Published on: 10/06/2022
Netflix’s Stranger Things minigame, NFTs under fire
Netflix, in collaboration with Candy Digital, has launched another Stranger Things minigame, which successfully attracted fans to solve riddles to earn NFTs of the series’ characters. Sadly, not everyone is pleased with the game.
The Stranger Things NFTs are 11,111 specialized tokens that represent ownership of five digital posters on Candy Digital’s Palm blockchain, an Ethereum layer 2 sidechain. Candy Digital’s NFT minigame has received praises, but many also call it “trash”.
a new stranger game begins. 4 puzzles, 4 weeks, and 11,111 free exclusive Digital ST4 Collectibles to be won. 🔍 you just need to crack the code: https://t.co/CkqDullMM8
— Stranger Things (@Stranger_Things) June 2, 2022
In its Season 4 trailer back in April, Netflix hinted about its NFT partnership. By completing a mystery game set in a virtual Stranger Things laboratory last week, around 4,700 players obtained a free NFT poster of Eleven, the series’ lead character, portrayed by Millie Bobbie Brown.
The minigame’s new round went live on the site this week. To get one of four free NFT posters of Mike Wheeler, Jonathan Byers, Will Byers, or Argyle, players need to figure out “I am Hell’s Master” riddles.
Backlash against Stranger Things NFTs
The news of Netflix’s partnership with Candy Digital to launch Stranger Things NFTs was met with varying reactions. Some fans and crypto enthusiasts claimed to have fun playing the minigame. However, some fans also experienced self logs-out while completing the challenges.
Many other fans were not pleased with the NFT news that appeared on the Stranger Things Twitter account last week.
A fan wrote on Twitter, “You think we care about NFTs?”, while another fan dismissed the NFT technology as a “grift”.
“I deeply love Stranger Things, but I’m profoundly disappointed that Netflix decided it’d be a good idea to run an NFT grift on its fans,” the fan wrote. “I’m not going anywhere near this trash.”
I deeply love Stranger Things, but I'm profoundly disappointed that Netflix decided it'd be a good idea to run an NFT grift on its fans.
I'd love to play the games and solve the mysteries like the ARG for season three, but no. I'm not going anywhere near this trash.
Do better. pic.twitter.com/S03M78FFLa
— Kristian Bland, unreliable narrator (@unclejeet) June 2, 2022
“I am once again asking Netflix to STOP making NFTs of my favorite shows. I can’t handle the grief,” said another fan, in reference to the Ethereum NFTs Netflix previously rolled out for its sci-fi series “Love, Death, and Robots”.
Many others called it “bullshit”, with vomiting emojis and crying GIFs accompanying the posts. Several fans even told the company to “f**k off”.
Animosity toward NFTs
The video game industry is no stranger to resentment toward NFTs. Square Enix’s interest in NFT gaming and Ubisoft’s involvement with Tezos NFTs infuriated many in the video games community.
There have been complaints about NFT items’ lack of value. Many have also condemned NFTs and cryptocurrencies for their environmental impact.
However, a video game giant like Ubisoft can still continue with NFT projects without much concern. Despite anti-NFT backlash from video game journalists and gamers, who threaten to cancel subscriptions and boycott the company’s games, Ubisoft has continued to invest in blockchain gaming companies, including Animoca Brands.
Many indie games were canceled over protests against NFT integration. Following backlash from game developers and fans, collectible Worms were discontinued. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl also cut its plans for in-game NFTs following unfavorable social media feedback.
Candy’s Netflix NFTs and minigame are the platform’s first venture into Hollywood. Ahead of its collaboration with Netflix, Candy also collaborated with the WWE, Getty Images, and Major League Baseball (MLB).
