Persona 5, published by Altus in 2016, is the sixth entry in thePersonarole-playing game series. It was followed with an enhanced edition in 2019,Persona 5 Royal. This version introduced new content and characters, including counsellor Takuto Maruki, a Confidant and major influence in the story. Officially, Altus hasn’t released any plans to take thePersonaseriesinto the NFT era, but onePersona 5fan has created a playful artwork that does just this.
The artwork combines Takuto Maruki with an ape in the style of Yuga Labs' “Bored Ape Yacht Club” collection. Bored Ape NFTs have become some of the most recognizable in the world, with the collection recently exceeding sales of $1 billion. A number of high-profile figures own these NFTs, from Jimmy Fallon toPost Malone. At the time of writing, Bored Ape NFTs are selling for between $3,000 and $2.5 million.
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PKMany64 posted their artwork to the comical /r/OkBuddyPersona/ Reddit community. The ape has an expression that looks somewhere between exhausted and annoyed, and is decorated with Maruki’s hair, glasses, and clothes. Many readers replied that they would be screenshotting and saving the image, poking fun at NFTs like the Bored Ape Yacht Collection which have been under increasing scrutiny, with some questioning their value, purpose, and security.
NFTs remain a hot topic in 2022, as is the practice of integrating blockchain transactions into gaming, particularly in the form of virtual property and goods. Game designer Peter Molyneux, famed for developing titles such asBlack & Whiteand theFableseries, recently made waves for his latest projectLegacy,an unreleased game that has raised$40 million in virtual property sales. Ubisoft is also betting on the promise of blockchain ecosystems, recently integrating their Quartz NFT system intoGhost Recon.
However, attempts to integrate NFTs into gaming experiences have proven contentious in certain cases, and arguably, gamers have not embraced it as companies would have hoped. Quartz, for example, has been met with lukewarm response. GSC Game World also recently abandoned plans for NFT integration for their upcoming gameSTALKER 2, following negative reaction from fans. This week, evenSega was reassuring the publicthat it would not pursue NFT content in the name of “simple money-making.” Perhaps it’s not surprising, then, that thesePersona 5fans aren’t alone in their mockery of the NFT scene.
NFTs are useful to prove ownership for intangible, digital goods, and they will likely be part of our digital futures. Maybe by then, there will be more to it than pictures of apes selling for thousands of dollars apiece. For now, anyone who can’t fork out that premium can at least make do with PKMany64’s irreverent artwork.
Persona 5 Royalis available now on PS4.
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