Many companies and properties have begun producing NFTs, otherwise known as non-fungible tokens. Now it looks likeBorutohas been used to perpetuateanother of the many scamsthat have come with the new speculative art market.
The officialBorutoTwitter account has posted notices to warn potential fans of the franchise that scammers are saying that they have officially licensed NFTs ofNarutoproperties which is not true. “We have been receiving inquiries regarding the authenticity of the information that spreads via the Internet about “officially” licensed NFT artifacts and games based on NARUTO,“the Tweetread. “No license has been issued to authorize such products. Please watch out for false information.” This announcement is likely in response to the NFT and cryptocurrency projectBoruto Inu.
Related:Ubisoft’s NFT Initiative Crashing and Burning is the Best Case Scenario
It makes sense that theNarutoandBorutobrand would want to curb any associations with NFTs. Not only does the creation of these tokens tend tospark controversy and ire amongst fansof other franchises but Shonen Jump — an imprint of Shueisha Inc. which publishesBoruto— has specifically gone out of its way previously to ensure fans that major announcements would not be for NFTson social media.
Many other major names have spoken out against NFTs. PopularTwitch streamer xQc has called them scamsand fellow streamer Asmongold has also criticized the tokens and those that purchase them. Several major game producers have also desparaged the possibility of NFT usage includingIt Takes Twodirector Josef Fareswho said he would “rather be shot in the knee” than incorporate them in his games.
Related:Asmongold Criticizes People That Spend Absurd Amounts on NFTs
While some might say NFTs are here to stay, the results of companies implementing them would seem to suggest they are nothing more than a passing fad that could even be a bad investment. WhenNeopets launched their own NFTsthe website actually saw its user base drop significantly as previous fans refused to play in protest. While Ubisoft’sGhost Recon Breakpointalso offered NFTs, they sold incredibly poorlywhich makes them a bad investment for the company and speculative players alike.
Still, it seems the world of anime and manga may still attempt to toy with NFTs. Toei animation is currently slated to create an anime based on the art collection of a nine-year-old called Zombie Zoo and Fanworks is collaborating with Tokyo Otaku Mode to produce a show based on the CryptoNinja non-fungible token project.
For now, it seems that fans ofNarutoandBorutocan rest easy about seeing their favorite characters as NFTs as the company behind them seems to not want to make that happen.Boruto: Naruto Next Generationsis currently available to stream on Crunchyroll and Hulu.
