Grease Monkey Games, the Australian-based studio behind the popular motorsports game Torque Drift, recently shared that they were experiencing employee turnover after announcing the integration of blockchain technology in the upcoming sequel, Torque Drift 2.
This move, which uses NFTs, resulted in the layoff of 10 employees within a month, according to an interview with Grease Monkey Games founder Arran Potter. Despite the setbacks, Potter is optimistic about releasing Torque Drift 2 (currently in beta) by the end of the year.
However, the loss of key team members has created significant challenges.
Addressing challenges and misconceptions
Replacing departing staff has been difficult due to the competitive nature of the gaming industry, and Potter noted that larger studios attract talent with lucrative offers, making it a challenge to quickly hire new developers.
“It’s quite a challenge. There were some big studios that could recruit people for huge salaries, and that made it very difficult to find people,” Potter shared. Despite these challenges, the company has retained key partners, including carmaker Nissan, for the web3 project.
Potter has also addressed misconceptions about blockchain technology and NFTs among both his team and the public, noting that NFTs often have negative connotations, in part due to high-profile, expensive digital collectibles such as the Bored Ape Yacht Club collection.
“Digital ownership is something that they hear and think that they are transferring their IP and their trademark to the owner of the NFT, and that is not the case at all,” he explained.
“If the technology offers some benefits, people will embrace it and people should understand the benefits,” he added.
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