No, Blizzard has no plans to create NFTs or play-to-earn blockchain games.
Blizzard recently sent out a poll trying to gauge interest in play-to-earn games and NFTs. This led to speculation Blizzard could be planning NFTs and following in the footsteps of Ubisoft and Konami.
Now Blizzard President Mike Ybarra squashes the rumors with a simple and curt response: "No one is doing NFTs."
The truth is Blizzard doesn't need to do NFTs. The segment has made over $1 billion every year despite not having released a new mainline premium game since Overwatch in 2016. Blizzard's business is built on live services, updates, and expansions.
The company can simply continue this trajectory and make money--there's no need to embrace a risky, speculative market like NFTs and blockchain while detrimentally harming its imagine even more than the current ongoing harassment controversy already has.
Plus, Ubisoft has clearly exposed a significant problem with game-based NFTs as its Quartz strategy is actively failing.
Another interesting note: Blizzard expects to make a record $3.75 billion in 2023. This strongly suggests that either Diablo 4 or Overwatch 2 will release sometime in this year. 2023 is also the same year the Microsoft acquisition is expected to close.
