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The Minecraft NFT ban continues
Last year, Minecraft intended to ban NFTs, and it caused an uproar in the Web3 community. Up to this point, the ban has not yet been enforced. However, it is still threatening. Here is everything you need to know.
TL; DR
- Minecraft’s planned ban on NFTs caused a stir in the Web3 community. However, enforcement of the ban is still ongoing and looms on the horizon.
- Mojang, owned by Microsoft, intends to update the game’s guidelines to limit NFT integration, but the guidelines have not been updated so far.
- The ban affects Web3 projects built around Minecraft servers, with projects like NFT Worlds having to adapt and rebrand. Despite the delay, Minecraft remains committed to its stance against NFT integration.
Minecraft NFT Ban Looms on The Horizon
Last summer, the Swedish game studio owned by Microsoft, Mojang, made it known that they intended to update the game’s usage guidelines. The update will post specific restrictions on the integration of NFTs. Mojang firmly stated their stance against allowing NFT integrations with the game. But until now, Minecraft has not updated its guidelines. A Microsoft team member recently reassured the community that the official policy update is still in the works, stressing that the policy remains unchanged.
The first plans to ban NFT use in Minecraft came from the rise of unofficial Web3 projects fueled by the game’s popularity. Mojang targeted NFT resources that port and restrict access to specific content or features on player-run servers. While players are allowed to charge for server access, these features must remain available to everyone. On the contrary, NFTs introduce the possibility of exclusive features limited to a select group of assets.
How will the ban affect Web3 projects?
Mojang explained that NFTs and other blockchain technologies are contrary to its core ethos. Its core ethos promotes creative inclusion and shared play. In addition, the announcement further criticized the speculative pricing and investment-focused nature regarding NFTs, as they divert attention from the game’s core experience and encourage profit-driven interests.
In addition, Minecraft announced its intention to stop the creation of third-party NFT assets based on official game assets. This decision directly affected third-party Web3 projects that had built their foundations around Minecraft servers.
An example project is NFT Worlds. NFT Worlds offered customizable lands as NFTs and had plans to launch a dedicated Minecraft server using these tokens. However, the creators of NFT Worlds quickly adapted their approach and changed the project to Topiaan original game inspired by Minecraft, but developed from scratch.
Although Minecraft has not yet implemented the ban on NFTs, Mojang’s commitment to updating their policy shows their ongoing stance against the integration of NFTs. Players and the Web3 community are anxiously awaiting further developments in this matter to see how it will ultimately develop.
