NFT·Metaverse·Blockchain Connection…Web 3.0 Games, to Become Pioneers
본문
Hilma Patterson, CCP Games CEO
Eve Online, secured 40 million users
Introducing the concept of digital economy·democratic government
Attention as a Web 3.0 game that will shake the industry
Blockchain-based P2E game popularity
Although there are regulations on buying and selling items, etc.
Considering the spread of users, reviewing legalization
Maintaining the value of items implemented as NFTs
Even if each game comes out with its own coin,
the role of NFT as a common currency is expected to continue
'Web 3.0' (Decentralized Web).
This is the most talked about topic in the game industry this year. Hilma Patterson, CEO of CCP Games, an Icelandic game developer who recently visited Korea, met with Maeil Business News to introduced in detail about the impact that the development of Web 3.0 technology will have on the game industry in the future and global game companies overall response direction and strategies to Korean readers. "Major game companies around the world are coming up with new keywords and blueprints as part of new business strategies, but game players are wondering how exactly Web 3.0 technology will change games," he said. "They would have high ecpectation, and at the same time, have great concerns," he said.
CCP Games is the company that developed the global hit game 'Eve Online', which has more than 40 million users worldwide. This game, which is called 'the largest science fiction work in existence', is attracting attention as a very rare work that has been continuously increasing in number of users for 17 years.
In particular, it is being reevaluated as a pioneer game of Web 3.0 by introducing decentralized concepts such as digital economy, democratic community government, and free machinery from an early stage in the world view of a huge game. Pearl Abyss, a Korean game company that paid attention to Eve Online's strong intellectual propertyrights(IP), invested about 250 billion won in 2018 to incorporate CCP Games as a subsidiary.
2004년부터 CCP게임스의 수장을 맡고 있는 패터슨 CEO는 유럽 게임업계의 거물로 통하는 인물이다. 그는 "대체불가토큰(NFT)과 메타버스, 블록체인으로 연결되는 웹3.0 게임 생태계는 아직 초기 단계이기 때문에 '미래의 가능성과 예측'이 주를 이룬다"면서도 "앞으로 업계 판도를 바꿀, 다가올 미래인 것은 확실하다"고 강조했다. 다음은 그와의 일문일답.
CEO Patterson, who has been the head of CCP Games since 2004, is a figure known as a giant in the European game industry. He said, "The web 3.0 game ecosystem connected by non-fungible tokens (NFT), metaverse, and blockchain is still in its infancy, so 'future possibilities and predictions' are the main focus.", and "It is certain that this is the future that will change the game of the industry in the future." The following is a Q&A with him.
―How do you define Web 3.0? Can it emerge as a trend of the new Internet?
▷Web 3.0 is creation and creation. It means combining different things to create something new. Taking a game as an example, a combination of community and governance in the game will be achieved. This means autonomy in the ownership and management of creations. This is what we have tried so far through 'Eve Online'. In the future, an autonomous space will be created that cannot be touched by the creators who created the worldview in the game or the game company that operates it. Under the concept of autonomy, game items are included.
―How do you evaluate the effectiveness of NFTs?
▷At this point, I believe that NFTs have more value than they actually exist. NFTs have actually been around in multiplayer online (MMO) games for the past 20 years. An item implemented as an NFT is a kind of 'romantic' concept in which the value of the item persists even if the game no longer exists. This means that an item from game A can be used in game B. It is expected that 'unique items', which have been used only in games, will evolve to a level where they can come out of the game based on blockchain.
―Isn’t it rather ideal to be realized within a few years?
▷ Looking at the evolution of currency, at first, humans used seashells as a unit of currency. Then came gold, then came international currencies, then came Bitcoin. I think the currency in the game will eventually evolve. First of all, attempts will be made in games made by the same game developer, and in the next step, sharing and exchange between different publishers and game companies will be possible.
―Several game companies are issuing their own coins with Web 3.0 in mind.
▷ I think the movement of issuing its own coin for each game company will continue. Basically, companies will want the tokens they issued to be used in the game in order for the currency they created to have utility. This is why each game company has no choice but to implement its own coin economy. Even so, I believe that the flow of exchanging items from different games using NFTs and blockchains will not collapse.
―P2E (money making) games are illegal in Korea. What about global trends?
▷ It is true that P2E games based on blockchain and Web 3.0 are a global trend. The popularity of P2E games is a phenomenon that occurs because users want it rather than game companies want it. If the user's aspirations are strong, they will eventually go in that direction. I think that many countries and game companies need to think about solutions together. Simply saying 'this is illegal' will not solve the problem. Because people will do whatever they want anyway.
―Are you preparing for web 3.0 game development?
▷As mentioned earlier, there are no immediate plans to apply tokens or NFTs to Eve Online. However, we are thinking a lot about grafting our IP to Web 3.0. It's still early and it's hard to reveal the specifics, but last year we started a small Web 3.0 team exploring these concepts.
―Last year, the metaverse was a hot topic. How do you think the metaverse and games will be combined?
▷ Basically, to play a game is to play. I see human life itself as playing games. Let's think of something similar to human life as a metaverse. A metaverse without elements of amusement and play has no meaning of existence. In terms of games, I don't think the market has yet matured beyond VR games. In the future, if the penetration rate of VR devices increases and the actual metaverse world opens, it will be a great opportunity for the game industry.
―Endemic has arrived. Will it affect the gaming industry?
▷Pandemic made people feel the importance of games. I also felt connected to the community through the game. Looking at the number of users of our game in the recent endemic situation, it has not fallen below pre-corona levels. People have a new realization and awareness about the role of games. Going back to the past won't be easy. This is probably why many big techs are interested in the game industry.
Hwang Sun Min , 2022.05.10. “NFT·Metaverse·Blockchain Connection…Web 3.0 Games, to Become Pioneers”. Maeil Business .
