‘S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2’ turns NPCs into NFTs and nobody knows why

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl, the 150GB sequel to first-person survival shooter S.T.A.L.K.E.R., is getting a major crypto integration. GSC Game World’s S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 releases April 22 and is launching three NFTs that give its buyers cameos in the sequel’s storyline.

A new metaverse — S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 promises that the three NFT holders will become NPC “metahumans” in the game, with “high fidelity facial animation.” GSC suggests that NFT owners could become a range of different NPC types, listing bartender, comrade, or enemy as potential options. It’s unclear, though, what exactly these NFTs or NPCs will look like until they appear in-game. GSC promises that its S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 NFTs will give a portion of profits to charity and allow holders to “write [themselves] into S.T.A.L.K.E.R. history.”

Where will they be sold? — The game’s metahuman NFTs will be sold through Dmarket, a gaming marketplace where you can buy and sell in-game items and gaming-related NFTs. According to Dmarket, the metahumans can be transferred cross-platform.

NFTs won’t affect gameplay — While S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 may be getting its own NFTs, the game itself is not on the blockchain. Developers reminded the community this morning that the metahumans will have no influence on the sequel’s gameplay and are simply there for cosmetic purposes.

Buy in, or ignore — So if NFTs aren’t your thing, no problem — S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 devs reminded fans that its latest experiment is completely optional. Seeing as there are only plans for three metahuman NFTs so far, it’s entirely possible that some gamers won’t even notice the integration at all.