Troy Baker ends partnership with NFT firm and says sorry for ‘hate or create’ comment

Prolific video games voice actor Troy Baker has chosen to end his partnership with VoiceVerse NFT following an overwhelmingly negative reaction to his endorsement of the company.

Baker said earlier this month that he was partnering with Voiceverse NFT, which claims it will let people buy AI voices as NFTs which can then be used in any game.

The Last of Us actor Baker had initially said the partnership would “explore ways where together we might bring new tools to new creators to make new things, and allow everyone a chance to own & invest in the IP’s they create”.

Presumably anticipating the negative response the news might create, he also said: “We all have a story to tell. You can hate. Or you can create. What’ll it be?”

But on Monday, over two weeks after his original announcement began drawing heavy criticism online, Baker said he had chosen to end his partnership with VoiceVerse NFT and also apologised to fans for his comments.

“Thank you all for your feedback and patience,” he tweeted. “After careful consideration, I’ve decided to not continue the partnership with VoiceVerseNFT. Intentions aside, I’ve heard you and apologize for accusing anyone of ‘hating’ just by simply disagreeing with me.”

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Ubisoft exec defends NFTs, saying players ‘don’t get it’

"It's saddening to see there's still some resistance based on misunderstanding"

Several notable game companies have recently started selling digital items as NFTs, including Ubisoft, Konami and Atari, though this has attracted criticism from some due to the format’s high carbon footprint and what many perceive to be cynical implementation.

Last week a Ubisoft executive said the company was proceeding with its plans to implement NFTs in its games, claiming players just “don’t get it”.

And earlier today Team17 became the latest publisher to enter the NFT scene, announcing an upcoming range based on its Worms series.

A recent GDC survey of over 2,700 game developers showed that 70% have no interest in implementing NFTs in their games.