Brought to you by Square Enix, one of the gaming industry powerhouses, SYMBIOGENESIS is a brand-new Web3 entertainment experience that features NFT collectible art, game utilities, and a compelling narrative.
Players can enjoy SYMBIOGENESIS in two gameplay modes: Follow the main story and unlock the character stories along the way, or embark on quests to discover items hidden within the Floating Continent. Regardless of which gameplay mode, the goal for the player is to participate in the final choice, the “World Mission,” where only three out of all the players can choose the ending story.
Spanning over two million Japanese characters, the story explores the mysteries of the world, recounting the history of humanity’s arrival on the Floating Continent, chronicling various past events and calamities, delving into ancient tales predating recorded history, and following the protagonist’s battle with the dragon in the main storyline.
Quests are to find items hidden in the floating continent based on clues. Not only searching, but also collecting items and fulfilling certain conditions will unlock a hidden story and lead to another truth of the floating continent.
On the floating continent, the future is determined by the player. SYMBIOGENESIS plays on the theme “monopoly” or “distribution,” where information is locked away via the NFT Characters. Players who purchase the NFTs can choose either share the information or keep it to themselves. Thus, goes back to the theme.
In SYMBIOGENESIS, they plan to offer a total of 10,000 PFP NFT collectible artworks with unique designs across Chapters 1 to 6. Owning these NFT collectible artworks will grant access to different types of stories within the game. This will create disparities in information, leading to a sophisticated information battle among players within Discord as they strive to clear the game.
Furthermore, the stories that can be accessed by owning Character NFTs are not immediately unlocked from the beginning; instead, they will be progressively unlocked through cooperation with all players. This will lead to the stories and item discovery discussions becoming more common and shared among all players, making it easier to exchange information and find allies to collaborate with in pursuit of clearing objectives. However, it may also lead to more frequent instances of strategic information withholding and maneuvering among players.
What are the newly implemented shop features and methods for acquiring free NFTs?
On September 22nd, a shopping feature was launched on SYMBIOGENESIS, allowing players to check out the various NFT characters. They can only start purchasing during mint day, provided that players enter the AL first. By acquiring character NFTs, players gain access to exclusive stories limited to NFT holders. The NFT characters for Chapter 1, which are the first to be sold, are limited to only 500 units. To purchase them, players must first participate in the Allowlist Entry Campaign. However, as mentioned later, there is a possibility, with strategic planning or luck, of obtaining these limited character NFTs for free.
In the Allowlist Entry Campaign, players can earn their scores in a variety of ways and earn the top scores in order to participate in an exclusive sale for the top 90 selected players. In addition to following and retweeting the official Symbiogenesis X account and posting game content on their own X account, players can earn scores through actions such as speaking on the official Discord. After entering the AL campaign, players earn their spot to be on the AL. In order to earn the spot, there is a point system where the more points they earn, the higher the rank, the higher the chance to mint for free or be selected to the top. Points can be earned through various campaigns on X, Discord, or in-game events such as Treasure Hunts.
Additionally, by participating in the Treasure Hunting Campaign, open to everyone, and obtaining NFT items called “relics,” players can increase their scores.
A notable feature of this auction is that all listings start from 0 ETH. Since there are 90 participants, if there are no other bidders for a particular NFT besides yourself, you can acquire it for free! However, in case your desired NFT overlaps with other players, it turns into an auction. While the highest bid is locked during the auction, it unlocks when you become the second-highest bidder. Furthermore, while bidding the highest amount in the auction, the bid amount is locked, but it is unlocked when you become the second-highest bidder. It is then up to the player to decide whether to bid again on the same character NFT or bid on a different character NFT.
It’s up to you to decide whether to bid on hidden gems that other players might overlook, aiming for free NFT acquisition, or deliberately targeting NFTs that seem likely to gain popularity and betting on their future value. There are various strategies, and the final decision is yours to make. Repeating once again, if you are selected for the exclusive top-tier sale, you have a chance to obtain the Character NFT for free. After the exclusive top-tier sale, it will be available for regular sale, but here it will also be auctioned starting from 0 ETH, and you can choose as many as you want. However, participating here is conditional on being part of the Allowlist Entry Campaign, so don’t forget to join!
To Monopolize or Distribute Character NFTs?
Having successfully passed the Allowlist Entry Campaign and auction, owners of Character NFTs face the next choice. Character NFT owners have the option to mint replica NFTs from their holdings and distribute them to other players. While replica NFTs offer a special utility, allowing owners to experience the same storyline as their original NFTs, they do not possess the various utilities that the original NFTs have. For instance, they can’t grant access to features like so-called boss battles or rewards upon clearing ‘Great Missions’ unlocked after completing regular missions.
