Mojang bans NFTs, blockchain integration from Minecraft

Mojang Studios has released a detailed statement surrounding the studio and Minecraft’s position on non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and the broader blockchain, essentially banning the inclusion of NFTs and confirming that the developers have no plans to implement blockchain technology into the game.

In the staff post, Mojang provided a detailed background explanation of exactly what NFTs are and how they are most commonly used online, followed by breaking down what concerns developers have about the practice.

Overall, the developers share that “integrations of NFTs with Minecraft is generally not something we would support or allow,” and that implementing something that involves digital ownership and may involve practices of scarcity and exclusion “is inconsistent with Minecraft values ​​of creative inclusion and playing together.”

“NFTs do not include our entire community and create a scenario of haves and have-nots,” Mojang staff said. “The speculative pricing and investment mentality surrounding NFTs takes the focus away from playing the game and encourages profit, which we believe is inconsistent with the long-term enjoyment and success of our players.”

The team also expressed concerns about how third-party NFT projects could be eaten away Minecraft the player base and the frequent scams pulled by managers looking to take advantage of a popular brand or property.

Mojang’s attitude to the blockchain is flexible and the developers keep an eye on how the technology develops so that Minecraft guidelines will provide safe and inclusive experiences for its players.

“As such, to ensure that Minecraft players have a safe and inclusive experience, blockchain technologies are not allowed to be integrated in our Minecraft client and server applications and also cannot be used to create NFTs associated with in-game content, including worlds, skins, persona elements or other mods,” Mojang said. “We will also be closely monitoring how blockchain technology evolves over time to ensure that the above principles are retained and determine whether it will allow for safer experiences or other practical and inclusive applications in games.”

This outlined set of attitudes will be added Minecraft’s guidelines in an upcoming update, but Mojang wanted to get ahead of it and publish their stance separately from the larger post. But talks about how Mojang allows “fee for access” and other practices on third-party servers is already being recorded in response.