Microsoft’s Minecraft bans NFTs on game servers, derivative NFT projects

Minecraft is one of them the world’s most popular gameand publisher Microsoft’s sandbox style has only grown since its initial launch in 2009. But developer Mojang isn’t keen to see the blocky hit used alongside indie NFT projects, and has announced that Minecraft will soon ban the use of the technology.

The Microsoft-owned studio today has shared a news post regarding upcoming changes to the Minecraft usage guidelines and they are about NFTs. Minecraft will soon be banned blockchain technology on game servers, which are run independently by fans and creators, plus it will ban the use of Minecraft images to create NFT projects.

“To ensure that Minecraft players have a safe and inclusive experience, blockchain technologies are not allowed to be integrated into our client and server applications, and Minecraft in-game content such as worlds, skins, persona elements or other mods cannot be used. of blockchain technology to create a scarce digital resource,” the post says.

Mojang currently allows Minecraft server operators to charge money to access their custom online experiences, but the studio views NFTs as going against “the spirit of Minecraft.” It is due to NFT shortage models, in the studio’s view, which may limit the ability of players to access features on certain servers.

“The speculative pricing and investment mentality around NFTs takes the focus away from playing the game and encourages profit-making, which we believe is inconsistent with the long-term happiness and success of our players,” the post added.

Mojang noted that some independent Minecraft servers allow the use of NFTs that represent in-game items, or provide NFT rewards to players. Additionally, there are projects that have turned Minecraft assets into NFT collectibles, for example Polygon-based NFT worldswhich sells virtual plots that can be used on a custom Minecraft server.

According to data from CryptoSlam, NFT Worlds has generated nearly $163 million in NFT trading volume to date. IN a tweet todayNFT World co-founder ArkDev noted that the team is trying to figure out how to proceed in the wake of the impending Minecraft rule change.

– We are working to find out to what extent this will be [affect] us and also have potential pivots planned in a worst-case scenario that keeps us going,” he wrote. “We’re not leaving.”

On the NFT Worlds Discord server, the team noted previous interactions with Minecraft’s developers and suggested that a “pivot” for the project was a possibility.

“We are as blind as you,” says the message. “We have spoken to Minecraft’s IP department several times recently. They have never clearly indicated that anything we did was going to be judged/restricted (other than existing EULA articles, which we complied with for the entire project, such as our attitude towards advertising/in-game IP).”

“I know this is of extreme concern in the community, and it is for us as well,” the NFT Worlds message continues. “But we are at the moment [considering] all options and we’ll do our best to figure out another option going forward, even if it’s a pivot.”

Notable figures from the crypto industry have commented on the news. Chris Dixon, general partner at VC firm Andreessen Horowitz, tweeted“Good reminder why you shouldn’t build on corporate (Web2) networks. They change the rules for developers on a whim.”

An NFT is a blockchain token which represents ownership of an item. Often they are used for digital goods such as artwork, profile pictures, collectibles and video game items. The NFT market finally grew significantly during 2021 providing 25 billion dollars in trade volume.

While the Minecraft team currently has no intention of integrating blockchain technology, Mojang wrote that it may reconsider its stance in the future.

“We will also closely monitor how blockchain technology evolves over time to ensure that the above principles are upheld and determine whether it will allow for more secure experiences or other practical and inclusive applications in games,” the post reads.

No timeline has been set for the impending NFT-related rule change. In April, a number of Mojang developers independently launched a signature campaign asking game creators to promise not to use NFTs. The petition however, did not gain much traction: it had only 72 signatories in the first week, and only 430 in total as of July 11, per website.

Interestingly, Microsoft actually has released official NFTs related to Minecraft. In February 2021, just as the NFT market was starting to heat up, the company partnered with blockchain gaming firm Enjin to offer free NFTs as part of a tie-in to the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. These NFTs can be spent on Enjin’s MyMetaverse server for Minecraft.

It is currently unclear whether Microsoft will still allow Enjin’s plug-in – which allows servers to activate NFT-based items – to function after the rule changes. Decrypt reached out to representatives from Microsoft’s Xbox division for comment, but did not immediately hear back.

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