From the iconic Joel Miller of The Last of Us, to the confused yet determined Booker Dewitt of BioShock Infinite, Troy Baker has given life to many of gaming’s most well-remembered characters throughout his career. Being such a prolific actor has its drawbacks though, as Troy Baker’s announcement of joining the Non-Fungible Token, or NFT, landscape backfired with fans expressing their shock and disappointment.
When thinking of notable video game performers, Troy Baker is usually one of the first to come to mind. Beyond The Last of Us and BioShock Infinite, Troy Baker’s career has taken him everywhere from multiple Call of Duty characters, to a variety of Japanese titles like Persona 4 and Catherine. At the end of 2021 fans believed he was teasing his next project, posting an image of him with Roger Clarke, the actor who plays Arthur Morgan in Red Dead Redemption 2.
Troy Baker has announced he is partnering with Voiceverse NFT, and his fans are not very happy about it. The announcement comes via his Twitter account, where he writes, “I’m partnering with @VoiceverseNFT to 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.” He closes the post with a call-to-arms, asking people whether they will hate or create, and sharing what is presumably an NFT of his likeness with bold line work and bright colors. The consensus on NFTs is one of hatred by fans but lucrative by owners, as Square Enix’s stock bumped after announcing its NFT pursuits despite fan backlash.
In a follow-up series of tweets, Baker responds to the comments says a bit more about his decision, thanking everyone for sharing their thoughts, and apologizing for being “a bit antagonistic” at the end. “I’m just a storyteller out here trying to tell my story to whomever will hear and…hoping I can help others do the same,” he writes.
The primary concerns of NFTs are its high climate cost for low utility, and the potential monetization exploiting as game developers begin adopting them more. Popular content creator Suzi Hunter responded to Baker with an image of someone giving two thumbs up and the caption, “You can create THIS,” which has nearly 10k more likes than the original post.
While companies like Ubisoft and Square Enix seem pretty adamant about its NFT pursuits, others such as Sega have spoken about its cautionary NFT approach. For now then, it seems like Troy Baker will be standing with the former group instead of the latter, and will have to continue facing the backlash of his fans.
