Gamers vent frustration on Steam following acquisition of Storybook Brawl by FTX 🚨 This article is 3 years old...
Gamers vent frustration on Steam following acquisition of Storybook Brawl by FTX
Crypto exchange FTX got more than it bargained for as gamers "review bomb" Storybook Brawl on fears its will turn into another money grab.
2 min read
Updated: Mar. 31, 2022 at 11:13 am UTC
Cover art/illustration via CryptoSlate. Image includes combined content which may include AI-generated content.
Gamers collectively review bombed card-based auto battler Storybook Brawl after crypto exchange FTX acquired it.
Last week, FTX announced it had purchased Storybook Brawl developers Good Luck Games for an undisclosed sum. The firm will integrate into FTX Gaming as part of the group’s broader gaming strategy. FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried described this strategy as combining gaming and crypto transactions.
But gamers fear this is part of an industry-wide trend that will ultimately leave them out of pocket.
Gamers want “no part” of FTX in gaming
Bankman-Fried said he and the FTX team couldn’t stop playing the free-to-play Storybook Brawl game when it launched on early access. With that, he saw an opportunity to integrate “gaming and crypto transactions” in a way not previously been done before.
“We saw an opportunity to be the vanguard for the ethical integration of gaming and crypto transactions in a way that hasn’t yet been done in this space.”
However, gamers, unhappy with the (added) commercialization of gaming via blockchain technology, made their feelings known. The most upvoted game review on Steam gave a not recommended thumbs down rating. It read:
“The developer was recently bought out by a crypto company (FTX) that plans to use the game as a testbed for NFT monetization strategies. No thanks.”
Similarly, the next most upvoted review said the reviewer wants “no part” of the FTX setup with Good Luck Games, nor do they want crypto in gaming.
“Good Luck Games was acquired by FTX, a cryptocurrency company, as a way to “help crypto make inroads with gamers.” I want no part of that and I don’t want crypto “making inroads” in things I’m interested in. Uninstalled.”
The path to crypto integration isn’t clear
In a recent interview, Good Luck Games founder Matt Place described his struggles as an independent developer and how working with small budgets hamstrung his ideas.
Commenting on the FTX deal, Place said his operation now has the funding to do what it really wants to do. Particularly in extending the budget to put together more visually appealing projects.
Place said his team is currently exploring the integration of gaming and crypto. But he doesn’t yet know how the two could work together in a fun way for the benefit of gamers.
“We’re going to explore looking at blockchain as kind of a new technology. How can we leverage that to actually to make value, to create fun for players?”
He assured fans by saying there is no mandate from FTX to force such an integration. Meaning Good Luck Games is free to discard the crypto element if they cannot determine a way to create value for gamers using blockchain technology.
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Posted In: Gaming
Author 
Samuel Wan
Samuel Wan, a finance professional turned full-time crypto content creator, values individual autonomy and personal freedom in his pursuits.
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FTX is a cryptocurrency derivatives exchange that offers futures, leveraged tokens and OTC trading.
FTX
FTX is a defunct cryptocurrency exchange, currently in bankruptcy proceedings, that was founded by Sam Bankman-Fried and Zixiao “Gary” Wang in May 2019.
