Square Enix Launches “Chapter 1” Allowlist Campaign for NFT Game Symbiogenesis
Video game publisher Square Enix has announced the launch of a “Chapter 1” allowlist campaign for its upcoming NFT game, Symbiogenesis, which will run on the Ethereum and Polygon networks. The Final Fantasy publisher said that it will not hold a public mint for Symbiogenesis, but instead will roll out character NFTs as rewards for fans who participate in the game’s official Discord server over a two-week period beginning Tuesday and ending on November 21. The game is currently set to launch in December.
Getting on the allowlist provides the chance to “mint,” or generate, unique digital collectibles from Symbiogenesis—potentially for free. Players can earn points and improve their ranking through games and quizzes on the project’s Discord server. Discord users can participate in three games to earn points towards the NFT mint: The Lucky Bloom, the Majority-Minority Game, and the “Hella Difficult” Quiz. Prior to the campaign, fans who obtained “relics” through other social media contests got points based on the number collected, according to Square Enix.
Square Enix will launch the 500 character NFTs in this campaign across three phases, the first of which includes 10 allowlist slots for stakeholders and developers on the game. After that, another 90 slots will open for highly-ranked players, and finally the last 400 minting slots will be opened up to anyone who enters the allowlist campaign. While the NFTs can possibly be minted for free, Square Enix said that if any particular characters draw multiple players that wish to mint it, then those NFTs will be put up for auction. The price may ultimately depend on demand for Symbiogenesis character collectibles.
Symbiogenesis was announced in November 2022 as the company’s first NFT game in the Ethereum ecosystem. The company later clarified that some NFTs will be minted on the Ethereum mainnet while others will use Polygon, an Ethereum scaling network. Developed as an original IP, Symbiogenesis is billed as a “digital collectible art project” that builds an interactive narrative experience around character NFTs and other collectibles.
Square Enix has made a number of moves in the crypto and NFT world, including investing in metaverse game The Sandbox and saying that it will bring its “Dungeon Siege” franchise to the online world. The company has also released Final Fantasy VII trading card NFTs tied to physical statues, and launched other NFT collectibles in Japan.
Hot Take
Square Enix’s introduction of a “Chapter 1” allowlist campaign for its upcoming NFT game Symbiogenesis demonstrates a strategic approach to engaging fans while generating interest in its new digital collectible art project. By leveraging Discord participation and offering potential free minting opportunities for unique character NFTs, Square Enix is positioning itself at the forefront of innovative storytelling within the crypto gaming space. This move further solidifies Square Enix’s commitment to exploring new frontiers in blockchain technology and digital collectibles.