<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Japanese video game company Square Enix, which is behind popular titles such as <em>Final Fantasy</em>, <em>Kingdom Hearts</em> and <em>Dragon Quest</em>, signed a </span><a href="https://www.hd.square-enix.com/eng/news/pdf/20220502%20A_Press%20Release_fin.pdf"><span style="font-weight: 400;">deal</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Monday to sell off some of its intellectual property and studios in order to fund new blockchain, AI and cloud investments.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Swedish gaming firm Embracer is paying Square Enix $300 million for two North America-based studios, Crystal Dynamics and Eidos Interactive, and the popular game series </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Tomb Raider</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Deus Ex,</span></i> <i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Thief</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Legacy of Kain,</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> among others</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The move is in line with Square Enix's growing interest in blockchain gaming. At the beginning of 2022, the company's president Yosuke Matsuda <a href="https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/128874/square-enix-plans-to-invest-more-in-blockchain-gaming-in-2022">said</a></span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> that the firm intended to invest more in blockchain technology throughout the year. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Square Enix first got into NFTs in March of 2021 after partnering with the Japanese blockchain gaming tech company Double Jump Tokyo, creating digital assets for the video game franchise </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Million Arthur. </span></i></p>