On July 20, 2022, Mojang Studios the Swedish video game developer behind the world’s best-selling game of all time said blockchain or non-fungible token (NFT) technologies are “not permitted to be integrated inside [Mojang’s] client and server applications.” Mojang stressed that NFTs or any use of blockchain tech cannot be integrated into any “in-game content such as worlds, skins, persona items, or other mods.”
Mojang Studios Has No Plans to Integrate Blockchain or Introduce NFT Technology Into Minecraft — Blockchain and NFTs are Not Permitted
According to Wednesday’s blog, Mojang Studios is taking a firm stand on blockchain technology and non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Mojang, which is best known for its three-dimensional (3D), sandbox-style game Minecraft that has no stated goals, has been a top seller.
Mojang sold over 238M Minecraft copies to date. No other videogame has ever sold as many copies. Minecraft’s sales are followed by top sellers like Grand Theft Auto V (165M copies), Tetris (100M copies), and Wii Sports (82.9M copies).
The blog post released on Wednesday, states that Minecraft won’t be using blockchain technology or NFTs. The Minecraft creators wholeheartedly believe that “all players should have access to the same functionality” and “everyone has access to the same content.”
Using NFTs would go against the company’s ethos, as NFTs can “create models of scarcity and exclusion that conflict with [the company’s] guidelines and the spirit of Minecraft.” The company cites a number of reasons like the fact there are too many blockchains issuing NFTs, “some third-party NFTs may not be reliable,” and NFTs have been “sold at artificially or [for] fraudulently inflated prices.”
“As such, to ensure that Minecraft players have a safe and inclusive experience, blockchain technologies are not permitted to be integrated inside our Minecraft client and server applications nor may they be utilized to create NFTs associated with any in-game content, including worlds, skins, persona items, or other mods,” Mojang’s blog post details. According to the Stockholm-based game developer,
Also, we’ll be watching how the blockchain technology changes over time. This will help us determine whether or not it allows for safer gaming and more inclusive games. But, right now we don’t plan on implementing blockchain technology to Minecraft.
Mojang Won’t Be Following Heavy Weight Game Software Developers Like Square Enix, Konami, Ubisoft — Minecraft Creator Believes ‘Speculative Pricing and Investment Mentality’ Takes the Fun Away From Playing the Game
Mojang’s decision comes at a time when firms like Ubisoft, Square Enix, and Konami have all launched NFT implementations of some kind or another. Ubisoft’s and GSC Game World’s backlash against NFT inclusion came at the close of 2021.
GSC Game World stopped production of NFT components for Stalker 2 because they were getting so much flak from the public. However, an executive at Ubisoft, Nicolas Pouard, told the press that he thinks players reject NFTs because they don’t understand the benefits of the technology.
Konami detailed in February that it planned to continue issuing NFTs to preserve the company’s content. Square Enix was also part of a $35million investment round in Zebedee’s fintech and Bitcoin payment processor Zebedee. Zebedee is a New Jersey-based firm that integrates bitcoin payments in games.
Mojang does not want to have anything to do with NFTs or blockchain. It wants all-inclusive gaming. “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,” Mojang concluded on Wednesday.
Mojang’s ban on Minecraft using blockchain or NFT technology is what you think. Please comment below to let us know your thoughts on this topic.
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