Everywhere developer vaguely addresses rumors of being an NFT game

Developer Build a Rocket Boy has addressed the rumors of its upcoming game, Everything, possibly being an NFT title. Its career page shows that it’s hiring for three positions related to blockchain technology, but according to the developers on the game’s Reddit, these are just “research positions.” 

“We do not like dismissing new technologies only because others haven’t found a solution for them yet,” Build a Rocket Boy wrote. “We are building Everywhere on Unreal Engine 5, not the blockchain.”

Everywhere was featured prominently during Gamescom 2022’s Opening Night. Build a Rocket Boy is run by Leslie Benzies, who served as a producer on Grand Theft Auto V and was the former president of Rockstar North. Benzies was later forced out of the company in 2017.

The developer’s vague stance around NFTs and blockchain doesn’t mean Everywhere won’t incorporate said technology. 

And as Kotaku’s Ethan Gach noted, Build a Rocket Boy has a major investor in the form of Galaxy Interactive, which itself has invested in nearly 30 Web3 or NFT companies. 

Throughout the summer, it’s been shown that NFT and blockchain games don’t have much favor among players or developers. A recent study has shown that developers regard the technology as harmful to the environment, and a a solution looking for a problem. “Unless it solves a unique problem innovatively,” wrote one developer, “NFTs are of minimal merit in the real world.”

Even with that skepticism, there are still believers in what blockchain can bring to the industry. Earlier in the week, SimCity creator Will Wright and Lauren Elliott managed to get $6 million in funding for their company, Gallium Studios, to make blockchain games.