SEGA has made a name for itself in the video game industry with proposals that continue to capture the attention of thousands of players today. This inevitably makes us think of brands like Sonic or Like a Dragon; a saga by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio in which SEGA participates as a distributor. However, the Japanese company has also left its mark on fans’ hearts with older licenses such as Virtua Fighter or Rent a Hero. The latter has announced a surprising return that has not been well received by its fans. After all, their new venture will be based on Web3 and integrate NFT.
Rent a Hero is a 33-year-old license that left a mark on many players for presenting an Action RPG with touches of humor where the protagonist, a young man named Taro Yamada, is forced to act as a hero by contract to pay off a debt due to a misunderstanding. Now, SEGA has confirmed that this IP is returning hand in hand with LINE NEXT, a company of the LINE corporation dedicated to developing and expanding in the NFT ecosystem, with a new game: Rent a Hero Z.
Not many details have been shared about the project beyond its launch being scheduled for 2025. However, LINE’s official statement helps us get an idea of what we can expect from this proposal: “The game’s debut is the result of an understanding between LINE NEXT and SEGA to use SEGA’s popular video game IP. Along with SEGA, LINE NEXT aims to revive the game’s legacy, adding Web3 elements to increase the fun.”
However, the community is not happy with the features of Rent a Hero Z. NFTs and projects based on Web3 or blockchain have generated multiple criticisms among video game fans; which is why many detest seeing such terms in their favorite sagas. Therefore, reviving an acclaimed title like Rent a Hero with the intention of integrating it into this world of virtual assets has not been well received by fans.
SEGA has already abandoned NFTs
Although it was one of the many video game companies that approved of leveraging its brands to explore blockchain and NFT proposals, SEGA eventually admitted that “play to earn is boring”. However, the Japanese company’s plan was to retain “its projects based on its major franchises to avoid devaluation of its content”; in other words, its lesser-known licenses could still be used to create games based on Web3. And the unexpected presentation of Rent a Hero Z is a good example of this new strategy.
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