Over the past year, several key figures in the gaming industry have come out to support or take a stand against NFTs. A good example of someone who took the middle ground is Take-Two Interactive's CEO, Strauss Zelnick. Unlike others, Zelnick's thoughts about NFTs, as well as play-to-earn games, are not as straightforward.
According to Zelnick, play-to-earn games have a future. In an IGN interview, Zelnick described the current slate of play-to-earn games as "not highly entertaining and they're not regulated nor are their economics transparent." He says that he's not surprised by how the public has reacted to play-to-earn games, saying that "there's a lot to be done with [play-to-earn games] that's exciting."
Meanwhile, when it comes to NFTs, Zelnick had similar thoughts. As revealed in a pre-earnings briefing call, Zelnick remains open to the possibility of NFTs and blockchain gaming. But, at the same time, he does understand why some people are skeptical, even noting that doubters are right most of the time. In particular, Zelnick believes that "NFTs are real", especially since the industry has sold "digital goods for a very long time." Zelnick also added that people rare goods as well as collectibles. However, Zelnick's concern is that "there's a lot of speculation going on."
