On Wednesday, Minecraft’s developer Mojang Studios said that it might be excluding the combination of nonfungible tokens, or NFTs, alongside blockchain expertise as a complete, in its widespread namesake sport. In explaining the choice, Mojang wrote:
“Like every digital file, NFTs will be copied, moved, and even deleted. Moreover, NFTs and blockchain have additionally been related to value hypothesis. These makes use of of NFTs and different blockchain applied sciences create digital possession primarily based on shortage and exclusion, which doesn’t align with Minecraft’s values of artistic inclusion and taking part in collectively.”
As informed by Mojang: “To make sure that Minecraft gamers have a secure and inclusive expertise, blockchain applied sciences are usually not permitted to be built-in inside our consumer and server purposes, nor might Minecraft in-game content material equivalent to worlds, skins, persona objects, or different mods, be utilized by blockchain expertise to create a scarce digital asset.”
The corporate additionally criticized the “speculative pricing” and “funding mentality” round NFTs that take away from the sport expertise and encourage profiteering to the detriment of long-term sport playability. Moreover, it pointed to rug-pulls surrounding sure third-party NFT integrations in addition to NFT wash buying and selling, or fraudulent value manipulation to help the ban.
Below the brand new guidelines, third-party blockchain applied sciences can’t be built-in with consumer and server purposes inside Minecraft. Nor might they be utilized to create NFTs related to any in-game content material, together with worlds, skins, persona objects or different mods. Though the modifications don’t have an effect on most Minecraft players, it’s more likely to have important penalties for a small subset of players who’re additionally benefiting from in-game NFTs. Third-party for-sale NFT collections digitizing Minecraft in-game property might subsequently be in violation of such phrases and will probably face authorized penalties.
Rip NFT worlds? pic.twitter.com/5bEy5oqtjm
— DeeZe (@DeezeFi) July 20, 2022