Gaming monolith Sega is partnering with games company, Double Jump. Tokyo, to begin selling its own non-fungible tokens, or NFTs. The company has only revealed that its latest project will be "related to its classic IP," but it hasn't announced which of its game franchises will receive the NFT treatment. So which of Sega's beloved game releases will make the cut?
NFTs have been the subject of a lot of controversies lately. The blockchain-powered technology is a method people can use to own and trade digital media, like GIFs and Tweets. Companies and people can mint a cryptographic token, which effectively becomes the deed of a digital asset that can be sold. NFTs can be extremely lucrative business ventures, but studies have shown that the process requires a disproportionate amount of energy, which requires the consumption of fossil fuels and is bad for the environment.
Many Sega fans were disappointed and angry by the company's NFT announcement because many of the Sonic The Hedgehog games featured environmentalist themes. Despite the backlash, the company plans to move forward with its latest undertaking. It will begin selling its tokens during the summer of 2021. Here are five Sega games that will most likely be turned into NFTs.
Sega NFTs: Sonic The Hedgehog (1991)
The original Sonic The Hedgehog will almost certainly be made into an NFT, since it was the foundation of the publisher's most famous franchise. The 1991 Sega Genesis release marked the debut of the series' speedy blue protagonist, who eventually became Sega's competition to Nintendo's Mario. The release was praised for being a visual, audio, and gameplay masterpiece during the 16-bit console era that made waves in the games industry for years to come.
Since its launch, the franchise's universe has expanded to include a cast of unique characters that are just as recognizable as the cast of the Super Mario universe. There have been countless Sonic games that span several genres, comics, TV shows, and a recent movie that is being made into a sequel, Sonic The Hedgehog 2. Sonic is the unmistakable Sega mascot that will undoubtedly receive several NFTs once the company beings to roll them out.
Sega NFTs: Crazy Taxi (1999)
Crazy Taxi might have been developed by the now-shuttered Sega subsidiary, Hitmaker, but it has earned its spot as one of the most memorable games of all time. The racing game was first introduced to arcades in 1999 and was subsequently released on the Sega Dreamcast in 2000. It fused twitchy racing gameplay with impatient travelers that players had to drive to their destinations as quickly as possible to earn the most points.
The console release became one of the best-selling Dreamcast titles ever, and it kicked off a plethora of sequels and similarly designed games. Crazy Taxi proved to be such a hit that Sega even patented its core gameplay mechanic, which led to a heated legal dispute when Fox Interactive released the knock-off title The Simpsons: Road Rage. Still, Sega's original release remained so popular that it was later ported to consoles like the PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube, and Xbox. The company essentially created a new game genre with Crazy Taxi, which seems like a worthwhile achievement to honor with an NFT.
Sega NFTs: Phantasy Star (1987)
Phantasy Star was one of the earliest JRPGs to come to consoles in 1987 and is regarded as one of the most revolutionary role-players of all time. The game focuses on protagonist Alis Landale, who's on a mission to avenge her brother's death at the hands of the tyrannical ruler King Lassic. Phantasy Star blended fantasy and science fiction elements and alternated between a top-down and first-person perspective to create a game unlike any other at the time.
Even 34 years after its release, the franchise has continued to break new ground in the RPG space with several online multiplayer releases that continue to attract legions of fans. For example, Phantasy Star Online 2 remains widely popular. Sega's unique fusion of aesthetics dared to be different when RPGs were primarily following trends. It's for these reasons that Phantasy Star will likely earn a spot as a Sega NFT.
Sega NFTs: Shenmue (1999)
The action-adventure game Shenmue was widely considered ahead of its time when it was released in 1999. It gave players control of a teenage martial artist Ryo Hazuki who witnesses his father's death and sets off on a revenge quest across 1980s Japan. The release is a must-play to this day, and it influenced some of today's most beloved open-world and sandbox games.
Shenmue's virtual world and the non-player characters in it were so meticulously detailed that it stunned critics and gamers during the turn of the century. These elements inspired most 3D open-world city games, like Grand Theft Auto 3, Yakuza, and Fallout 3. While other publishers have continued to push the genre to new heights, a Shenmue NFT is only appropriate to commemorate Sega's monumental contributions to the open-world genre.
Sega NFTs: Streets Of Rage (1991)
Even thirty years after its initial release, Streets of Rage has remained one of the most recognizable side-scrolling, beat 'em up games ever released. Players chose one of three characters - named Adam, Axel, and Blaze - each of which came with their own strengths and weaknesses. The 1991 Sega Genesis release truly shines with its colorful stages and diverse enemies, which players need to learn how to deal with in order to progress through the game.
While the popularity of beat 'em up games has wained through the years, Streets of Rage has remained as a shining beacon of the genre. Sega licensed its franchise to developer Dotemu that released Streets of Rage 4 after nearly a two-decade hiatus in the series. Because of the original's three decades of influence, this makes the game a shoo-in for Sega's upcoming NFT collection.