On Wednesday, Minecraft developer Mojang Studios announced that it will be removing nonfungible tokens, or NFTs, as well as blockchain technology in general, from its famous eponymous game. Mojang explained the decision as follows.
“Like any digital file, NFTs can be copied, moved, or even deleted. Additionally, NFTs and blockchain have also been associated with price speculation. These uses of NFTs and other blockchain technologies create digital ownership based on scarcity and exclusion, which does not align with Minecraft’s values of creative inclusion and playing together.”
Minecraft blog
Mojang stated that blockchain technologies will be banned inside Minecraft to ensure safety
According to Mojang, “blockchain technologies are not permitted to be integrated inside our client and server applications to ensure that the players have a safe and inclusive experience, nor may Minecraft in-game content such as worlds, skins, persona items, or other mods be used by blockchain technology to create a scarce digital asset.”
The business also chastised the “speculative pricing” and “investment mindset” around NFTs, which detract from the gaming experience and encourage profiteering at the expense of long-term game playability.
To back up the restriction, it cited rug-pulls involving specific third-party NFT integrations, as well as NFT wash trading or fraudulent price manipulation. Third-party blockchain technology cannot be incorporated with Minecraft client and server apps under the new guidelines.
They may also not be used to generate NFTs related to any in-game material, such as worlds, skins, persona items, or other modifications.
Although the modifications do not affect most of the players, they are expected to have a substantial impact on a tiny group of players who profit from in-game NFTs.