The brains behind the hugely well-liked procedurally generated sandbox game "Minecraft," Microsoft-owned Mojang Studios declared on Wednesday that it will not support or enable the use of NFTs and other blockchain-related items in the game.
Mojang expressed in a blog post, the conflicts and inequity the reality would result in if they incorporated NFTs and blockchain technology into the game:
They went on to say that because NFTs are by their very nature highly rare collector's items, they are in opposition to the values of cooperation and collaboration that the game promotes.
It appears that a number of modders, businesses, and creators have used Minecraft to produce their own NFTs, either by creating world files and skin packs to sell to players, by using the game to grant players NFTs through actions taken on a shared server or by using the Minecraft art itself in NFTs.
In specific terms, Mojang points out scarcity and exclusion as resulting factors. The studio also highlights that some companies have recently rolled out NFT implementations associated with Minecraft world files and skin packs:
Each of these uses of NFTs and other blockchain technologies creates digital ownership based on scarcity and exclusion, which does not align with Minecraft values of creative inclusion and playing together. NFTs are not inclusive of all our communities and create a scenario of the haves and the have-nots. 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.
In the ending part of the blog, they give a summary that vividly expresses their intentions:
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 aims to give its players a "safe and inclusive experience" and has explained that "blockchain technologies are not permitted... nor may they be utilized to create NFTs associated with any in-game content."
One shouldn't give up on the blockchain aspect of Mojang. Yet, as the studio further stated in the ending paragraphs, they will be "paying close attention" to the technology to "determine whether it will allow for more secure experiences or other practical and inclusive applications in gaming."
It's hard to predict if there'll be plans to include blockchain technology in the game anytime soon. But do you think there'll be any incident that could overturn this reality? Give us your thoughts in the comment section.
