showfloor

RPS say goodbye to Seattle

We've been talking, and we think that you should wear clothes

Total coincidence, but we sell some clothes

Copyright © 2022 Gamer Network Limited, a ReedPop company.

All rights reserved. No part of this site or its content may be reproduced without the permission of the copyright holder.