NFT Group blocked from Minecraft promises to make their own version of the game
Minecraft developer Mojang announced earlier this week that it is banning blockchain and NFT technology from the popular block-based game. The general response from the community has been positive, but the providers of NFTs are feeling the sting. NFT Worlds, which has made a business of selling crypto-infused Minecraft content, is looking for a new way forward and may have to pivot by creating its own NFT-based version of the game.
The freedom to build your own world in Minecraft has appealed to NFT groups, offering many opportunities to create blockchain products. NFT Worlds has generated over $75 million in transaction volume by selling what they call “world seeds.” Like other NFTs, these products are unique and can be bought and sold with blockchain support. The owner of the NFT can use the seed to create a world using the Minecraft client.
When Mojang announced the blockchain restrictions, Mojang said that NFTs “create models of scarcity and exclusion that conflict with our policies and the spirit of Minecraft.” Before Mojang’s announcement, NFT Worlds was selling for 3 Ethereum, or about $4,500. After Mojang decided to ban blockchain technology from the game, the value of the NFTs dropped to 1.4 Ethereum ($2,100), Vice reports. NFT World’s crypto token also fell in value by around 70 percent.
We just shared the following announcement on our Discord regarding the stream @Minecraft & @nftworldsNFT situation. pic.twitter.com/ARbKABRK4A
— NFT Worlds (@nftworldsNFT) 20 July 2022
NFT Worlds says it is currently trying to contact Microsoft (which owns Mojang) to seek clarification on the change and seek an “alternative outcome.” It seems unlikely, but NFT Worlds says it has an alternative: it will just build its own NFT game. It wouldn’t be the first, but most of these titles are still barebones and not very popular. I question whether it is even possible to build a game around overpriced digital assets that is actually fun to play.
Mojang has not said it will forever ignore blockchain technology, but the current exclusionary model of NFTs will not be allowed. That’s not to say that NFT Worlds and other groups are out of options. They can continue to sell NFTs with Minecraft seeds – there’s nothing stopping people from manually inserting seeds into the game client. However, NFT Worlds will not be able to use the Minecraft API to send and receive crypto payments for the NFTs inside the game. It’s the kind of feature a game built from the ground up for NFTs would have, but good luck finding one as fun as Minecraft.
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