Square Enix Is Selling a Cloud Strife Action Figure...That's Also an NFT

Final Fantasy VII hero Cloud Strife is being immortalized in a new 25th-anniversary action figure… that also comes with an NFT.

Square Enix announced that the upcoming Cloud Strife figurine will include an NFT as part of the purchase – using the blockchain as a digital certificate of authenticity as well as a “digital version of the figure.”

“The digital plus edition is a set product of physical action figure with one each of exchange tickets to redeem digital certificate of authenticity and digital version of the figure,” reads the description. “Both digital certificate of authenticity and digital version of the figure are managed by the block chain technology known as NFTs. Digital certificate of authenticity provides proof of authenticity for your original purchase of the figure.”

“Digital version of the figure can be enjoyed on your smart phone or your PC through dedicated website,” they added.

Quite how you will ‘enjoy’ your figurine via smartphone or PC remains to be seen. Will this be in the form of a 3D rendering? A JPEG? Who knows. But you’ll have to sign up to the Enjin NFT platform to find out.

The figuring itself costs $159.99 and is available to pre-order now. It’s due for release in November 2023, along with both exchange tickets for the digital version and a certificate of authenticity.

Additionally, Square Enix will be attaching NFTs to some of its trading cards. According to CNET, the company will release a Final Fantasy VII trading card set next year, with NFTs bundled into packs as standard. Anyone who buys packs of trading cards will be able to redeem a digital version that exists as an NFT.

Still, fans and NFT critics aren’t too happy.

It's actually ironic as hell that Cloud's game is about saving the planet and yet Square Enix really has the audacity to slap an nft on his new figure pic.twitter.com/XgNyDnkLmR

— Marci🌹 (@MarcelinaRose_) July 21, 2022

Will NFTs really make a good replacement for the old certificate of authenticity? And how can you enjoy an NFT anyway? I guess we’ll find out next year.

Want to find out more about Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade? Check out our review of the Intermission DLC and find out why they went with Yuffie over Cid and Vincent.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.