NFTs have unfortunately become a major part of the games industry, from Ubisoft to, well, a load of scams. One major target for NFT projects is beloved survival game Minecraft, with multiple schemes involving the title.
After a number of bad apples, Minecraft developer Mojang has responded to NFT groups using its game. Simply put, the developer isn’t having it.
Mojang says “No” to Minecraft NFTs
In a new post detailing overhauled Minecraft guidelines, developer Mojang addressed the expanding NFT issue. The developer explained that any blockchain projects involving the title will be banned.
Currently, NFT technology is used in multiple projects involving the game. All of projects are created by external groups and are usually run through platforms like Discord, there’s also a high probability of scams, such as BlockVerse.
Mojang explains that the unsafe nature of NFTs and blockchain projects are an antonym to Minecraft. With this in mind, any NFT project involving the game will be shut down.
“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,” the developer said. “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 stated that the “spirit of Minecraft” is ruined by NFTs. They explained: “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.”
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NFT profiteers are not happy
Mojang’s ban on Minecraft NFTs has left some people in a troublesome place. Co-founder of NFTWorlds, one of the most popular Minecraft NFT platforms claimed they’re “not leaving” following the ban.
“We are working to figure out to what extent this will affect us and also have potential pivots planned in the absolute worst case that keeps us going,” they said. “We're not leaving.”
Fans of NFTWorlds, or just NFTs in general, also spoke out on the subject. One particularly popular tweet claimed that Mojang and Microsoft are going backwards as they denounce the predatory world of NFTs.
“What the hell Minecraft? The reasoning behind the announcement is the most stupid & old-school I have ever seen,” they said. “Crazy to see Microsoft going full backward honestly.”
With Minecraft being one of the most popular children’s games of all time, Mojang has a prerogative to protect its fanbase. NFTs are predatory and dangerous, and protecting players is only a a good thing in this case.