Microsoft-owned Minecraft bans NFT and blockchain implementations over exclusivity, unreliability, and fraud

July 21, 2022 9:00 AM

If you can’t see the writing on the wall when it comes to blockchain shenanigans, you should probably get your eyesight checked out because yet another major gaming company has banned NFTs: The Xbox Game Studios-owned studio Mojang, best known for Minecraft, announced last night that “integrations of NFTs with Minecraft are generally not something [it] will support or allow.”

“To ensure that Minecraft 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,” Mojang says.

“Some companies have recently launched NFT implementations that are associated with Minecraft world files and skin packs. Other examples of how NFTs and blockchain could be utilized with Minecraft include creating Minecraft collectible NFTs, allowing players to earn NFTs through activities performed on a server, or earning Minecraft NFT rewards for activities outside the game. Each of these uses of NFTs and other blockchain technologies creates digital ownership based on scarcity and exclusion, which does not align with Minecraft values of creative inclusion and playing together. NFTs are not inclusive of all our community and create a scenario of the haves and the have-nots. The speculative pricing and investment mentality around NFTs takes the focus away from playing the game and encourages profiteering, which we think is inconsistent with the long-term joy and success of our players.

“We are also concerned that some third-party NFTs may not be reliable and may end up costing players who buy them. Some third-party NFT implementations are also entirely dependent on blockchain technology and may require an asset manager who might disappear without notice. There have also been instances where NFTs were sold at artificially or fraudulently inflated prices. We recognize that creation inside our game has intrinsic value, and we strive to provide a marketplace where those values can be recognized.”

Mojang does say that it will “be paying close attention to how blockchain technology evolves over time to ensure that the above principles are withheld and determine whether it will allow for more secure experiences or other practical and inclusive applications in gaming” – but thus far, that hasn’t happened.

Mojang is in some illustrious company here, as it joins Valve/Steam, Grinding Gear Games, Clockwork Labs, and Blizzard in making statements against NFTs. Others, like the new owner of Legends of Aria, keep doubling down: “In light of the Minecraft announcement earlier today, our team at Legends of Aria would like to reinforce the fact that #web3 is the future,” it tweeted.