For lucky players who have managed to acquire Character NFTs, there are distinct advantages to issuing replica NFTs. Additionally, by sharing the previously exclusive storyline with other players, you can expand your circle of comrades in conquering the narrative together. On the other hand, choosing not to issue replica NFTs allows you to exclusively possess NFTs that others can’t obtain without deciphering the storyline themselves, maintaining a monopoly on the narrative.
Exclusive Interview with SYMBIOGENESIS Producer Naoyuki Tamate
In the second half, Pacific Meta conducted an exclusive interview with SYMBIOGENESIS producer Naoyuki Tamate to delve into his thoughts and motivations behind the creation of SYMBIOGENESIS.
Pacific Meta: Please tell us about the theme of SYMBIOGENESIS and the world it wants to realize.
Tamate: In the SYMBIOGENESIS project, we consistently emphasize the overarching theme of “monopoly or distribution,” this can be equivalent to the centralization vs. decentralization dichotomy. This theme permeates every aspect of SYMBIOGENESIS, including its gameplay, community structure, NFT acquisition, and storytelling.
Pacific Meta: Why do you emphasize the theme of “monopoly or distribution” in the first place?
Tamate: When I entered this market, the question of centralization or decentralization, the so-called pros and cons of decentralization, whether it makes people’s lives more convenient or happier, these were, and still are, ongoing discussions. So, I thought, why not take this as entertainment and make it a theme? This way, customers themselves can arrive at answers through the content or at least have a starting point to think about something.
And to enable the experience of this theme, we’ve incorporated decentralized, what is commonly referred to as Web3, elements throughout.
For example, in this NFT sale, we have adopted a decentralized model where the price is not determined centrally by us, the organizers, but rather by users participating in an auction, with the price being determined by supply and demand. Allowing players to decide the price, a crucial element traditionally emphasized in games, is an exceptionally unusual business model not only for Square Enix but in general. Additionally, since users ultimately determine the price, if the game and storyline are truly enjoyable, it can attract more fans, increasing the value of the NFTs. Conversely, if the enjoyment is low, the NFT value can decrease.
What we aim to deliver through SYMBIOGENESIS this time is decent Web3 entertainment in line with Web3.
In Web3, I think entertainment should have decentralized elements that allow both the service provider and the service recipient to participate, co-create, and make decisions together. As a result, even those receiving the service have influence over the decisions, and this leads to the difference between Web3 entertainment and traditional entertainment, where the value is not fixed but fluid. We believe that the auction format in our case, where NFT prices range from 0 ETH onwards, truly embodies this concept.
Additionally, by allowing customers to shape the future of the content through World Missions, we incorporate an element where players actively participate in the creative process of the story. We, as creators, also become part of the community because we don’t know how things will unfold. Through this collaborative effort with players and holders in various aspects, it becomes a new IP starting from Web3.
The extent to which decentralized elements are embraced as entertainment is a highly challenging aspect for us as well, and since we, the creators, also don’t know what the future holds, we’re looking forward to it together with excitement!
Pacific Meta: Mr. Tamate, on a personal level, what motivated you to become involved in the Web3 business?
Tamate: I think many businesses nowadays operate their ventures on various platforms. It’s convenient, and it supports most aspects of marketing. It has become much easier to reach a global audience. On the other hand, I believe that decentralization is an attempt to break away from those platforms and try to do things on our own. I felt that this challenge was extremely difficult, but at the same time, it felt like a rewarding challenge.”
I don’t know how competitive I can be in the entertainment industry, but I thought it would be interesting to put my life into it. I really like new things. I think there are both negative and positive aspects to it, but I received a lot of negativity from people around me. So, that’s why I decided to participate. When you receive so much negativity, it means that something significant is at play. And that made me think there must be an opportunity.
Pacific Meta: Finally, can you tell us a little bit about the future of SYMBIOGENESIS?
Tamate: In November of this year, we plan to launch the Allowlist Entry Campaign, which will serve as a condition for purchasing character NFTs. In December, we are set to release Chapter 1 character NFTs, a significant milestone, along with the start of the game. Although it’s not confirmed, we are scheduled to release Chapter 2 character NFTs and the game itself in the first half of next year. Overall, we will gradually unveil Chapters 1 to 6, each introducing different lands and races, all revolving around the themes of monopoly and distribution. We hope players will look forward to this entirely new era of entertainment in the Web3 era brought to you by Square Enix.
Pacific Meta: Thank you very much!
Join the Revolution with SYMBIOGENESIS
Dive into the gripping world of SYMBIOGENESIS, brought to you by Square Enix. Ready to navigate the dual themes of monopoly and distribution? To not just play a game, but shape its very narrative? Join the community today.
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