As some developers embrace the controversial use of digital tokens, the folks at Minecraft have put their foot down on NFTs and blockchain technologies.
Their post comes in response to feedback from their community members asking for “clarification and transparency” on where Mojang Studios and Minecraft stand on the topic.
“While we are in the process of updating our Minecraft Usage Guidelines to offer more precise guidance on new technologies, we wanted to take the opportunity to share our view that integrations of NFTs with Minecraft are generally not something we will support or allow,” the post says. Just last year, Steam banned blockchain games and those that issued cryptocurrency.
Some creators use blockchain technology to sell things like skins and worlds, but the folks at Minecraft want their community to be a place “where everyone has access to the same content.” They believe NFTs “can create models of scarcity and exclusion that conflict with our Guidelines and the spirit of Minecraft.”
They go on to say “to ensure players have a safe and inclusive experience, blockchain technologies are not permitted to be integrated inside our client and server applications, nor may Minecraft in-game content such as worlds, skins, persona items, or other mods, be utilized by blockchain technology to create a scarce digital asset.”
The decision comes in part, Mojang says, because NFTs and blockchain do not align with “Minecraft’s values of creative inclusion and playing together” and “create a scenario of the haves and the have-nots.”
In all, the folks at Mojang Studios just want to look out for their community, recognizing that “NFTs may not be reliable and may end up costing players who buy them.”
Their stance comes at a time where some developers have even signed anti-NFT pledges while others who have embraced the technology have been called out for their money-grabbing schemes. Some, like Team17, have even announced NFT projects only to end them after their outrage from their community.
Casey is a freelance writer for IGN. You can usually find him talking about JRPGs on Twitter at @caseydavidmt.