Minecraft bans NFT integrations, cites a lack of ‘values of creative inclusion’

On Wednesday, Microsoft-owned Mojang Studios announced that it would prohibit nonfungible tokens (NFTs) and other blockchain-related technology from its popular Minecraft game.

"NFTs can create models of scarcity and exclusion that conflict with our Guidelines and the spirit of Minecraft," the gaming company said in its statement. According to Mojang, the decision to prevent blockchain-based goods such as worlds, persona items, skins, and other modifications is aimed that providing players with a secure and inclusive experience. Mojang explained:

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.

Mojang believes that the "speculative pricing" and "investment mentality" around digital collectibles takes away from the gaming experience, encouraging an ecosystem of profiteering that will be detrimental to the long-term game playability. Furthermore, the company highlighted the rug-pulls associated with some third-party NFT integrations, as well as other grey areas like fraudulent price manipulation and wash trading.

As a result, under the new rules, third-party blockchain apps cannot be integrated with client or server applications within Minecraft. They cannot also be used to create NFTs associated with in-game content.

The latest ban on NFT integrations seems like a u-turn from Minecraft’s Web3 metaverse upgrade (“NFT Worlds”) in February.

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